The document is a paper by Robert Pytell about leadership and self-assessment. It discusses Pytell developing a personal definition of leadership focused on guiding others towards common goals in an ethical way. It also describes Pytell taking a personality assessment that identified both his strengths and weaknesses. Specifically, it found he can perform well under stress but struggles with procrastination. The paper then examines the concept of Machiavellianism and argues Walmart employs manipulative tactics like those described by Machiavelli to maximize profits at the expense of workers.

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Robert Pytell
Central Washington University
ADMG 372
Integrative Paper
November 30, 2015

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Introduction
During my first quarter at Central Washington University while taking ADMG 372 I
have been able to develop my own personal definition of leadership as well as what makes a
good leader. This paper will demonstrate the skills learned during the course. With the help of
professor Trumpy’s instruction on emotional intelligence and the Myers-Brigs Personality
assessment tool, a complete personality assessment of myself was successfully developed. This
has enabled me to identify both my dependable strengths as well as identify my areas of
weakness.
During the many weeks of lectures we covered many different theories of leadership,
however the one that stuck out has been Machiavellianism. After conducting many hours of
research, it can be seen how Machiavellianism is still used by management in large corporations
like Walmart.
Personal Definition of leadership
For me leadership is the ability to guide a group or organization towards a common goal
in a way that promotes a healthy and positive development of each individual. My belief is that
leadership should be comprised of a strong moralistic and ethical framework. There should be an
ever changing world view and an openness to new ideas or methodology.
Now there is good leadership and bad leadership, but in order for it to be good leadership
there should be a heightened sense of emotional intelligence as well as the ability to adapt to ever
changing conditions without straying from the vision that was agreed upon by all the leaders.
It’s also the ability to manage in a way that promotes creativity and innovation. As Travis
Box of 88.1 the Burg said to me;” A Leaders influence should greatly outweigh his authority”
My belief is that within that statement lies the core structure of great leadership.

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Self-Assessment Summary
Self-assessment is, well to say it plainly, not an easy task. I tend to be over critical of how
I am or rather who I am. Actually this is part of my current life journey or rather goal, to truly
discover who I am due to the fact of feeling so lost for so many years. I recently went online and
took the Briggs-Myers personality test, the results showed that I was an ISFP (Introvert, Sensing,
Feeling, and Perceiving). Now this may not really mean anything to the average person, but it is
actually like a key to unlocking the complex mystery that is me.
When people first meet me they often get a different impression until they stop to
actually get to know me. I’ve been told that I come off as dumb and weird. Now this sounds
really bad when you first hear it. Due to the complexity of my personality and I guess my fear of
judgement, it’s not until people take the time to talk to me and expose my true self, do they
actually see that I am actually quite brilliant and emotionally intelligent. As they Say looks can
be deceiving.
In the fall of 2009 I came to realize that I perform really well in High stress situations.
During one of my shifts as a security guard at a Circle K in Albuquerque NM an armed man
came in the store. Although I could have remained hidden in the cooler in fear, a sense of calm
came over me and I purposely put my own life at risk in order to keep the other employees safe.
During the incident I showed no emotion and kept a cool level head and kept the perpetrator so
focused on me that it appeared that he forgot I wasn’t the only one inside the store. When
looking at the Big 5 this is actually a great trait to have. It shows that not only can I perform well
in high stress situations, but that I have a talent for controlling my emotional state.
I tend to be a very open person which enables me to adapt quickly to changing situations.
This was very useful during my previous career due to the fact everyday meant something new.

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For instance while working at the mall in Aurora Colorado, everyday presented new challenges
in the way of dealing with the general public. The policies and procedures were constantly
changing due to mall management and office politics.
Now when it comes to politics, even though I am not a fan, I seem to have a natural
ability to use just the right amount of tact. I tend to be able to come to an agreement rather easily
and generally can persuade people to do the right thing or make the right decision. Also when
communicating with customers I generally am very empathetic which shows them that I care
about their needs.
Being a very open person and constantly seeking new knowledge, aids in the evolution of
my word view and growth of my level of emotional intelligence. I seek knowledge so that I may
grow as a person and gain new perspectives from other people I meet.
For me emotional intelligence has become a very important part of my life. It has helped
me to identify moments when I need to be more outgoing. To tell you the truth I use it every time
I start procrastinating or am dreading a deadline. By learning to recognize which behaviors or
traits I am bad at and knowing how to adapt them to the current situation.
Now in no way am I saying I am perfect, actually it’s the complete opposite. I still have
low self-esteem and am kind of hiding at home at the moment and not socializing, but with the
skills that I have learned in the past couple of years, I am able to try to modify my behaviors a lot
better. So in the end having good emotional Intelligence can set a person up for a lot of success.
Another weakness that I have is I tend to procrastinate which creates a lot more stress
when trying to meet my deadlines. I have to constantly psych myself out in order to remain
productive and positive on a daily basis. This at times is a very tiring but necessary process, but
by doing so I am able to keep myself in check.

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Machiavellianism
Throughout this quarter we have covered many different leadership theories and styles
which have been developed over the years. However the one that has interested me the most is
Machiavellianism. The reason this really grabbed my attention is even though we are a society
that strives for great leadership, corporations, like Walmart, and their management still utilize
Machiavellian tactics to keep their power over our society.
Machiavellianism is based on Niccolo Machiavelli’s political belief system that in order
for a person in power to reach a goal they may use any means necessary no matter what the
means are. Morality is of no concern according to his theory as long as the goal is reached.
Basically they use fear and manipulation to accomplish tasks in general. Many leaders who use
these tactics are often there first to take praise and last to take blame.
One organization that is guilty of this in my opinion is Walmart and their use of cunning
and dishonest tactics which have enabled them to become the world’s largest retailer. This can be
seen when examining how powerful Walmart has become and the control it has on many local
populations.
Machiavelli (2005) stated in The Prince: The other and better solution is to
send colonies into one or two places that will act as shackles * on that state; for it
is necessary that the prince either do this or maintain a large number of cavalry
and infantry. Colonies do not cost much, and with little or no expense a prince can
send and maintain them. In so doing he injures only those whose fields and
houses have been taken away and given to the new inhabitants, who are only a
small part of that dominion. Those he injures, finding themselves scattered and
poor, can never be a threat to him; and all the others remain uninjured on the one

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hand, and because of this they should remain peaceful, and on the other hand are
afraid of making a mistake, for fear that what happened to those who were
dispossessed might happen to them. (Machiavelli, 2005, p. 10)
Over the years Walmart has systematically went into local economies and forced many
mom and pop stores to shut down. He way that they do this is they find out what products the
local shops are carrying and drop their prices so low that their competition can not keep up, once
the local business closes they raise their prices knowing people will pay and keep coming
because now the local economy can not survive without them. Now you may say that this is
simple economics, however when you look at the management practices that have led to multiple
lawsuits you start to see the bigger picture.
One such lawsuit was Barnett v. Wal-Mart Employment Discrimination Lawsuit which
was initially filed in 2001 in our great state of Washington. According to ABC news Wal-Mart
agreed to pay up to $35 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of 88,000 workers
at Washington state stores who were forced to skip meal and rest breaks or work off the clock.
(Johnson & Associated Press, 2009) The management at these stores knew that they were
supposed to follow federal labor laws when it came to giving breaks to employees however so
that they could get more work out of their employees, they would cunningly just forget to give
them breaks. A lot of times workers who complained were subjected to a reduction in their
scheduled hours every week. Because a lot of people feared that they would be fired, they would
just keep quiet. This in its self was the perfect example of the Machiavellian management being
practiced at Walmart.

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Walmart Management has repeatedly broken the law knowingly just so that they can
increase profitability. They are the posterchild for using Machiavellian tactics in the name of
profitability.
Now I want to touch on the other aspect or trait of Machiavellianism in which the leaders
are the first to take praise but last to accept blame. They tend to be very narcissistic and have a
low level of emotional intelligence. In the indie film documentary “Walmart the high cost of low
Prices” (Greenwald, 2005) it shows Walmart ads that say that they care for the environment, yet
all over the united states Walmart has been fined millions of dollars for environmental
violations, yet when officials tried contacting the corporate headquarters they never received
responses.
The film also shows how Walmart goes to China and tells factory workers to lie to
inspectors about the working conditions. Whenever anyone would grow a conscience, Walmart
would force them out of the company. They systematically drive down the local working wages
of a given population and force their workers to rely on public welfare programs as a way to not
have to pay medical benefits to their employees. Basically Walmart is using cunning methods as
well as manipulation of the system to control the local populations and keep poor people poor
and scattered as well as silent.
In recent years there has been an uprising against Walmart, many workers have tried to
unionize. However whenever there is a possibility of unionization, Walmart will employ a fear
tactic which they call the union package to forcibly remove the threat in a cunning way so they
can accomplish their goal of dominance and profits.

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Walmart to date has demonstrated without a doubt that through the use of Machiavellian
tactics that they can control the very destinies of all their workers around the world. This is not
the way a company that touts about global leadership should act. Great leaders lead by example
and not through fear and manipulation.
In the end Machiavellianism is a bad management tool. It creates a distorted cruel world
view and false vision. No person should ever try to rule using these immoral tactics.
Integration
The development of both a personalized definition of leadership and a personality
assessment are necessary in the development of a great leader. By doing this a person can
identify not only their core values, but their strengths and weaknesses. It helps it helps to educate
them on how to make sure their influence exceeds their authority. Also by examining Walmart’s
use of Machiavellian tactics, a leader can easily identify what not to do and that ruling by fear
and dishonesty will not lead to developing a successful leadership style.
Conclusion
In conclusion it can be seen that throughout the course my level of emotional intelligence
has increased which will enable me to utilize all of my strengths to adapt my management style
in the future. With the help of the Meyers Briggs my ability to identify my weaknesses as well as
strengths using the self-assessment tools.
And my interest in how Walmart uses Machiavellian and the many atrocities that they
have committed. Their use and abuse of the citizens they serve is a non-ending cycle. In the end I
will make sure that my influence will always outweigh my authority.

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References
Greenwald, R. (Director). (2005). Walmart : The High Cost of Low Prices [Motion Picture].
Johnson, G., & Associated Press. (2009). ABC News. Retrieved November 30, 2015, from
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=8147775&page=1
Machiavelli, N. (2005). Prince. UK: Oxford, GBR: Oxford University Press. Retrieved
November 30, 2015, from http://www.ebrary.com