Personality And Effective Leadership Assignment | Top Essay Writing
“Some days you’re the fire hydrant and some days you’re the dog”. This quote is by Parker Conrad, from and an interview he gave after he was forced to resign as CEO of Zenefits, a company he founded.
Zenefits’ software served as both insurance broker and benefits administrator for companies, essentially eliminating the need for intermediaries like conventional insurance brokers. While the idea and its growth are impressive, the company has many problems, and these have been attributed to Conrad’s personality and behavior.
It seems that Conrad was especially determined to pursue hyper-growth at any cost. As the founder and chief, he ran the company his way and according to the mantra, “Ready, fire, aim!” His aggressive, confrontational, and emotional nature pervaded his adult life. When asked in an interview about the future for insurance brokers, he answered, “They are @#^$&#$% (expletive).” In response to a lawsuit from ADP (a competitor and major player in the payroll processing, tax, and HR business), Conrad launched a Twitter hashtag – #ADPeeved.
Conrad also resisted adding members to the company’s board to provide more oversight and guidance, as well as attempts to slow its growth and hiring. Employees described him as “demanding, undisciplined, and unable to build a sustainable company…there were celebrations and tears of relief” when he resigned.
His experiences at Zenenfits seem to fit a pattern. He was forced to leave his previous start-up (SigFig) because of a falling out with the cofounder. He also had to take a leave of absence from Harvard (although he eventually graduated), when he neglected his classes while working at the school newspaper.
Although Parker Conrad has already stepped down as CEO, assume he hasn’t and answers the following questions:
- Describe Conrad’s personality using the Big Five Framework or OCEAN model.
- Identify Conrad’s levels of intelligence (Triarch and Emotional Intelligence)
- Give your previous answers, discuss which personality aspects might have contributed to the situation described in the case
- Assuming Conrad is still the CEO, make a recommendation to him to correct the situation. Support your answer with your knowledge of personality and Effective leadership. Get Operations Management homework help today
