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Bernard Ebber Essay

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Bernard Ebbers – a name shrouded in awe and controversies has gone down in history as one of the most genius and corrupt Chief Operations Officers in the history of the telecommunication industry, wall street and the general business sector of the United States of America. To describe Ebbers’ as a good business man would be an insult to his humble beginning and rise as a massive conglomerate that played an important role in then business and economic stability of the U.S. His actions, right from buying a chain of motels in Mississippi to becoming an investor in Long Distance Discount Services, Inc and later it’s owner are important indications of his leadership. This was the stepping stone he needed to acquire over sixty independent telecommunication companies which later …show more content…

As a former executive once said, he got extremely angry because they missed earnings by one cent (Brown, Treviño, 2004, p. 93). This action caused them to aid and abet his deviant behaviour because of fear. He could have easily prevented this trait in his employees and board by exhibiting transparency and ethical behaviour. Ebbers leadership style had a lot of similarities with Taylor’s scientific management. This theoretical theory focused on the best method to get a job done and the cheapest way to do it. It explains why he was known to have axed over two thousand jobs, turned lights off in empty rooms, replaced coffee makers with vending machines (Brown, Treviño, 2004, p. 91-92). A good leader is empathetic toward his managers and employees. Ebbers did not exhibit personal interest in his staff. He was interested in their outcome, profit margins and results. At one point Ebbers was earning $37 million a year, between his salary and other financial considerations. However, that didn’t stop him from ending free coffee for WorldCom workers, as coffee machines that charged 35 cents a cup took the place of the free

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