Jack Ma Alibaba: The Steve Jobs Of China

Jack Ma Name Institution Due Date Jack Ma Jack Ma is a name that is known worldwide. As an entrepreneur, Ma is a giant with a desire to leave his imprint in the world. However, in spite of his success, he still cuts a humble figure even as his influence continues to grow in the world. Ma is known as one of the founders of Alibaba which is almost a half-trillion-dollar e-commerce business. His story is widely known and his dream of Alibaba was conceived in an apartment in China more than 20 years ago. Ma is a leader like no other in the Chinese business environment. He has earned himself the tag “the Steve Jobs of China” and true to this name, he continues to surprise many with his wit and charisma in the business world. As a communicator, Ma has established himself as a person who can command listenership and this has helped him to connect with many people. On his 55th birthday, Jack Ma plans to retire from Alibaba. In an open letter in 2018, Ma wrote, “I still have lots of dreams to pursue. Those who know me know that I do not like to sit idle.” The tech world will indeed be left with a void that will be difficult to fill because Ma’s shoes are too big for any regular Joe to fill. For any organization, the communication skills of the leader are crucial to its success or failure. When a leader communicates, people should react or be moved in the direction of the leader. Jack Ma has grown his influence to a point where anything he says reverberates all over the world. Any decision he makes gets a global reaction. However, in spite of his fame and success in business, it is his success as a communicator that sets him apart from other business leaders. Jack Ma exudes charisma every time he speaks. Everyone who listens to him gets to interact with his words and to grasp a point or two from him. Often, when successful people speak, they exude a high level of confidence and to some people, this can be intimidating. Jack Ma is different. Knowing that his position in the world often comes with a lot of pressure on those he interacts with, Jack Ma often finds a way to make those he interacts with feel confident as well. While in his position, it is surprising that Ma is still aware of those around him and how his actions impact their lives. With the level of success as that of Ma, it is surprising that he maintains an awareness of who is around him. By maintaining such awareness, he is able to know what is relevant to a particular audience as well as the appropriate conduct or behavior. Charismatic people are not boastful or egotistical. Their goal is not to intimidate other people or to make them feel irrelevant in certain gatherings. Ma is charismatic in a way that builds those around him. He speaks what he embodies and this goes a long way into shaping him as a leader as well. When words are not accompanied by the appropriate action, they often come back empty. For a leader like Ma, one feels like he is well aware of this fact and thus everything he does is spoken from experience and mimics what he believes and considers true. So, as a communicator, Ma stands out and will continue to outdo his peers for years to come. Several things make Jack Ma effective as a communicator. The first one is his ability to connect with whichever crowd or gathering he finds himself in. Whether Ma is talking to a group of students, tech enthusiasts, or a group of investors, one thing that stands out is his ability to connect with his audience. Connecting with one’s audience means that one is able to put themselves in the audience’s shoes and respond in ways that show that one is well aware of his or her audience. Ma has toured the world and even after his retirement he is expected to continue with his busy schedule and this is a testament to his ability to speak and connect with whoever is his audience. Ma is a former teacher and therefore, another aspect that makes him effective as a communicator is his ability to engage his audience. While looking at his talks on YouTube, one notices that unlike other successful people in the world, Ma always finds a way to engage his audience. He makes his interactions lively and this makes it possible for him to get the best out of every session he has. When an audience is engaged, they feel like a part of something and this makes it possible for Ma to deliver what he had planned. Another factor that makes Ma effective as a communicator is his carefree spirit. With such a spirit, Ma was able to introduce certain things within Alibaba that made it possible for his employees to follow suit. For example, it is known that he encouraged a section of his employees to do handstands to ensure their energy levels are maintained at a high level. This unorthodox model of leadership has become increasingly favored by leaders. Employees, on the other hand, appear to take after the leaders who appear to embrace this carefree spirit. So, for Jack Ma, this spirit has made it possible for him to impart his values in his employees. Having been a teacher, Jack Ma knows how best to get the best out of everyone in his audience. He knows what will get people involved and what will make them switch off from a conversation. One method of delivery that Ma embraces quite well is following up his words with actions. Loyalty and commitment to one’s organization are things that cannot be bought with money. It is often up to the leader to make sure that his or her employees are loyal and committed to the values and goals of the organization. Ma speaks his values and makes sure ...