Kimberly-Clark Leadership

Executive Summary:

This report discusses Darwin E. Smith as an example for a successful leader. He was the CEO for Kimberly-Clark for 20 years. During this period, Kimberly-Clark was recognized one of eleven companies on the Fortune 500. He has many personal features that assist in creating his personality as a leader, which will be explained briefly in the report.

Since his childhood and he has the primary keys to be a leader, which strengthen more during his grew up. He showed iron will during his childhood and during his whole life. This iron will highly represented two months after he became a CEO, when the doctors told him that he was suffering from cancer in nose and throat. Then he said that he has no plans to die and continue his working life and go forward encountering many people until achieve his targets and goals.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary:        

Introduction        2

Subject        3

Conclusion        6

References        7

Introduction

What is leadership? A simple definition is that leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal. In a business setting, this can mean directing workers and colleagues with a strategy to meet the company's needs.

This report will show an excellent example for the leader explaining the qualities in his personality leads to that success. In addition, the personal conditions in childhood play a big role in building his leadership personality.

Subject

The main qualities for Darwin Smith as a leader are as follow:

1. Confident and decision maker: reflected in his emphasis on research and development of consumer products, and finally, he got the desired goal.
2. Appreciative and supportive: He was the type of leaders who gave credit for success to the employees, the managers and the customers.
3. Courageous, initiative and vision: All these qualities represented in his decision to sell his mills even after the media described this move by stupid action.
4. Fair and honest: He was able to get the right person on the bus and the wrong person off the bus and creating a culture of discipline.
5. Flexible: To keep up changes, he increased the geographical diversification of Kimberly-Clark’s facilities.
6. Loyalty: He remained 20 years as CEO in his company.
7. Professional knowledge: He graduated from Harvard Law School.

From my point of view, the personal conditions in childhood play a big role in building the leadership personality. This is clearly represented in Darwin Smith case. Not only he grew up in a farm culture, but also he took the responsibility to work day shift to be able to join the school at Indiana University. All these challenges creates a strong boy able to face any difficulties such as losing his finger. In addition, academic education and continuous improvements assist in creating the leader.