Executive Summary

The report primarily showcases the leadership style of Larry Page, one of the co-founders of Google. The traits theory has been used to identify the main traits of the entrepreneur which has helped him to succeed in his business endeavor. Since he is regarded to be one of the most influential leaders of the current times, his example has been used to understand the traits theory simply. Leadership qualities are very important to help an organization move toward the desired objective. Thus the main purpose of the report is to know the top traits that can differentiate a great leader from a good leader. Since the very inception of Google in 1998, Page has shown effective leadership traits to help the concern move forward.

Introduction 

The 21st century has seen several leaders who have adopted unconventional leadership models to guide their business entities to new and unimaginable heights. The most promising leaders that will be remembered for their unique leadership skills and expertise are Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Larry Page. Various resources such as journal articles, research papers, and other publications have been used as pieces of evidence to identify the key traits of modern corporate leaders. The focus is on Larry Page since he is one of the few young individuals who have helped Google to be a world-class brand.

As of 2015, Google business commands over 2 million internet searchers in a second. He adopts a unique leadership strategy so that he can get his personnel to perform spectacularly. The leadership model that is used by him has a major influence on his organizational productivity. The leadership skills of Larry Page have been evaluated by using the situation theory of leadership and the traits theory of leadership (Alvesson & Spicer, 2012). 

Larry Page 

Larry Page is the CEO and co-founder of Google, the multinational technology concern that offers Internet-related services and other commodities. He is considered to be one of the most powerful people in the world because of his unique organizational approach and leadership style. It is an understatement to say that Page is intelligent and creative. He uses his creativity, intelligence, and personality to the next level to make Google more ambitious and driven. These unique traits make him an inspirational individual. His work philosophy is reflected in the statement “We should be building great things that do not exist.” This very approach propels Google to undertake radical-seeming projects that are known as “moon shots”. The leadership model pushes the current boundaries of the employees and the organization as a whole to perform their level best and set the new expectations for the moon (Cameron, 2007). 

Leadership concepts and theories have been used to assess the leadership model of Larry Page (Mumford et al., 2000). The situation theory has been used to understand how Page solved business challenges. The report has been designed so that Page’s leadership style and ideas can be used as the benchmark in the organizational setting to enhance the leadership model of other organizations. 

Leadership Concepts and Theories

Leadership theories have been introduced to define the primary characteristic that makes up authentic and original leaders. According to Northouse, people live in societies so the individuals need to take collective decisions to exist in a collaborative manner (Northouse, 2015). To survive in a harmonious and well-coordinated manner, the necessity for leadership arises. Different theories like the Traits Theory, Contingency Theory, Situational Theory, etc. have been introduced to highlight the ideal characteristics of a leader. The aptest theories and concepts have been used to understand the leadership strengths and limitations of Page. 

According to the journal article “Assessing the trait theory of leadership using self and observer ratings of personality” Amy, E. Colbert states that the various personality traits influence the effectiveness and style of the leaders (Colbert et al., 2012). This study underestimates the relationship between the personality of an individual and the leadership approach followed by him. 

In the journal article titled “Leadership skills: Conclusions and Future Directions” by Mumford and Zaccaro, the authors have stated that the specific style and approach of leadership can be understood from various latent skills such as problem-solving ability, knowledge, social judgment model, etc. (Mumford et al., 2000). 

Traits Theory of Leadership 

The traits theory of leadership fundamentally focuses on the key traits and behavioral characteristics of leaders. It states that leaders are born and not made. As per Thomas Carlyle, the individual who first introduced this theory, the key characteristics are knowledge relating to business, initiative, creativity, decision-making skills, emotional intelligence, integrity and creativity. These leadership traits are in-built in individuals that make them effective leaders that have influencing power. The page has unique traits that make him an effective leader. He focuses on innovation at all times so that Google can change for the better. He adopts an open way of leading and thus is known as a democratic leader (Trait Theory – David Burkus, 2017).  

The key traits of Page that make him a great leader have been highlighted:

Intelligence – Intelligence about emotion and situation is highly critical for a great leader. Page not only possesses solid professional skills but he has the necessary emotional intelligence that makes him different from the other leaders. To encourage rational thinking, he targets the emotional side of the employees. He uses this trait to drive innovation at Google. 

Creativity – Creativity is a natural trait of great leaders that makes them different from the general crowd. Larry Page is a unique leader since he urges the Google employees to believe in crazy and innovative ideas that can change the world. A couple of decades back no one had thought of a virtual search engine “Google” but today it is a reality due to Page’s innovative outlook.

Decision-making ability – Leaders have to take key decisions at various levels in an organization. Page adopts a quick decision-making approach so that an active management approach can be followed at Google. He asks his employees to update them about their current projects so that he can be involved in all the company-related processes.

Focus on Team-building – Team building is a critical aspect that helps leaders to take their organization forward. Page believes in adopting a collective approach to reach the desired organizational results. He uses the power of constructive training and delegation to create strong teams. He avoids the autocratic model of leading and encourages the departments to work in a unified manner to collect common insight (Pedler, Burgoyne & Boydell, 2010).

Situational or Contingency Theory 

The situational theory involves various kinds of leadership styles that leaders must possess based on the kind of business situation. As per this theory, no specific leadership approach can be termed the best leadership approach in all situations. According to the lead researchers white and Hodgson, true and effective leadership is not just about the qualities and characteristics of an individual. It is also about striking the right balance between the behavior, requirements and context of the specific circumstances. Larry Page uses this approach in the highly demanding organizational setting. In fact, due to his strong focus on prevailing situations in the industry, he has been able to help Google reach new heights. The page has spent his entire career at Google and his experience has taught him how to react to different kinds of circumstances (Why Do Some People Become Great Leaders, 2017). 

According to the journal article “The role of stewardship in leadership” by Dr. R. D. Waters, the contingency theoretical model of leadership can be used to classify different kinds of leaders (Waters, 2013). The results show that there is a strong relationship between the environmental factors and the leadership method that is adopted in the organizational setting. 

Page is the kind of leader who possesses unique leadership skills and knows how to use them in specific organizational situations. In his very own words, his team at Google believes in audacious ideas that can change the world and attract smart people to add a valuable contributions to the organizational setting (Waters, 2013). 

Larry Page – Areas of Good Practice 

Larry Page at Google adopts a unique leadership model and makes sure that the employees and staff members are involved in the organizational processes. He focuses on his employees and their productivity. Page encourages creative and innovative ideas so that the best ideas can be turned into reality. The leadership theories that have been used highlight the main traits that make him an effective leader.  He makes sure that the management approach involves all the levels of employees of the Google entity. The best features of the leadership approach adopted by Page include expressing interest in the success and productiveness of the team members, empowering the team members and the departmental members, focusing on productivity and the output of the employees, etc. He follows a solid communication model so that the issues and concerns of the team members can be easily resolved by him. 

The clear leadership vision Page helps him to devise the most effective and constructive strategies that make Google one of the leaders in the market. It focuses on the technical skills and expertise of the employees so that they can make a productive contribution to the organizational setting. All the employees at Google are treated as equals before the management team and this is a key reason that strengthens the output of the concern. \

Larry Page – Areas of improvement 

The leadership approach that is adopted by Larry Page at Google helps the organization to make revolutionary changes in the organizational setting. There are several areas that can be further improved to strengthen the productivity of the employees and the leadership model. Page mostly believes in giving priority to the employees instead of focusing on the profitability or money-generation capacity of the business. This highlights his solid people-based traits. This leadership technique could hurt the productivity of the employees and the organization. 

The leadership model of Page encourages creative and innovative ideas from the employees. This leadership approach allows the business to explore new areas but it also exposes Google to several risks in the uncertain organizational setting. Thus a balanced focus should be used by Page so that the most feasible and practical ideas can be selected and converted into reality. 

Google follows no specific organizational culture so that the concern can identify most of the opportunities that come in its path. This open culture could be exploited by unproductive workers and it could reduce the efficiency of the organization. 

The open organizational culture could be tightened to a certain recommendation 

The recommendations have been designed so that Larry Page can further strengthen his leadership approach and thus improve the overall productivity of the business concern. Page must follow a balanced approach towards the employees and the productivity of the concern. This would make sure that the well-being of the Google employees and the financial-earning capacity of the firm are effectively met.

The risks and rewards are the usual set of challenges and opportunities that every business concern has to face. Page must focus on the innovative and feasible business ideas so that unnecessary waste of finance, effort, and time can be avoided.

 extent so that the productivity of the employees and the efficiency of the organization can be in the central position. Innovation must be instilled in all aspects of the leadership model so that the employees from all levels of the organization can share their creative and unique ideas in the professional setting. 

Conclusion 

The leadership style of Google CEO and co-founder Larry Page has been analyzed so that his unconventional leadership model could be highlighted. The key strengths and areas of improvement of Page’s leadership style have been covered. Several recommendations have been made so that Page could further strengthen the leadership model that is adopted at Google organization. The various leadership approaches that are used in the organizational setting have been discussed in the report using the different kinds of leadership theories.

References

Alvesson, M., & Spicer, A. (2012). Critical leadership studies: The case for critical performativity. Human Relations, 65(3), 367-390.

Cameron, S. (2007). The business student’s handbook: learning skills for study and employment. Pearson Education.

Colbert, A. E., Judge, T. A., Choi, D., & Wang, G. (2012). Assessing the trait theory of leadership using self and observer ratings of personality: The mediating role of contributions to group success. The Leadership

340. Waters, R. (2013). The role of stewardship in leadership: Applying the contingency theory of leadership to relationship cultivation practices of public relations practitioners. Journal of Communication Management, 17(4), 324-340.

Gio, T. H. Y., & Yazdanifard, R. (2015). The Unconventional Leadership of Corporate Leaders in the 21st Century. Global Journal of Management And Business Research.

Mumford, M. D., Zaccaro, S. J., Connelly, M. S., & Marks, M. A. (2000). Leadership skills: Conclusions and future directions. The Leadership Quarterly, 11(1), 155-170.

Northouse, P. G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.

Pedler, M., Burgoyne, J., & Boydell, T. (2010). A Manager’s Guide to Leadership. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).

Trait Theory – David Burkus. (2017). David Burkus – Author of The Myths of Creativity. Retrieved 29 November 2017, from https://davidburkus.com/2010/01/trait-theory/

Why Do Some People Become Great Leaders?. (2017). Verywell. Retrieved 29 November 2017, from https://www.verywell.com/leadership-theories-2795323

Zaccaro, S. J. (2007). Trait-based perspectives of leadership. American Psychologist, 62(1), 6.