Effects of Leadership

Dustin Commet

Article Analysis 1● Details seven “life skills” that can be learned and are demonstrated by Mark

Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook

● These skills aren’t only helpful for improving yourself, but also for becoming

a good leader and inspiring you workforce

Article Analysis 1 - Continued1. Equanimity

2. Critical Thinking

3. Problem-solving

4. Effective Communication

5. Assertiveness

6. Mindfulness

7. Vision

Article Analysis 2 + 3● Twitter’s failure to profit has led to many leads departing the company, and

recently a loss in employees of 9%

● Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter, tries to reach a profit by putting the company

under new management and by changing up its focus and workforce

● Trying to reach more users and eke out a profit

Article Analysis 2 + 3 - continued● Focus on business and how to bridge the gap between Twitter and it’s

competitors - namely Facebook

● Facebook has 5 times the active monthly users that Twitter has, and still

grows as Twitter has reached a point of stagnation

● As Twitter struggles to get it’s footing, Facebook and others companies

slowly take ideas from Twitter - as Twitter experiences little change

Mark Zuckerberg: An Introduction● Very culture oriented outlook

● Tries to push the company towards their mission

● Leads by example

● Focus on growth through innovation and genuine care for work

Jack Dorsey: An Introduction● Focus on BUSINESS

● Brought in as CEO in order to help Twitter make a profit and be able to run

as it’s own entity

● Cares little for employees and is more about the task at hand and how to

grow the company

A Difference in Focus● The difference in focus

○ Intrinsic vs Extrinsic

○ Facebook feels as if it has something that it wants to achieve as a company

○ Twitter is trying to make itself profitable as a business

● Extrinsic focus creates a wall between leader (Dorsey) and employees

● Intrinsic builds a bridge of sorts between leader (Zuckerberg) and employees

Impact on Employees● Employees either are motivated to do their work or they aren’t

● With an intrinsic focus like Twitter’s, they are less obliged to go above and

beyond - they are just their for the paycheck

● Facebook, however, instills a sense of pride in their work. The employees

WANT to be doing what they are doing

Types of Leadership

Types of Leadership - Continued● Transactional Leadership

○ Classical management with a focus on leader and follower

○ Focus on task

○ Actions of subordinates result in a reward or punishment

● Transformational Leadership

○ Focus on bringing employees up and empowerment

○ Tries to overcome issues, not just fix them

Leadership Styles - Zuckerberg● Under Blake and Mouton’s Leadership grid

○ I’d say Zuckerberg is a Team Manager

● Focus on employees, happiness and fulfillment

● Still have a focus on the task, as Facebook is still a large corporation and

needs to be treated as such

Leadership Styles - Zuckerberg - Continued● Zuckerberg falls under the blanket of Transformational Leadership

● He sets an example for his company in the ways he proceeds

● Offers consideration, motivation, and influence

○ Supports employees, gets in on a personal level with them

○ Has a clear company goal, that is adhered to no matter how big they grow

○ Sets himself as an example to follow and to aspire to

Leadership Styles - Dorsey● Under Blake and Mouton’s Leadership Grid

○ I’d say Dorsey is an Authority-Obedience Manager

● High focus on getting the task done

● Not scared to shift employees and leadership

○ Changing leadership completely in 2015

○ Recently laying off 9% of entire staff

Leadership Styles - Dorsey - Continued● Dorsey falls under the blanket of Transactional Leadership

● High focus on the task at hand

● Definitely your boss, not a friend

● Not afraid to cut in order to eke out a profit

○ Employees, Vine as a whole, etc...

Contrast● Zuckerberg and Dorsey aren’t complete opposites, but they are very

different

● Both have focus on the task, but the focus on employee fulfillment goes a

long way for a company that needs to be as creative and outgoing as either of

these examples

Impact on Company - Facebook● Employees WANT to help the company improve

● Willingly make contributions and go out of their way to improve the network

● AN intrinsic focus that was cultivated by Zuckerberg’s leadership style

● Positive impact

Impact on Company - Twitter● Constant struggle for profitization

● Stagnation of format, content, and users

● Extrinsic focus cultivated by Dorsey

● Negative impact - especially for a company that needs to be constantly

creative and reaching new ideas such as Twitter

Conclusion● The leadership styles of a company can have a heavy effect on the company

as a whole

● Zuckerberg focuses on people as well as task, cultivating an environment

that benefits his company

● Dorsey focuses almost completely on the task, losing sight of the people that

make up his company and the people that utilize it

Conclusion - Continued● Employees WANT to help Facebook improve due to an intrinsic focus that

can be found throughout the company

● Employees at Twitter are focused on the paycheck and making the boss

happy

● For a company that focuses so much on people and creativity - such as a

social network - the leadership can have a very negative effect on its future.

○ Right now, Twitter’s future is stagnation and Facebook is constantly growing

Sources● Johnson, C. (2015, December 22). Seven Life Skills I Learned From Mark

Zuckerberg About Success. Retrieved November 8, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/yec/2015/12/22/eight-life-skills-i-learned-from-mark-zuckerberg-about-success/#3e5c032e63f0

● Guynn, Jessica, and Mike Snider. "Jack Dorsey Overhauling Twitter Leadership." USA Today. Gannett, 25 Jan. 2016. Web. 08 Nov. 2016. <http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/01/24/twitter-hit-reported-exodus-executives/79274226/>.

● Dave, P. (2016, October 27). Twitter to slash 9% of its workforce and kill Vine as it tries to eke out a profit. Retrieved November 04, 2016, from http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-twitter-layoffs-20161027-story.html