Arthur Burton was a man of vision, and he managed to inspire his employees to perform better. Burton paid a lot of attention to hiring employees, and he tried to make sure that novice employees would-be professionals who could use their creativity to contribute to the development of the company. He took every chance to speak with his employees and to share his vision. He communicated his ideas, and he inspired others to articulate their ideas as well. He gave a lot of autonomy to his employees, who could choose their own ways to complete tasks.
He also encouraged interaction among employees, as there were different teams that focused on various tasks. He managed to develop a friendly atmosphere as there was not much bureaucracy and managerial staff often had to complete quite technical operations. Finally, he provided various benefits to his employees, including the ability to get shares of the company at lower prices. Of course, employees were motivated to work hard and use creative ways to cope with various issues.
A Charismatic Leader
Arthur Burton was a charismatic and inspirational leader. First, he was ready to change, and he managed to make people believe that they were also capable of many things. He communicated with people and managed to inspire them.
He was an emotional speaker, and he always managed to articulate his vision. He was very enthusiastic at the initial stage of the company’s development, and he recruited enthusiastic people who were not afraid of the change as well. He also trusted his employees as he gave a lot of autonomy to them. Employees were inspired to try creative methods and strategies. It is possible not to that Burton created an entrepreneurial culture that contributed to the development of a very friendly atmosphere.
Dysfunctional Characteristics of Charismatic Leadership
The company grew rapidly, but Burton did not implement the necessary changes. One of the dysfunctional characteristics of charismatic leadership is the leader’s overreliance on his/her competence and capabilities. Thus, Burton seemed to ignore the fact that managers of the company were overloaded with tasks and responsibilities and still demanded excellent performance and additional effort. However, his inspirational speeches were not enough already as employees were ready to go the extra mile during the transformational period, but they were waiting for the end of this period. Burton did not feel the need to consolidate the business and introduce a new structure.
Notably, when the president of the company responsible for operational management resigned, Burton did not hire another person but took up the new responsibilities. He was also committed to promote existing employees rather than hire new people from outside. In many cases, Burton’s employees were unprepared for new posts and did not have the necessary expertise or experience. Burton still thought he could cope with the challenges.
Importantly, he did not listen to people who questioned his decisions, which were quite erroneous in many cases. For instance, Burton believed that employees could get inspired if the company continued its expansion. However, Burton did not take into account many factors that led to the complete failure of this strategy. The company was unable to compete with other airlines, and Burton did not have enough qualified top managers to implement the changes. More so, he did not want to change the structure of the company, and, as a result, the company could not compete with other airlines.