Leadership Style: How Are Leaders Leading in the 21st Century?

Kwamisha Briana Gause

Dr. Antoinette Bridges
Leadership and Organizational Behavior
March 16, 2015

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Leadership Style: How Are Leaders Leading in the 21st Century?

Abstract
Effective leadership is one of the most important elements in the development of a successful
business. The CEO, in most cases, is that leader and their personal visions and goals for the
organization should be the foundation on which the most effective team is selected. The CEO is
the most influential person in an organization because they are the people on which the
organizations culture is based upon. The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze the
effectiveness of the leadership style of Larry Page, co-founder and CEO of the worlds most
beloved search engine, Google. This analysis also sheds more light on the concept of leadership
in the 21st century and how the power and influence of a strong leader encourages
communication and collaboration within the organization.

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Leadership Style: How Are Leaders Leading in the 21st Century?

The chief executive officer, or CEO, is the highest -ranking person of an organization,
who is ultimately responsible for making the majority of the managerial decisions for the firm.
This is the individual who is also responsible for driving the growth and success of the company
through their personal vision and organizational values. The CEO of a company has 5 key
responsibilities, regardless of the size, industry type, or geographical location (Trammell, 2014).
Those 5 responsibilities required of the successful CEO are to:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Own the vision

Provide the proper resources
Build the culture
Make good decisions
Oversee and deliver the companys performance

These are indeed the key responsibilities that will promote success in almost every company if
the right leader is in charge. Knowledge of these responsibilities help employees of all levels,
understand the mission of their leader, the organization and what they are supposed to do in order
to achieve those goals. Without a doubt, the CEO is the most important person in an organization
because they are the people who create the culture and they work just as hard, if not harder, to
promote and encourage employees to work collaboratively towards the ultimate goal of the firm:
success.
Larry Page: A Democratic Leader
The CEO and co-founder of the worlds most popular search engine, Google, Larry Page
is one of the most influential leaders of the 21st century. What sets Page apart from other leaders
is his unique leadership style. His management style is relevant to anyone whos growing a
business or looking to stay ahead of fierce competitors, not to mention complacency (Elmer,

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2011). His leadership style can be classified as a democratic leadership because he gives his
subordinates the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process. He is very open to the
ideas and suggestions of employees and he encourages creativity, teamwork, and more
importantly, he wants all employees to have fun at work and genuinely enjoy what they do. The
concept of empowerment is an extension of the leadership style, and it allows employees to share
authority, responsibility, and decision-making with their managers (Boone &Kurtz, 2013, p.
216). This is one of the many reasons why people admire Larry Page and thoroughly enjoy
working for Google.
Leadership Style, Philosophy, and Culture
There are several different leadership styles out there and a good leader doesnt
necessarily have to be defined by just one of them. While Larry Pages leadership style is a
democratic one, he also embodies the transformational style of leadership. This type of
leadership occurs when leaders broaden and elevate followers interests and stir followers to look
beyond their own interests to the good of others (Schermerhorn, Osborn, & Hunt, 2012, p. 310).
Transformational leadership also encompasses four dimensions, which include charisma,
inspiration, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. Page embodies this style
fully through his innovative vision and enthusiastic willingness to accept new ideas and practices
from Googlers (what Google likes to refer to their employees as).
Every year, Google hosts a two day conference featuring inspirational talks, hands on
learning, and a chance to hear more about Googles latest developer products (About I/O, 2015).
In May 2013, Larry Page spoke at the conference where he shared the companys current state in
relation to technology and he also shared his philosophy with thousands or eager ears. Pages
philosophy can be best summed up by the following quote: Weshouldbebuildinggreatthings

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thatdontexist(Olanoff,2013).ThisquotehighlightsPagespassionforinnovationaswellas
hisdesiretokeepGoogleaheadofthecompetitionbyencouragingGooglerstothinkoutsidethe
box.Herealizesthatinordertostayaheadintodaystechnologicalworld,creatingnewproducts
thatareprototypicaltoGoogleisnecessary.
IndirectalignmentwiththecultureofthecompanyarePagesphilosophyandleadership
styles.ThecultureofGoogleisonethatbelievesstronglyinprovidingamazingservicesand
productstoconsumersaswellasmakingsurethattheiremployeesareverywelltakencareof.
Googlebelievesthatitisthepeoplethatmakethecompanywhatitistoday.Intermsofjob
satisfaction,Googlecontinuestotopthebestplacestoworklistandthisismainlybecauseof
theleadershipofLarryPageandtheculturethathehasencouragedwithinthecompany.Page
alsobelievesinabilityoverexperiencewhenitcomestonewtalentacquisitions.Hewould
ratherhavepeopleonboardwhoarebold,creative,andnotafraidtoexpresstheirideastohim
andtherestoftheexecutiveteam.Givingemployeesthefreedomandresourcestoshareand
exploretheirownideasisbeneficialtoallpartiesinvolved.Makingsurethattheworkplaceisa
comfortzone,whereeveryonefeelsthattheircontributionsareappreciatedandtheyareafforded
theopportunitytoworkinhandsonenvironment.Happyemployeesdogreatwork.Itisjustthat
simple.
Personal and Organizational Values
When all employees, at all levels, are aware of the core values of an organization, that
makes it much easier for the CEO to drive his team toward the same goal as he is also striving to
accomplish. At the center of every successful company are its core values and the leader or CEO
is the person who is supposed to push those values the hardest. The values of the organization
and of the leader should be very closely related to one another and should aim towards the same

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goal. Larry Pages personal values align very closely with the core values of Google and over the
years, he has done an awesome job at adhering to those values. At the center of Googles core
values is Do no evil, which can be considered the primary core value of the company. Do no
evil means exactly what it says. In business, many organizations are guilty of performing
unethical practices and behaviors in order to maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace.
Google is a company that does not believe in such a thing and that is highlighted in their core
values, which can be located on their website.
Ethical Influence in the Workplace
The values of the CEO are what ultimately determine the culture of the organization, which in
turn, has a direct influence on the ethical behavior of the organizations employees. It is for this
reason that the values of the leader have to be similar to that of the organization as a whole
because they have most power of influence over the employees. Leadership is the process of
influencing others and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish
shared objectives (Schermerhorn, Osborn, &Hunt, 2012, p. 292). As the CEO is the leader and in
most cases, is very well respected, they have a lot of influence on the actions and attitudes of
their employees. If a leader were to have negative, unethical values, he would pass those down to
his subordinates and thats how the business would begin to decline. Adhering to ethical
standards ensures the longevity of a business because it reduces the employee turnover rate,
attracts positive public perception, thereby boosting sales and profits, and attracts potential
investors. So far, Larry Page and the other upper level executives at Google seem to be doing an
exceptional job. It is ultimately the CEO who is responsible for setting and enforcing positive
ethical behavior as their leadership styles and values are imitated by their subordinates.

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Leadership Strengths and Weaknesses

Every person on the planet has something that they are really good at and then they have
those things that they are also really bad at. Larry Page is no different. In terms of being the CEO
of Google, there are things that he does really well. His introverted personality actually makes
him a very effective leader in that he is more apt to listening thoroughly to ideas as opposed to
fighting to be the domineering voice in social interactions. Another strength of Pages is his
passion for creativity and innovation. It is this passion that continues to drive Google to research
and produce fresh, new, innovative technological products that will keep it ahead of the
competition. Lastly, Larry Pages transformational leadership style is a great strength of his. He
understands that as the years pass and technology changes, he knows that the company must also
make changes as well in order to succeed. Page is a visionary and he is very good at spotting
potential than most people in his position.
As great a leader as he is, Page also has a few weaknesses that could possibly become a
cause for concern if not addressed. Those weaknesses include his inability to effectively
communicate plans and follow-up with investors and other external parties, his shy and reserved
personality, and his lack of public speaking skills.
Recommendations for change in leadership practices in the 21st century
All great leaders should to be great communicators. They should be able to speak both
professionally and candidly with their peers, subordinates, and investors and they should also be
able to address company news and updates to the public. Communication is one area where
Larry Page could definitely improve as a leader in the 21st century. There have been complaints
in the past that Page does not effectively communicate his plans and decisions to external entities
and investors. This poor communication on Pages part could end up damaging Googles

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reputation with current and potential investors and stakeholders. Communication is key in any
and every single aspect of business, especially to those in leadership roles.
Assessment of factors that influence Googles group dynamic
Communication, as was previously mentioned, is very important especially when dealing
with groups of people. At Google, collaboration is strongly encouraged. This is one of the
reasons why Google seeks to hire a variety of people with different personalities and ideas
because through communication and collaboration, great product ideas are born. The group
dynamic is more positive and characterized mostly by everyone aiming to accomplish the same
identified goal. It is easier to manage conflict also because everyone is working toward the same
goal and no is in competition with the other. For groups working within Google, this is key since
the CEO is known for his sincere passion of innovation and encouragement of hands-on learning.
Communication and collaboration can have a positive influence on group dynamics.
On the other hand, power and politics can be harmful to the dynamic of the group, but
with a leader like Larry Page, Google shouldnt have too many problems in that area. Power and
politics, unlike communication and collaboration, are more likely to bring negativity to the group
dynamic by introducing conflict. When speaking about power in general, it is the control over
the behavior that an individual possesses. In many workplaces, there are those all too familiar
power struggles, where there are too many dominant personalities in the group who are not
working toward the common interest of the group, however, they are operating based on their
own self-interests. This type of conflict is an example of organizational politics, which is not
inherently bad or good (Schermerhorn, Osborn, & Hunt, 2012, p. 280). While some might feel
that organizational politics are beneficial to the achievement of a firms goals, others might argue
that they are merely a distraction from achieving an organizations goal.

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It takes an intelligent, open-minded, innovative individual to be a leader in the 21st
century. Where certain leadership styles worked in the past, newer ones have to be adopted to
deal with the new wave of ideas and technological advances that are continuously emerging.
While he could make a couple changes in his leadership style, Googles CEO Larry Page has
proven that he has what it takes to be an effective leader in 21st century.

References
About I/O. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2015, from https://events.google.com/io2015/about

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Boone, L., & Kurtz, D. (2013). Management, Leadership, and the Internal Organization.
In Contemporary Business (15th ed., p. 216). Thomson.

Elmer, V. (2011, April 18). What would Larry Page do? Leadership lessons from
Googles doyen. Retrieved March 15, 2015, from http://fortune.com/2011/04/18/what
would-larry-page-do-leadership-lessons-from-googles-doyen/

Olanoff, D. (2013, May 15). Google CEO Larry Page Shares His Philosophy At I/O: We
Should Be Building Great Things That Dont Exist. Retrieved March 14, 2015, from
http://techcrunch.com/2013/05/15/google-ceo-larry-page-takes-the-stage-at-ceo-to-wrapup-the-io-keynote/

Schermerhorn, J. R., Osborn, R., & Hunt, J. G. (2012). Organizational Behavior (12th ed.,
pp. 280-310). New York: Wiley.

Trammell, J. (2014, May 1). Lead From the Top: 5 Core Responsibilities of a CEO. Retrieved
March 15, 2015, from http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233354