Exploring the Leadership Style and Behaviors of Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Facebook. He has propelled Facebook to be among the most successful firms in the world, primarily due to his effective leadership styles. The company's profit margin continues to increase, having accrued a net income. of approximately $6. 88 billion in 2018. He has been able to influence and inspire his subordinates to achieve a shared vision. In general, Zuckerberg’s leadership characteristics depict a director who balances task-oriented and relationship-oriented management styles to significant effect.

Critical Thinker

Zuckerberg has showcased his essential abilities to think on numerous occasions critically. From a young age, his interest has been on making a difference and maximizing the value of things by thinking critically. For instance, after acquiring his first computer, he b became more interested in learning and coding more profound programs within the system to make it better (Johnson, 2015). This behavior propelled him. to come up with Facebook, a platform where people would connect globally without physical barriers. After building the platform, his leadership behavior has been more prevalent now that he is the CEO. He always wants to be in charge and control of the activities within the company. He sets goals, avails resources, and delegates authority to ensure those goals are accomplished. He does everything in his power to get things done. For instance. he coded Facebook while in the dormitory, illustrating his critical thinking behavior and passion for getting things done no matter the obstacles.

Problem Solver

Efficient problem-solving ability ranks among the top characteristics that best describe Zuckerberg. He has a strong drive to investigate and solve any problems experienced to make people's life exciting and more comfortable. For instance, he realized that people lacked a common platform where they could share and connect. This problem drove him to code Facebook to address that issue. He neither makes irrational decisions nor acts without considering possible consequences (Weistein, 2017). This behavior depicts as a leader who adopts relationship leadership. By being a problem solver, he can maintain a positive relationship with all stakeholders and address conflicts effectively. For instance, he expertly handled the conflict between the employees and Joel Kaplan, the company's public policy chief. Although he expressed his frustrations over the senior executive actions, he told the employees to always respect other people's diverse views (Seetharaman, 2018). The characteristics illustrate that he understands that individuals will always have conflicting views; hence, the need to be open- minded.

Visionary

Zuckerberg has proven to be a visionary leader who is passionate about his work. Being idealistic is one of the elements of task-oriented leadership, which. emphasizes helping others achieve their goals. For instance, the mission he came up with during its inception, 'to give people the power to share and connect,' illustrates a visionary leader (Dougherty & Drake, 2016). He has dedicated his life to making this a reality, working hard to achieve the set goals, and inspiring his employees to follow in the same culture. He encourages the company employees to find meaning in helping actualize the company’s mission and vision statement, He is always focused and dedicated to the achievement of those goals. Today, Facebook has over 2. 41 billion active monthly users and gives them the power to share and connect with diverse people.

Overall, Mark Zuckerberg has been able to balance task leadership and relationship- oriented leadership. Some of the behaviors he exhibits include being a critical thinker, problem- solver, and a true visionary. These characters depict leaders who are task and relationship- oriented. They are focused on achieving set goals and building relationships along the way. The behaviors mentioned above have made Zuckerberg be among the top leaders in the 21st century.

References

1. Johnson, C. (2015, December 22). Seven life skills I learned from mark Zuckerberg about success. Retrieved from https://www. forbes. com/sites/yec/20 15/12/22/eight-life-skills-i- learned-from-mark-zuckerberg-about-success/#5e2ab62e 1a5 |
2. Dougherty. S. , & Drake, A. (2016, February). The effectiveness of CEO leadership styles inthe technology industry. Retrieved from https://community. mis. temple. edu/sdougherty/files/2016/02/The-Effectiveness-of-CEO- Leadership-Styles-in-the-Technology-Industry. pdf
3. Weinstein, B. (2017, June 11). Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is successful because of what he does not do. Retrieved from https://www. forbes. com/sites/bruceweinstein/20 1 7/06/1 1/facebook-ceo-mark- zuckerberg-is-successful-because-of-what-he-does-not-do/#4£987b40630c
4. Seetharaman, D. (2018, October 5). Facebook's Zuckerberg tells employees to respect diverse views of colleagues: Retrieved from https://www. ws}. com/articles/facebooks-zuckerberg-tells-employees-to-respect-diverse-views-of-colleagues- 1538767936