Research Project: Section 1 Deliverables
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Research Project: Section 1 Deliverables
Introduction
The chosen leaders for this paper are Tyler Perry of Tv shows and the CEO of Tyler Perry Studios and Dave Brandon, a former CEO of Toys R Us, which went downhill in his hands because of depts, making it to become bankrupt in 2017. In this regard, there will be an analysis of these leaders’ personality traits, analysis of leader theory X/theory Y, and determination of if these leaders are ethical.
Personality Traits Depicted by Leaders
Tyler Perry Personality Traits
Tyler Perry has become one of the admired leaders worldwide because of his role in TV shows. He grew up adoring Oprah Winfrey. In this regard, he has depicted various qualities as a leader, the first one being humility and genuineness. Even though he has risen to become a successful individual in the TV shows, he still acknowledges the role that Oprah Winfrey played in his life. In 2012, they struck a partnership with the primary aim of bringing scripted television OWN, where he has been successful before (Ross, 2015). Oprah Winfrey also said that she has never seen one like him in the entertainment business because he is a visionary leader and trailblazer. She first met him in 2005 on TV shows, where he made the audience laugh. Since that time, he has been involved in producing more than twenty feature films and one thousand TV shows episodes, where there is a sincere connection with the fans. Currently, he has the largest privately-owned motion picture studio in Atlanta, located in three hundred and thirty acres of Confederate Army base. Even with these levels of success, he is always seeking to help other people. It has been evident with his efforts to address food insecurity and homeless in the states. He has donated millions, and in recent times, he reached the family of George Floyd, who died in the hands of police officers in 2020. It shows he has empathy for the suffering and those who are in need. In this regard, he provides the needed support to the afflicted in his community, which sets an excellent example for future leaders to help the needy.
He was the highest-paid personality in the entertainment industry, making 130 million dollars between 2010 and 2011 (Halmlet, 2019). His success in the film industry came through hard work, determination, and grit. He is also a peacemaker because he has an intuitive understanding of the needs of people. He is also diplomatic and tactful, patient, operative, and looks for ways of creating harmony between various groups that he is working with within the studios.
Tyler Perry is passionate and determined. He is a complete definition of the need to create your opportunity instead of relying on others’ help; for instance, he quit the job of a bar attended, bill collectors, cars salesman’s, etc., and started his musical show known as I Have Been Changed. It premiered in 1992 when he was just twenty-two years old. Even though he has faced challenges during childhood like child abuse from his drunk father and systemic racism, he has risen to become a significant media personality. He is also ambitious and optimistic. Hen employing his inner strength, he has been able to solve difficult situations to meet his goals. It has given him the ability to be courageous. He is also sensitive, perceptive, and a bit shy. He is being described as an artist’s soul because of his ability to produce various movies and TV shows (Lee, 2015). He possesses an enormous capacity to identify other people’s problems, as evidenced by his willingness to help poor and homeless people. He has also donated millions in fundraisers to improve the life of his community. He loves music and poetry, as he states that there has been a source of his strength and inspiration. Perry is also able to identify the needs of his partners, as they support him in the film industry. He has an excellent memory because of his intense mental abilities, able to make logical decisions.
Perry is hardworking because, since 1998, he had written or directed one play or movie per year. In this regard, he desires to create more, even though he has been one of the industry’s leading personalities. Perry is also aware of his work’s criticism, as he has been accused of benefiting from stereotypical views targeting African Americans. In 2016, he told the LA Times that he is aware of his works’ criticism but always look for truth when writing novels about the significant challenges that the black community has been facing. He has stated that his peers and family members have been supportive, as he receives supportive messages (Copeland, 2017).
Dave Brandon Leadership Traits
Dave Brandon has leadership traits, having worked in various companies in the United States. He fosters integrity and character, addressing the issue of division, and is also seen as a hard worker. Dave Brandon is a problem solver as he started working as the CEO of the Domino Pizza Company from 1999 to 2010 even though he had issues with the Toys R Us in 2017 (Bolton, Farmer & Pennington, 2019). He has strong grasps for branding principles, where he considers intense working ethics vital for improving an organization. He also has a strong understanding of the issues surrounding his environment. However, he failed to make informed decisions when the company started facing challenges, as he awarded the executives a 75% pay increase. They were also to pocket more than 16 million dollars even though the company had begun facing challenges. A leader should be willing to make the right decisions regardless of the pressures and challenges he may be facing. His increasing the executive’s bonuses could not have been an informed choice to make during that period. He should have recognized the problem. Secondly, he lacked honesty when he lied that they were to take reorganization instead of liquidation; however, the company became bankrupt within a few months (Harkins, 2019). It also applies to a situation where they received products from manufacturers instead of revealing to them the state of the company (Fickenscher, 2020). He could have taken the right choice and announced that they would be liquidating the company in the coming months.
Theories Possessed by Leaders
The leadership theory possessed by Tyler Perry is theory Y, which assumes that employees of the organization have an increased level of motivation, enjoy their role in the organization, and work to ensure the betterment of the organization. The leaders view the employees as a critical asset of the organization, providing an improvement in the organization’s process. In turn, the employees must be responsible in their work and do not require supervision to carry out their duties, which is relevant to the film industry, as actors must be motivated to depict the necessary action. Before being involved in a task, the CEO will have to give it approval, as Tyler Perry will ensure that actors’ efforts remain efficient and with the company’s required standards. Tyler Perry has a significant relationship with his employees personally, ensuring lasting relationships in the film industry. The employees are allowed to construct, design, /publish their work by the organization’s standards. There is a need for creativity and discussion in the film industry, even though actors may face challenges.
Brandon’s leadership theory is Theory X, where he had to involve rewards in ensuring that the employees remain motivated. It may be why he increased the executives’ salaries by 75%, although it was facing financial challenges. When working for the organization, Brandon employed a hands-on approach in disseminating duties to the subordinate staff. Theory X provides that employees should be responsible for their actions, which will make them either be rewarded for their efforts or reprimanded. Theory X may be useful in organizations where employees may not be adequately motivated. The CEO of Toys R Us must have ensured close supervision and employee rewards based on their performance.
Ethical Traits of Leaders
The behavior of David Brandon was unethical when he was the CEO of the Toys R Us company. There are claims that the company’s executives planned to pocket 16 million dollars in 2017 as the company was facing significant challenges. Before the company was considered bankrupt in 2017, the CEO and the Toys R Us executives received bonuses and increased their salaries by seventy-five percent. Besides, Brandon pocket 2.8 million dollars during the same period. The seller’s vendors received just received 20 cents per dollar when the company was considered bankrupt. It led to the filing of a lawsuit, where they were seeking to receive 1.1 billion dollars in damages. They claimed that there was a well-planned scheme to make them lose money. Before the bankruptcy period, Brandon arranged for the executives to receive the bonus even though they were experiencing losses. The lawsuit also claimed that Brandon received the CEO job because of his attachment to Toys R Us backer Bain Capital, a company owned by Utah Senator Mitt Romney. They also provided emails alleging that Brandon has bragged about the company letting him invest their funds without paying the same fees, which is a must for institutional investors. Currently, he is working for Domino’s Pizza, a Bain-backed company (Fickenscher, 2020). He also misleads manufacturers to provide them with products before the company filed for bankruptcy, which may be deemed unethical behavior, as the manufacturers incurred losses. He also gave false information to the other executive of Toy Isaac Larian, the current CEO for MGA Entertainment, that Toys R Us was seeking to do a reorganization instead of liquidating even though it closed its British and American branches. The analysis is an indication that David Brandon is not an ethical leader, as his actions led may have contributed to the fall of the company. Ethical leaders are supposed to make informed decisions and say the truth, regardless of its consequences.
Tyler Perry is an ethical leader who is determined to expand the film industry and create opportunities for other peoples. Besides, he has been involved in providing support to the needy populations in his community, which is an indication that he is willing to help. He has become a world-renowned producer, actor, directors, author, songwriter, philanthropist, and employer, providing opportunities to thousands of people. It is because of his analytical skills and his intelligence to be able to achieve his goals. He is an inspiration to leaders all over the globe because of his hardworking. It makes him an ethical leader, as this is the reason why he has an excellent reputation in the film industry or the reason why he has been so successful.
References
Bolton, J., Farmer, J., & Pennington, H. (2019). An Unwrapping of the Toys “R” Us Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.
Copeland, K. J. (2017). From New Black Realism to Tyler Perry: The Characterizations of Black Masculinity in Tyler Perry’s Romantic Storylines. The Journal of Men’s Studies, 25(1), 70-91.
Fickenscher, L. (. (2020, March 13) Ex-toys ‘R’ us executives face lawsuit over bankruptcy bonuses. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2020/03/12/ex-toys-r-us-executives-face-lawsuit-over-bankruptcy-bonuses/
Finn, N. (2019). Fifty fascinating facts about Tyler Perry: From living in his car to owning a studio and hanging out with Oprah. E! Online. https://www.eonline.com/news/1072934/50-fascinating-facts-about-tyler-perry-from-living-in-his-car-to-owning-a-studio-and-hanging-out-with-oprah
Hamlet, J. D. (Ed.). (, 2019). Tyler Perry: Interviews. Univ. Press of Mississippi.
Harkins, R. (2019). The Window And the Mirror. Quality Progress, 52(4), 14-15.
Lee, S. (2015). Tyler Perry’s America: Inside His Films. Rowman & Littlefield.
Ross, A. (2015). “Rip It!”: A Juxtapositional and Critical Discourse Analysis of Gender Violence in 3 Tyler Perry Films.