Date: August 6th, 2017
Sam Walton was born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, in the year 1918. From an early age, his passion and natural ability to lead people were evident. He was the iconic founder of Walmart and the most successful entrepreneur of his generation. Walton always wanted to engage in retailing, and later, he built the world’s largest retail company with endless passion. He created managerial approaches and the corporate culture which are still playing key roles in Wal-Mart’s ongoing success.
Leadership Qualities of Sam Walton
There are a few qualities that made Sam Walton different from others in the world. Some of his leadership qualities are being discussed here.
- Passion: Sam Walton was passionate about his dream. He never followed the money but his passion. He started his stores not to become rich; he did so out of his passion for crafts, and he only wanted to do it better and better. He always had his focus on retail, and this passion made him one of the successful leaders in this field.
- Commitment: Sam Walton showed everyone that commitment to work can make a person a successful leader. He affected most of his staff with enthusiasm while leading them effectively. One of the reasons for Wal-Mart’s success was that employees loved their work and did their best. He created this commitment among his employees by showing his appreciation and rewarding them for their efforts.
- Good Communicator: Another quality that Sam Walton possessed was being a good communicator. He communicated everything he possibly could to his associates. According to his theory, the more employees know, the more they will understand. The more employees understand, the more they will care for the company.
- Delegation: Another leadership quality of Sam Walton is effective delegation. He was good at checking on the people he had motivated. He used to provide consistent follow-up to employees. He used to look over everyone’s shoulder during his tenure as a manager.
- Inspiring Others: Sam Walton thought positively, and this positivity was evident in his actions. He was more of a manager, walking and flying around, and in the middle of the process he checked whether the work was progressing. He had let his executives make their own decisions & mistakes, and later he advised & inspired them on those decisions & mistakes.
Leadership Style of Sam Walton
Sam Walton was a leader who followed a transformational leadership approach. He possessed such outstanding skills that he was able to transform his associates, creating an environment that enabled outstanding results. He used to set high targets for his employees and motivate them to achieve them. Walton gave his staff the sense that they worked for him and ensured his employees were much more willing to work hard. He visited his stores, talked to his employees, discussed their problems, and proposed possible solutions & improvements. As a result, his employees felt honoured and appreciated after their leader visited them. He tried to create this special feeling in each of his employees by introducing “Wal-Mart-Cheer”. This ritual was performed every day in every shop worldwide before the stores opened.
Leadership Traits of Sam Walton
Sam Walton learned and sharpened his traits with time and practice. Later, he built his success by developing his traits, making him one of the most successful leaders. His few leadership traits are pointed out here.
- Acting Strategically: Sam Walton adopted this attitude, which drove his success at the company. He acted carefully while founding the company and selecting the management team. Sam also tried to make them responsible for making their vision of the company a reality. In this way, Sam acted strategically, which later led to success in the business.
- Promoting Team Work: He always emphasized the importance of teamwork during his tenure. He made his employees enthusiastic to help each other as often as possible. This team bonding benefited both the company and its personnel. By implementing this trait, Walton achieved one of the biggest successes, which is known as “the Wal-Mart family” feeling.
- Creating Relationships: Walton knew how to build strong relationships with customers and employees. He used to respect both to make a good bonding. He used to mention his customers as “neighbours” or “guests”. Moreover, he referred to his managers as “coaches” and his employees as “associates” or “business partners”. This is how he created a good relationship with all his customers and stakeholders.
There are additional traits that Sam Walton possessed beyond the aforementioned ones. Such as:
- Fostering Creativity and Innovation
- Being Accountable and Responsible
- Self-Managing etc.
Leadership Skills of Sam Walton
There are many leadership skills for which Sam Walton became one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. Some of his leadership skills are explained here.
- Self-Awareness: Sam Walton learned this skill, and he used it from time to time. He always looked for ways to improve, and when he found a gap, he tried to practice that skill. This is how he used his leadership skills to advance his career.
- Constant Change: Changing things with the flow is not an easy skill, but Walton constantly changed things to improve his business tactics. The employees and managers of his company were always ready to embrace change, and they received it positively. Walton clearly let them know these changes are for long-term benefits and how important these could be for the company.
- People Management: Sam Walton consistently applied this skill. He created simple routines for employees that enabled them to perform tasks repeatedly and productively. With this skill, Walton and his organization could focus on implementing improvements. He earnestly created a group of people who undertake improvements and use the process to keep the customers happy.
- Persuasive & Influencing Skills: Walton succeeded by driving these skills within his organization. He took extremely good care of his employees, and he persuaded them to take the chance of becoming successful. He inclined his staff to buy Wal-Mart stock at a discount, which actually reflected a positive vibe among them. With these skills, Walton brought success to the organization.
In Conclusion
To conclude, it is proven that Sam Walton was an outstanding leader combining both management and leadership skills. Till today, Sam Walton’s leadership legacy can be seen within Wal-Mart’s incredible success.
Reference(s):