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In 1986, William Irrgang, the conservative-minded CEO of Lincoln Electric Company died, and the overarching leadership of the company passed to George “Ted” Willis. Willis was known to be talkative, sociable, action-oriented, enthusiastic, friendly, and outgoing, all desirable traits in an effective manager. Ted, like most extroverts, adapted easily to different business situations and was adept at persuading others to agree with his plan of action, another desirable leadership trait if utilized effectively (Griffin, 2017). Ted's enthusiastic and inclusive leadership style soon morphed into a more autocratic style. He began to exert his control over major operating decisions with little input from functional leaders. Before the demise of former CEO, William Irrgang, the Board of Directors had discussed the topic of expanding abroad but Mr. Irrgang adamantly opposed the idea. The Board of Directors entertained the idea of expanding to safeguard the company’s economic status in the United States considering the effects of the recession while taking advantage of financial opportunities presented by mature markets abroad. This approach would expand the business footprint and produce higher overall earnings. Ted had been a proponent of geographical expansion since he came on board in 1972 as the President of Lincoln Electric Company. was to globalize as quickly as possible. For Willis, this was his way of ensuring LEC would withstand any future economic recession in North America however, the board and the majority of the functional department heads opposed the idea. A strategic plan of action would have been more applicable considering the position of the company, but Willis saw things differently.