Jerry Jones Leadership Essay Example

manager, the others being the Oakland Raiders' Al Davis and the Cincinnati Bengals' Mike Brown. Followers & Situation Mr. Jones leads the entire Dallas Cowboys organization, from top to bottom, by being the Owner, President and General Manager.

He leads the rest of executives, coaches and players within the organization. He has a right hand man-his son, Stephen Jones-who is the Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Player Personnel; but every decision made within the organization Jones has to have the final call. In one of the most dramatic eras of ownership in professional sports, Jerry Jones’ stewardship of the Dallas Cowboys has brought unprecedented results and success to one of the world’s most popular sports entities.

Jones is also one of the most active figures in the area of service to the leadership of the NFL. His contributions are visible on a daily basis with his participation in a wide range of committees that assist in maintaining the NFL’s current level of success and stature. The future success of the team and its new stadium provide the driving inspiration for the entire Jones Family. The new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, will serve as the beacon that will help North Texas stake its claim as a major focal point on the sporting and entertainment landscapes of this country.

In the opening for the 2009 NFL season, the state of the art home of the Cowboys will serve as a powerful catalyst to attract a wide range of national and international events; events that will vividly help define the future of the region for generations to come. That process is already underway as the

Cowboys and North Texas will play host to Super Bowl XLV in Arlington following the 2010 NFL season. The venue will also host the 2010 NBA All-Star Game and the 2014 NCAA Final Four in Men’s Basketball. In addition, the stadium is now the permanent home of the AT&T Cotton Bowl Game played annually on January 1.

Contextual and Organizational Leadership Mr. Jones’ leadership style is considered by others as brazen. An example of this style is this quote by another owner “The man's gone too far, he's out of control" (Hoffer 62). The former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo said Jones was like a heroin addict, saying that Jones’ heroin was money. Jones retaliated by saying "We would make the players and teams in this league more money if we were all responsible for our own marketing. The more you grow the pie, the more you grow the league.

People say I'm a maverick and not a team player, but I believe in revenue-sharing. I just think there's more revenue to share out there" (King 100). On August 3, 1995, Jones announced a deal with Pepsi that allowed that company to become the official supplier of soft drinks at Texas Stadium; a stadium which Jones owns. The league disagreed because Coke was already the NFL's official soft drink sponsor. But 10 days later, New England Patriot owner Robert Kraft, who owns Foxboro Stadium, unveiled a similar deal with Pepsi; and no one seemed upset around the league.

Jones also signed Deion Sanders last year to a $35 million contract with Dallas. Around the league there was grumbling that Jones was abusing the salary cap of the NFL. Of

course the San Francisco 49ers had done the same thing for the same player a year before. Jones’ contributions and innovations in the areas of marketing, corporate sponsorships, television, stadium management, stadium development and community service have made a visible imprint on the ever evolving face of professional sports in America.

Since becoming involved with the Cowboys, Jones’ accomplishments have been recognized through his induction into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame (2007), the Texas Business Hall of Fame (2005), the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame (1999) and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame (1998). In August of 2007, Jones also served as the presenter for Michael Irvin’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As part of the Jones Family and the Dallas Cowboys commitment to Arlington, Texas- the home of the club’s new stadium.

Gene and Jerry Jones Family Charities will donate $16. million to non-profit organizations serving youth in Arlington over the next 33 years. Motivational Approach Mr. Jones’s approach to motivation is to simply be the best at everything. He will do anything within his power to make sure that his organization is always number one. Jerry Jones has brought in players when other organizations had given up on them or saw them as problems. Mr. Jones has had the ability to turn these players (Terrell Owens, Tank Johnson and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones) around and be productive for this team.

If you watch a Dallas Cowboys game, you will see Jerry Jones on the sidelines during warm-ups encouraging players; and near the end you will see him on sidelines again. Although his stewardship of the organization has brought championships and a generous compliment

of the game’s brightest stars to the region, the future success of the team and its new stadium provide the driving inspiration for the entire Jones Family. On the league front, Jones actively contributes his vision and enthusiasm to enhancing the NFL’s status as the world’s premier professional sports league by serving on a wide range of league committees.

Jones is currently the Chairman of the NFL Network Broadcast Committee, and he is a member of the Management Council Executive Committee, the Special Committee on League Economics and the Pro Football Hall of Fame Committee. Jones also served on the committee that was charged with overseeing the search for a successor to retired NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue - a search that successfully landed current NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in September of 2006.

In addition, Jones has served two prior terms as a member of the NFL’s Competition Committee as well as a stint on the Business Ventures Committee. Mr. Jones wanted to see his team succeed but he also wanted the National Football League to be successful too. Theories/Models Jerry Jones is a baby boomer being born in the 1940’s. Jones definitely uses authentic and principle centered leadership. Jones has created a winning culture within his organization which continues to be cultivated as long as he is the owner of the Cowboys.

Jones uses the values he learned at the University of Arkansas. He incorporated them in his first business which he began as an oil and gas exploration business in Arkansas; it was named Jones Oil and Land Lease that was ultra successful. At the core of the Dallas Cowboys organization is the importance and need for

giving back to the community and making a difference. Dallas and area charities have all benefited from the time, effort and generosity of the Jones family and the Dallas Cowboys franchise.

In the words of Jerry Jones, "the star on the elmet can move mountains" something he, his family and the Dallas Cowboys are happy to see happen time and time again. Jerry Jones is not a "perfect owner". He can be criticized for an ignoring character. He can be criticized for high-dollar seat licenses at the new stadium. He can be criticized for hanging other owners out to dry; but there is no other owner that I would ever trust out there (maybe Mark Cuban) - to consistently give my team everything it needs to win. Jerry Jones is the best owner in sports. Analysis

My analysis of Jerry Jones -after researching him- is that you cannot argue with success. Jerry Jones is very unique in how he handles his organization and I have a little bit of bias; but I am a Dallas Cowboys fan. Jerry Jones has three Super Bowl rings, each representing something special: the first, the repeat and the new coach. If he gets another ring this season, it might mean more to him than all the others combined. While every NFL team wants to win the title every year, to Jones and the Dallas Cowboys, there is more at stake this season.

It starts with the wait since the last championship; 15 years and counting, the longest drought the franchise's storied history. Then there is the big reason. This is a big year. The Super Bowl is coming to Cowboys Stadium, to

the $1. 2 billion palace Jones built -basically because he could. No team has played a Super Bowl in its home stadium and for this team to play the game in this stadium - well it is almost too much to process; even for a dreamer like Jones. I believe that Jerry Jones is a highly motivated leader who will do anything to win; even if that means doing something over the top.

After picking my leader, you liked my choice of leader even though you did not agree with some of his decisions like firing the legendary coach Tom Landry. However, I believe that Jerry Jones saw the changes in the National Football League and adjusted his organization in order to be successful. Lesson Learned I learned, after reading about Jerry Jones, that he is an innovative and inspirational leader of a dynamic organization. Mr. Jones is a very hands-on leader who is involved in every level of the Dallas Cowboys. I learned that, if you want to be a leader, you must be involved in every level of your usiness.

In order to find the real problems your business has, you must be able to listen objectively to your employees; even though you have the final decision. I believe that effective leaders have a good understanding of what needs to get done and how to go about changing things; Jerry Jones is a great example of a leader with those qualities. I only hope to be as successful as Mr. Jones within the first 5 years of my business. Please keep in mind that being a leader often involves striking a balance and the same

time having the skills and intelligence qualities of a leader that are described above.

You can use other adjectives to describe leadership qualities; but the components, described by emotional intelligence and intellect, cover all the bases quite well. A lot of people in sports believe Jones is the best owner in sports, since the passing of baseball owner George Steinbrenner. I will definitely continue to watch Jerry Jones’s moves within the organization; and I hope that the Dallas Cowboys end up in Super Bowl this year; in The Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, February 06, 2011.

Bibliography

http://www.askmen.com/celebs/men/business_politics_60/72_jerry_jones.html

http://www.amazon.com/Playing-Win-Jerry-Dallas-Cowboys/dp/1600781241/ref=pd_sim_b_1

http://www.nndb.com/people/315/000030225/