The work discusses Burton’s leadership style when he was the head of Astro Airlines. Being a charismatic leader, he was able to inspire the staff so that they were ready to follow him. Burton had leadership competencies that allowed him to energize his team and motivate it by personal example to move towards the goals he outlined. This inspiration proved to lend additional stimulus to the employees of the company and, at first, Astro Airlines progressed beautifully.
However, Burton was so carried away by his success that he did not see the real issues that the company faced. Moreover, though he could motivate, he did not elaborate any vision of the company’s future. While the company had every chance to be transformed from a small-scale business into a large corporation, Burton did not use the opportunities that he had as the head of the company. He did not want to face important issues and preferred to motivate rather than lead.
Although Burton’s transformational style benefitted the company when it was small and newly created, it could not sustain Astro Airlines’ further development. From a promising startup, the company turned into a debt-ridden airline, none the better than many other airlines who could not make it. Thus, Burton was at the same time the inspirer of the company and the source of its decline. His transformational style, though captivating, did not allow him to face the real situation that led to the company’s demise.