Leaders - Born or Made?

The basic functions for management consist of planning, leading, organizing and controlling. Each of these functions plays a vital and integral role in becoming a manager. Therefore it is essential to study these in depth and see how they apply in the modern world of management. Two particular functions can be studied closely to show just how good management can impact positively on the organization’s outcomes and stakeholders. These are leading - in short, “the use of influence to motivate employees to achieve organizational goals” Samson & Daft (2009, p. 15), and planning – “defining where the organization wants to be in the future and how to get there” Samson & Daft (2009, p. 13).

In order to become a successful manager, it is necessary to be able to perform these functions to their full extent. As these functions are performed well, the organization benefits positively therefore benefitting the stakeholders. An organization is a structured body of people who have a goal that directs their actions. It is the manager’s job to set the goals and direct the employees’ actions. By utilizing both ‘leading’ and ‘planning’ we can see how various managers have succeeded in leading their organizations to success.

The planning function of management means “defining goals for future organizational performance and deciding on the tasks and use of resources needed to attain them” Samson & Daft (2009, p.13). This includes scheduled meetings and planning business actions, costs and strategies. A prime example of planning impacting an organization positively would be Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Inc.

In his interview with Fortune magazine, Steve Job says, "So what we do every Monday is we review the whole business. We look at what we sold the week before. We look at every single product under development, products we're having trouble with, products where the demand is larger than we can make. All the stuff in development, we review. And we do it every single week.”...