Leadership Styles

Introduction

The communication style of a leader will determine the productivity outcome of that organization. Southwest Airlines’ Herb Kelleher has a charismatic leadership style, which has made Southwest Airlines employees take on challenges in downtimes as personal challenges. The employees respect and trust Kelleher and they are committed to do what it takes to see Southwest Airlines grow while keeping the environment fun LUV-ing.

Responding to Leadership Styles

There are four different leadership styles, transformational, charismatic, transactional and authentic. These styles communicate upward and downward differently and their effect on an organization is very different.

Charismatic Leadership

Herb Kelleher’s style of communication is charismatic. Charismatic leaders express their vision as an idealized goal, they are willing to take personal risks, they are sensitive to the needs of their followers and their behavior counters the norm (Robbins, 2011 pg. 388). Kelleher has demonstrated these traits time and time again. Nine years after Kelleher along with Rollin King founded Southwest they adopted a mission statement that had clarity of purpose (Smith, 2004 pg. 27). Charismatic leaders set a tone of cooperation and mutual support (Robbins, 2011 pg. 389) and Kelleher has done this by establishing a family organizational philosophy which all employees abide.

Transformational Leadership

A transformational leader also pays “attention to the concerns and needs of individual followers; they change followers’ awareness of issues by helping them look at old problems in new ways; and they excite and inspire followers to put out extra effort to achieve group goals” (Robbins, 2011 pg. 390). In many ways Kelleher displays traits of a transformational leader. The mix of charisma and transformational leadership complement each other.

The communication from a transformational leader would encourage creativity and provides a can do attitude (Robbins, 2011 pg....