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The scenario presented is the tale of Executive A planning to retire. Leader B and Leader C are in contention to move into the CEO position. When Executive A retires, there will be a change in company performance along with how employees react, as Leader B and Leader C have different leadership styles from Executive A.

The styles of leadership to be discussed are transactional, transformational, and “level 5.” The leadership styles will be explored based on the scenario information. There will also be a theoretical assumption used to show company changes that will occur after Executive A retires. From the information presented, the changes could occur immediately or gradually depending on the length of the transition period.

Executive A can be described as having a “Level 5” leadership style. Shying away from attention and giving credit to others shows “greatness through a paradoxical combination of personal humility plus professional will.” (Collins, 2005) Accepting responsibility for mistakes and poor results, along with having pride in developing strong leaders, further supports the definition and actions of a “Level 5” leader. The scenario describes the will of Executive A is described as driven, ambitious and focused on the success of the company. With the scenario information this is a full description of the “Level 5” type leader.

Leader B displays a transactional leadership style. With showing a desire for a chain of command, displays a militaristic idea that “subordinates have to obey the orders of the superior.” ("Transactional leadership theory,") Rewarding good performance and considering the subordinate to be at fault when things go wrong gives the aspect of “employees are motivated by reward and punishment.” ("Tr...

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...e of the company.

While the scenario is presented as a fictional work, it may well be that this occurs on a daily basis. The conclusions here are based on observations and cultural views. There are many other factors that can be used to determine who should succeed a CEO that is retiring. Some of the items that might be considered are if a style change is needed or the persons experience.

There may be some confusion, or debate, as too whether Leader B or Leader C would be the better successor due to different leadership styles that is currently being portrayed. The item that is unknown is the previous style of Executive A, before he moved into “Level 5.” The reality is that people change over time and under different sets of experiences. To make a more informed decision would require more information on all the people listed in the scenario with previous history.