Leadership Styles

Anderson (2013) illustrates his views on why Lord Alan Sugar is an inspiring figure. Being driven, opportunistic and intuitive are just some of his admirable qualities. Anderson comments that Sugar derives from humble origins and has become a man of wealth, making him a motivational and commendable role model. Sugar is also described as being a leader who takes full responsibility and is full of wisdom on how to be successful.

Meet the team: Karren Brady (left), Lord Alan Sugar (centre) and Nick Hewer (right) 

“A strong believer in the power of ownership, Sugar understands the importance of inclusion and good communication.  Leading from the front, he expects self-discipline, relentless effort and ‘hard graft’ from all those on his team.  Those who live up to his expectations are rewarded with both his respect and his loyalty.”  (Smith, 2013) 

                                                                   

Golmans Six Leadership Styles

There are various theories proposing leadership styles. On his blog RyannLii (2012) introduces Golman (2001) (in RyannLii 2012) who proposes six perceived leadership styles. These are a visionary leader, a coaching leader, an affilitative leader, the democratic leader, the pace setting leader and the commanding leader. RyannLii supports Golmans view that to be an effective leader an individual must adopt at least one of these styles.

A visionary leader is someone whose objectives focus on the aims of a long term vision. This can be perceived as a very ambitious and optimistic style to have. 

Secondly is a coaching leader. This type of leader will support other peoples development to prepare them for the future in terms of learning new skills whilst acknowledging their strengths and weaknesses as team members. Green (2009) (in RyannLii 2012) states that a coaching leader is beneficial as people are obtaining new skills, therefore improving the individuals performance and motivation to succeed.

The affilitative leader believes strongly in building a coherent group, promoting a positive relationship within the group. This type of leader would deal with problems which may arise in order to keep the group united.

Additionally a democratic leader is someone who is a good listener and will invite and acknowledge the input of others. As a result the democratic leader believes strongly in the participation of discussion.

A pace setting leader. This type of leader will be very driven and have a high motivation to succeed and achieve their goals. Moreover Golman suggests that a pace setting leader is someone who would set high standards which is demonstrated by them acting as the leader role to ensure worthy outcomes. 

Lastly is a commanding leader who demands compliance. They will expect tasks to be completed without protest whilst they will give clear direction if any problems were to occur.

Lord Alan Sugar and The Apprentice 2013 candidates 

Lord Alan Sugar's Leadership Styles

According to RyannLii (2012) Sir Alan Sugar can be identified as a leader for numerous reasons. He began his journey as an entrepreneur with £100 which he managed to turn into £730 million giving him his status. This shows he is a motivated individual with the ambition to succeed and accomplish his goals. As a result of his accomplishments Lord Alan Sugar is an inspiring character to encourage success.

RyannLii demonstrates how Lord Alan Sugar applies to the visionary leadership style. He clearly had a long term vision from an early age to be successful and wealthy in the future which he has achieved. Lord Alan Sugar is also believed to be a coaching leader due to his ability to assist and develop the people he works with, which is represented on his reality television show ‘The Apprentice’. He probes his potential apprentices to demonstrate their skills whilst he encourages them to gain further skills needed to be successful in the business world. RyannLii also describes Sugar to be an affiliative leader due to his experience and expertise of working in a team effectively with worthy results. Lord Alan Sugar has the characteristics of a commanding leader in relation to his authorative status. Sugar is the top figure in his businesses, therefore giving him the power to give orders and have them followed by his employees and team. It is also clear that Sugar is a pace setting leader due to his creditable drive. He did not originate from the most affluent background himself which makes him an extremely inspiring personality for so many people, especially those in disadvantaged circumstances and deprived backgrounds. 

Overall Lord Alan Sugar is an inspiring entrepreneur to many people and has an admirable leadership status. He is a very autocratic, one dimensional and a honest leader which some may perceive as positive or negative attributes. However, it is these qualities which enable Sugar to be such a successful, powerful and experienced individual who achieves the many accomplishments that he has.