THE LEADERSHIP OF WARREN BUFFETT 1
The Leadership of Warren Buffett
Grand Canyon University: MGT 420
, THE LEADERSHIP OF WARREN BUFFETT 2
Warren Buffett is a prolific investor, philanthropist, and chief executive officer of
Berkshire Hathaway who is currently the world’s third wealthiest individual with a net worth of
76 billion dollars (Forbes, 2020). Buffett has long been a paragon of the investment and
philanthropy community, and his company has bought assets in media organizations such as The
Washington Post, insurance companies like GEICO, and the oil industry (Biography.com, 2020).
He has been a leader with incredible entrepreneurial spirit and financial acumen since 1943,
when he owned a paperboy business at the age of 13. Over the nearly eight decades since his first
business venture, Warren Buffett has honed his particularly effective style of leadership.
The development of Warrant Buffett as a leader was an intentional one, wherein the
“Oracle of Omaha,” as he was called, made a conscious effort to consistently learn and transform
himself into a leader with integrity and character (Kelly, 2013). This is an example of complexity
leadership, wherein the leader is capable of a high degree of adaptability in complex systems, as
well as contingency leadership theory, which states that leader style or behavior effectiveness is
dependent upon the situation (Uhl-Bien, Schermerhorn, &Osborn, 2014). Over the course of his
career, Buffett showed characteristics emphasized in Burns’s theory on transformational
leadership, wherein the leader considers their followers; motivations, needs, and goals when
deciding how to apply their power (Uhl-Bien, Schermerhorn, &Osborn, 2014).There are also
indications through personal accounts that Buffet engages in high-quality leader-member
exchange (LMX) relationships with his subordinates that also emphasizes a shared leadership
approach by allowing distinctive leaders to work together to achieve shared group and
organizational goals (Uhl-Bien, Schermerhorn, &Osborn, 2014). Many who have dealt with the
man on a personal level describe him as engaging and charismatic (Gates, 1996). Some of his
greatest achievements are tied to his philanthropic endeavors, such as his promise to donate a
The Leadership of Warren Buffett
Grand Canyon University: MGT 420
, THE LEADERSHIP OF WARREN BUFFETT 2
Warren Buffett is a prolific investor, philanthropist, and chief executive officer of
Berkshire Hathaway who is currently the world’s third wealthiest individual with a net worth of
76 billion dollars (Forbes, 2020). Buffett has long been a paragon of the investment and
philanthropy community, and his company has bought assets in media organizations such as The
Washington Post, insurance companies like GEICO, and the oil industry (Biography.com, 2020).
He has been a leader with incredible entrepreneurial spirit and financial acumen since 1943,
when he owned a paperboy business at the age of 13. Over the nearly eight decades since his first
business venture, Warren Buffett has honed his particularly effective style of leadership.
The development of Warrant Buffett as a leader was an intentional one, wherein the
“Oracle of Omaha,” as he was called, made a conscious effort to consistently learn and transform
himself into a leader with integrity and character (Kelly, 2013). This is an example of complexity
leadership, wherein the leader is capable of a high degree of adaptability in complex systems, as
well as contingency leadership theory, which states that leader style or behavior effectiveness is
dependent upon the situation (Uhl-Bien, Schermerhorn, &Osborn, 2014). Over the course of his
career, Buffett showed characteristics emphasized in Burns’s theory on transformational
leadership, wherein the leader considers their followers; motivations, needs, and goals when
deciding how to apply their power (Uhl-Bien, Schermerhorn, &Osborn, 2014).There are also
indications through personal accounts that Buffet engages in high-quality leader-member
exchange (LMX) relationships with his subordinates that also emphasizes a shared leadership
approach by allowing distinctive leaders to work together to achieve shared group and
organizational goals (Uhl-Bien, Schermerhorn, &Osborn, 2014). Many who have dealt with the
man on a personal level describe him as engaging and charismatic (Gates, 1996). Some of his
greatest achievements are tied to his philanthropic endeavors, such as his promise to donate a
