Leadership Skills Essay: Comparing Two Leaders (EBU Sample) Singapore

For information and reference only – not to be submitted as your own work.

This extract shows how a student might answer the European Business University Leadership Skills essay on comparing two organisational leaders. It compares Satya Nadella (Microsoft) with Steve Jobs (Apple) and is abridged. For a step-by-step method, read our guide on how to write a leadership styles comparison essay. Any figures that are not drawn from the brief are labelled illustrative.

Planning table

Check your own brief and module guide for the exact word limit and weightings before you plan.

Leadership skills essay introduction

Leadership style shapes culture, decisions and results, yet two leaders at similar companies can pursue success in very different ways. This essay analyses the styles of Steve Jobs and Satya Nadella using Bass’s (1990) transformational and transactional framework and Goleman’s (2000) six styles. It then evaluates the benefits and drawbacks of each and judges which style proved more effective.

The argument is that both leaders were transformational in purpose, but Nadella’s collaborative, coaching-oriented approach was the more sustainable model, while Jobs’s directive approach produced outstanding products at a cost to people.

Background on the two leaders

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs led Apple until he resigned as chief executive on 24 August 2011, when the board named Tim Cook as his successor and Jobs became chairman (Apple, 2011). In announcing the change, the board’s spokesperson said that his vision and leadership had saved Apple (Apple, 2011). His authorised biography portrays a demanding, perfectionist leader whose persuasive, fact-bending manner colleagues called the “reality distortion field” (Isaacson, 2011).

Satya Nadella

Satya Nadella was named Microsoft’s chief executive on 4 February 2014, succeeding Steve Ballmer and becoming the company’s third CEO (Microsoft, 2014). In his own account he describes trying to renew Microsoft’s culture through empathy and a “growth mindset” (Nadella, 2017).

Both sources need care. Isaacson (2011) was written with Jobs’s cooperation, and Nadella (2017) is a leader’s own narrative, so each may be favourable. Triangulating with independent evidence would strengthen a full answer.

Analysis of leadership styles

Each label below is an interpretation, not a fact. Strong answers state the theory, give the evidence, and then explain why the label fits better than the alternatives.

Jobs: charismatic transformational leadership with directive tendencies

Bass (1990) describes transformational leaders as raising followers’ sense of what is possible through idealised influence, inspiration, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration. Jobs fits the inspirational and idealised-influence elements, since he persuaded teams to attempt what they believed impossible (Isaacson, 2011).

However, accounts of him publicly belittling colleagues suggest weak individual consideration (Isaacson, 2011). Using Goleman (2000), the pattern resembles pacesetting and, at times, coercive behaviour, alongside an authoritative vision. Overall, Jobs is best labelled a transformational leader with an autocratic, pacesetting delivery.

The evidence also shows why a single label is not enough. A leader can inspire a vision and still act coercively when deadlines press, so the essay should name the dominant style and note where behaviour departed from it.

Nadella: transformational leadership through coaching and empathy

Nadella stresses listening, empathy and learning over knowing everything (Nadella, 2017). This aligns with individual consideration and intellectual stimulation (Bass, 1990). In Goleman’s (2000) terms, the approach combines authoritative direction with coaching and affiliative behaviours.

Situational leadership adds a useful lens. Hersey and Blanchard (1979) argue that effective leaders adapt the balance of task and relationship behaviour to follower readiness. A mature organisation with capable staff, such as Microsoft, arguably suits a supportive, delegating style better than tight control.

Transactional elements matter too. Bass (1990) notes that leaders often combine transformational and transactional behaviour, such as setting expectations and rewarding results. A strong essay checks whether either leader relied on such exchanges rather than assuming inspiration alone explains performance.

Benefits and drawbacks of each style

The table weighs each style on its own terms before any comparison. This keeps the evaluation fair and prevents the verdict from leaking into the earlier analysis.

Goleman (2000) found that leaders who use several styles, particularly authoritative, democratic, affiliative and coaching, tend to create the strongest climate. This supports Nadella’s repertoire, whereas a narrow reliance on pacesetting or coercive behaviour tends to damage climate.

Comparison and effectiveness verdict

Effectiveness is judged here against three criteria: strategic outcomes, people and culture, and sustainability. These are chosen so that the verdict is transparent rather than assumed.

Judge and Piccolo (2004) reported in a meta-analysis that transformational leadership was a valid predictor of leader effectiveness, with contingent reward also showing strong validity. Both leaders therefore had a sound basis, but the evidence on people and sustainability favours Nadella’s approach.

A fair judgement must note that Apple and Microsoft faced different circumstances. Jobs’s style may have suited a company needing rescue and product focus, which Hersey and Blanchard’s (1979) situational view would predict. Servant leadership (Greenleaf, 2002) further suggests that leaders who prioritise followers’ growth build more durable organisations, which supports the verdict.

Limitations of this comparison

Three limits should be acknowledged. First, much of the evidence comes from authorised or first-person accounts, which may flatter the leader. Second, leaders work within teams, so results cannot be credited to one person alone. Third, the two companies faced different conditions, so the same style might perform differently if the leaders swapped places.

Acknowledging these limits shows critical thinking. It also protects the argument, because the verdict is presented as a reasoned judgement rather than a certainty.

Conclusion

Jobs and Nadella both inspired change, but they did so differently. Jobs’s directive vision produced exceptional products, while Nadella’s coaching and empathy-led approach looks more sustainable. On the criteria used here, Nadella’s style was the more effective overall, although context matters and the full-length essay should test this with independent evidence.

If you want guidance on a similar brief, see our leadership assignment help page, or ask for do my assignment support. You can also look at a related EBU brief on project management and work breakdown structures, or submit your own assignment details for a quote.

References

Apple (2011) Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple. Apple Newsroom, 24 August. Available at: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2011/08/24Steve-Jobs-Resigns-as-CEO-of-Apple/

Bass, B.M. (1990) ‘From transactional to transformational leadership: learning to share the vision’, Organizational Dynamics, 18(3), pp. 19–31.

Goleman, D. (2000) ‘Leadership that gets results’, Harvard Business Review, March–April. Available at: https://hbr.org/2000/03/leadership-that-gets-results

Greenleaf, R.K. (2002) Servant leadership: a journey into the nature of legitimate power and greatness. 25th anniversary edn. New York: Paulist Press.

Hersey, P. and Blanchard, K.H. (1979) ‘Life cycle theory of leadership’, Training and Development Journal, 33(6), pp. 94–100.

Isaacson, W. (2011) Steve Jobs. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Judge, T.A. and Piccolo, R.F. (2004) ‘Transformational and transactional leadership: a meta-analytic test of their relative validity’, Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), pp. 755–768. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.89.5.755

Microsoft (2014) Microsoft Board names Satya Nadella as CEO. Microsoft News Center, 4 February. Available at: https://news.microsoft.com/recent-news/page/1915/

Nadella, S. (2017) Hit refresh: the quest to rediscover Microsoft’s soul and imagine a better future for everyone. New York: Harper Business.