Introduction
The People’s Bank of Bradbury decided in 2001 to hire a new head, Henry Kepple, who was originally from a prominent financial institution and had elevated the organization to extreme success. Before undertaking the task at PBB, Mr. Kepple was told that the organization was successful in its finances and that he would receive support from the Board of Directors towards fostering the company’s vision. Even with his arrival, Mr. Kepple was disappointed to learn that most of the board of directors did not agree with his transformation plan and the gross inaccuracy of the financial records. Even after his alienation from many board members, the community, and staff members, Mr. Kepple was still successful over his 10-year tenure at the firm. Nonetheless, Mr. Kepple’s leadership ultimately led to the bank’s demise. Consequently, this essay will discuss PBB’s problems under Mr. Kepple’s leadership and how his leadership style could have led to these issues. Later, a few recommendations will be given that would have prevented these problems.
Problems and issues
Various issues arose during Mr. Kepple’s leadership, including other employees’ dissatisfaction with being isolated from giving their input in running the organization. This was because of Mr. Kepple’s narcissism and authoritative approach. Narcissists can be highly distrustful and emotionally isolated. Perceived intimidations might lead to rage, and achievements trigger a sense of grandiosity. For instance, despite the organization’s financial stability, Mr. Kepple was still apprehensive regarding the bank’s long-term durability due to the heightened competition and regulation, both nationally and locally. A narcissistic and authoritarian leadership approach leads to high turnover rates and member discontent (Flynn, 2019). After Mr. Kepple switched gears to a laissez-faire approach to leadership, he lost touch and became uninvolved with the organization’s operations. This slack in his duties led some branch VPs to exercise deceitful activities. These issues were caused by Mr. Kepple’s leadership styles, which will be discussed in the subsequent paragraphs.
Leadership styles
Henry Kepple comes off as a leader with narcissistic tendencies. Although that sounds horrid, this leadership approach is characterized by the boldness needed to achieve success through immense changes. His initial approach was to use the authoritarian leadership style. This style is depicted by individually directing every decision and taking minimal input from other staff members and leaders (Cherry, 2022). His vision involved dismantling the structure already in existence in order to reorganize it in a way he felt would bring results.
After creating a new unit, Mr. Kepple took on a more democratic approach, also referred to as the participative style, regarded by most scholars as the most efficient approach. Democratic leaders try to guide group members in addition to equally taking part in the team tasks and accepting other members’ input. The democratic leader ensures that his team is alerted about every detail impacting their work. He was not micromanaging employees, and this style led to the organization’s continual growth.
Possible solutions
Mr. Kepple should have been offered treatment for his narcissism through a therapist, and he equally needed to subdue the defiance and opposition that caused the fraudulent activities. Additionally, many narcissists usually form a close bond with a single individual who might play the role of grounding and anchoring them. With the aid of therapy, Mr. Kepple might have benefited from psychological tools like psychoanalysis to treat flaws in character. Despite the usefulness of a narcissistic approach, Mr. Kepple would have been better off having sidekicks who would have prevented him from going overboard.
References
Cherry, K., (2022). Leadership Styles. Retrieved from http://myweb.astate.edu/sbounds/AP/2%20Leadership%20Styles.pdf
Flynn, S. (2019). Authoritarian, Democratic, and Laissez-Faire Leadership. https://eds-bebscohost-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=17&sid=f1a8ffde-f9fc-4b09-9b0b0aa3e2fbd907%40pdc-vsessmgr03&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d %3d#db=ers&AN=89185351.
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