communication and leadership

Running head: COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP

Communication and Leadership

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines leadership as “the power or ability to lead other

people” (Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 2014). However, as we have learned during this

master program, the definition goes further by adding that a leader is someone who can influence

others into action. Additionally, we have learned that the common view is that leaders have

certain traits and characteristics such as intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity,

and sociability (Northouse, Trait Approach, 2012).

We have also learned about various leadership styles such as servant leadership

introduced by Robert K. Greenleaf. He called it “an approach focusing on leadership from the

point of view of the leader and his or her behaviors” (Northouse, Servant Leadership, 2012);

furthermore, for leader to be effective, they must be willing to put followers and their needs first.

Additionally, Greenleaf ascertains characteristics such as listening, awareness, persuasion, and

commitment to the growth of people just to name a few (Northouse, Servant Leadership, 2012).

One thing that stands out from Greenleaf’s list of characteristics is “listening” because

this week’s reading focused on communication. We learned about the communication triangle

comprised of a sender, a receiver, and the message, along with the complications caused by

interruption or interference (Barrett, 2006). The author continues talking about leaders who like

to talk, but fail to stop to listen to his or her followers and, thus, the message goes astray. As our

textbook states, if a leader does not listen to the followers, they will not address the real issues

and propose solutions that are not in line with the real problems. This would lead to an increased

lack of trust in management (Matha & Boehm, 2008). Therefore, in today’s global economy, it is

imperative that leaders keep in mind that clear and concise communication and visionary

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leadership are two of the most important skills necessary to achieve business and political

success and to eliminate babble.

Based on the above, the purpose of this paper is to discuss leadership and effective

communication. In this case, we will focus on John Chen, the current CEO for BlackBerry Ltd.

We will see how he has been able to communicate with not only employees, but also the media

and customers in an effort to bring back the once iconic Canadian mobile communication

company.

BlackBerry Ltd. (BBRY)

BBRY, formerly Research in Motion until July 2013, was once a giant mobile

communication company dominating the enterprise business. The name change was the

beginning of an entire organizational change called by the board of directors to adopt their

“iconic brand name” (BlackBerry Limited, 2013). In 1999, BBRY captivated businesses through

their introduction of the BlackBerry 850 pager that receive push email from a Microsoft

Exchange Server through BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES). In 2000, they released the first

smartphone (Woods, 2013). Wireless technology became a strategic tool for businesses to stay

connected and have an advantage over competitors.

However, the lack of leadership vision along with the co-CEOs refusal to listen to their

customers market the end of the company’s dominance in wireless communication and the

enterprise arena. Additionally, Apple’s introduction of the iPhone in 2007 made people realize

that they could use a smartphone not only for business, but also for entertainment. These, added

to the sub-par devices that BBRY kept producing, culminated in the demise of the iconic

company. In late 2012, its stock price drastically fell from the mid $60 (in 2011) to an all-time

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low of $6. Although the company has gone through a complete restructure, its shares have not

been able to pass the $13 mark (Commodity Systems, Inc. (CSI); NASDAQ, 2014).

John Chen

In November 4, 2013, John Chen (former CEO of Sybase) took the challenge to bring

BBRY back on the map. The company was struggling to recuperate from a failed launch of a

new operating system introduced by Thorsten Heins: BlackBerry 10. The company had a “For

Sale” signed, which came down after the board convinced John Chen to step in as interim CEO

(CBC News, 2013).

John Chen has gained the respect from his peers. He was able to turn around Sybase and

made it a profitable mobile software company. In a 2014 Bloomberg interview, John Sculley,

Apple’s former CEO, stated that "If anybody has a chance to turnaround BlackBerry, it's John

Chen and his team" (Bloomberg L.P., 2014). Furthermore, in another interview with Willie Jow

– a current Sybase executive who worked with John Chen during the organization’s turnaround –

said that, “the first thing he did coming on board was to gain trust with customers and calm them

down." He also said that, "everybody was saying ‘Why should I stay with you? Why shouldn't I

leave right away?' He answered the tough questions one by one" (Finkle & Rocha, 2013).

As we can see, he fits the definition of a good leader that also possesses effective

communications skills with no babble. On TV interviews, he comes across as a very honest and

charismatic person. If he does not know the answer to a question, he says so and does not let

anyone push him around into speculation. In addition, as stated by Jow above, he does not avoid

tough questions; furthermore, through listening to employees (and customers) he is able to earn

their trust and influence them into a cohesive force called to action. This is why employees like

him, as it is apparent in Jow’s interview. John Chen fits the definition of “leadership

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communication” as posited by Barret (2006): “Leadership communication is the controlled,

purposeful transfer of meaning by which leaders influence a single person, a group, an

organization, or a community”

Conclusion

As a BBRY fan and a continuation of my prior analyses, John Chen is a perfect example

of a leader that has mastered the communication skills necessary to make a company successful.

He has many, if not all, of the characteristics and traits we have learned throughout this far. He

has a plan, clearly communicates it, and sticks to it. He has been able to pull together a

fragmented, demoralized organization and, though communication of the strategic plan and

vision, he has been able to show results as posted on the June 19, 2014, financials from the First

Quarter of the 2015 Fiscal: a.) Cash and investments balance of $3.1 billion (up from $2.7 billion

in the prior quarter), b.) 48% adjusted Q1 gross margin (up from 43%), c.) 57% reduction of

adjusted operating expenses by (year over year) and 13% quarter over quarter. d.) successful

launch of the new Z3 device in Indonesia (with eight other countries to follow), among other

positive outcomes (BlackBerry Ltd., 2014). These results have made the market become more

optimistic about the future of the company. The one thing that remains is for John Chen to

change the public sentiment about the new products because they are not the same below average

phones from the past.

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References

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Business Strategy, 385-390. doi:10.1108/10775730610619124

BlackBerry Limited. (2013, July 10). Blackberry Charts New Course by Officially Adopting Its

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http://press.blackberry.com/press/2013/blackberry-brand-name.html

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