Leadership Profile - Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA
source
My leadership class is over. I learned a lot of interesting things in this class, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to sharpen his/hers marketing skills. This post is an excerpt of my final paper, where we had to make a short leadership profile. Hope you enjoy reading it.
LEADESHIP PROFILE - INGVAR KAMPRAD
Ingvar Kamprad was a very successful leader and the true legend of Ikea. He made a great contribution to the innovation and success of the company, as well as growing it strongly. Just in 10 years, he helped tripled the sales from over 4 billion in 1993 to 12 billion in 2003.
He was a charismatic leader, as he had the ability to inspire and motivate his followers. He led by example and expected high performance from others. He respected and imposed strict core values like innovation, simplicity and cost-effectiveness. He was team-oriented, as he emphasized the concept of working in teams and setting up team goals. He practiced a participative leadership technique, involving his managers and co-workers into the decision making process. Supportive and protective on ensuring the safety and security of his employees, Ingvar Kamprad was also a directive leader, letting his followers know precisely what he expected from them: to be active and responsible, to exercise critical thinking and to engage in their work.
Ingvar Kamprad was friendly and approachable. He treated his employees as equals, hence the name "co-workers". He showed interest in his co-workers happiness, consulted them regularly and listened to their feedback. His decisions were based on the best interests of his co-workers. He worked on increasing their confidence, their trust and the interpersonal relationships.
He was a visionary leader, creating a positive image of the future of his company. He worked hard with his teams to maintain flexibility and to create innovative products that assured a bright future for his company. While his strong entrepreneurial skills and his leading by example qualify him as a charismatic leader, Kamprad is also a transformational leader, by treating the employees as vital parts of the organization and helping them see beyond their own individual needs for the good of the group and ultimately, the whole company and its vision.
