Business Leadership assignment

Instructions:

Step 1:  Preparation for the Assignment

ü  Before you begin writing the report, you will read the following requirements that will help you meet the writing and APA requirements.  Not reading this information will lead to a lower grade:

ü  You are expected to use the facts from the case scenario focusing on using this information to determine opportunities and solve problems.

ü  Third person writing is required. Contractions are not used in business writing, so you are expected NOT to use contraction in writing this assignment. 

ü  You are expected to paraphrase and are NOT to use direct quotes.   

ü  You are responsible for APA only for in-text citations and a reference list.

ü  You are expected to use the facts from the case scenario paired with No more than three (3) external resources can be used in completing the assignment.  

ü  Create a Word document that is double-spaced, 12-point font.  The final product should be 4 pages in length excluding the title page and reference page and appendix.   .   

                                          I.               Introduction

                                         II.               Leadership Table (make sure the tables are formatted to fit within the report and are easy to read and interpret)

                                       III.               Relationship Building Action Plan

Purpose: 

The purpose of this assignment is for you to develop a Relationship Building Action Plan.

Outcome Met by Completing This Assignment

• use leadership theories, assessment tools, and an understanding of the role of ethics, values, and attitudes to evaluate and enhance personal leadership skills
• develop and implement methods for establishing a constructive organizational structure and culture that fosters positive employee and employer relationships
• assess the interactions between the external environment and the organization to foster responsible and effective leadership and organizational practices

Background:

After a relaxing weekend, you come to work, sit down at your desk and open your email.  The following is an email to you from Andrew Rockfish:

I am sending this email to you because of the personal nature of the material contained within your next assignment.  It is incumbent upon all good leaders to assess continuously their personal leadership skills, style, and approach. 

You will be developing a personal relationship building assessment plan.  Much like an annual doctor’s checkup, the goal of the assessment plan is to develop a procedure for evaluating the status of your personal skills, style, and attitude in your work with others.  Included in the assessment plan is a review of your leadership strengths, weaknesses, results of leadership assessments, feedback methodology, attitude, and leadership style.

Relationship building is a dynamic process just as situations change so too can the people skills needed to address the situation. Periodic review of those skills will benefit you by noting weaknesses and areas of change or improvement needed in your behavior.

So, what exactly am I asking you to do that needs confidentiality?  Well, your plan is going to be the result of the following hypothetical evaluation you received after your first year with GDD.  Although the hypothetical evaluation could be much better, we have found that the results provide trainees the opportunity to reflect upon one’s actual results and to prepare for personal growth moving forward. 

The hypothetical scenario is one in which you were promoted a year ago into a leadership position.  However, the past year has proved to show several issues and the results are not at all what we were hoping for when we promoted you.  Still, experience has taught us that help starts with an employee taking stock of their personal skills.   Since we believe that you have the potential for being an excellent department head, we would like to take measures toward your development.  Please follow the instructions below:

Leadership Table

In this hypothetical scenario, the review is complete and the results of the evaluation as well as feedback from your peers and direct reports are in your hands.The key to success in this project is to accept the “GDD Evaluation Form” contents as a real assessment of your performance at GDD for the first year’s work in this position.  While the information within the form is obviously hypothetical, you must place yourself in the position and address the situation as if it were truly you.

Task 1:  Carefully review the Evaluation Form and Peer/Direct Report Comments:  ATTACHED BELOW

Task 2:  Examine the comments and identify those statements that relate to the following concepts: your strengths as a leader, your weaknesses as a leader, communication skills, personality, emotional IQ, with respect to others - trust, leadership attitude, leadership style, and vision/strategic goal implementation.

Task 3: Complete the Leadership Table with the remarks you have selected.

Task 4:  Write one paragraph for each topic, relating the conclusions that you have drawn as to your effectiveness as a relationship builder over the past year.  Support the conclusions/reasoning with the course readings (weeks 1 – 6). Be brutally honest with the conclusions that you draw.  This is personal and means your future with GDD is on the line.

Relationship Building Action Plan

Focus on the process of how to bring about improvement rather than what you should do.  What are the steps you will take to resolve the weaknesses you have?   Think of the leadership action plan as a way to improve the relationship-building skills with others and influence the people within the department to accomplish the work in an efficient manner that meets organizational standards and satisfies customers.

To accomplish the action plan, you will complete the tasks listed below.  Be thoughtful in your responses reflecting upon all of the input documents.  In completing each task, you will formulating a thesis statement and support the reasoning with rigorous, focused thinking that demonstrates the analytical skills GDD is looking from you.

ü  Provide an introduction that explains why people skills are important for a leader to possess.

ü  Identify and discuss the people skills that are lacking in your relationship with others

ü  Explain how the missing or weak people skills are hindering your success at building relationships with followers.

ü  Explain the significance of the leader-follower relationship to fulfilling the strategic plan of the leader.

ü  Identify the one critical factor from the facts provided (aside from the weaknesses in personal skills), that will specifically affect your leader-follower relationship more than any other factor.  Explain how and why this fact will affect your future if not corrected now.

ü  Provide at least three practical recommendations as to how you can improve the weak skills that have been identified.

*I ATTACH AN ADDITIONAL COPY OF THIS ASSIGNMENT AND THE Evaluation Form and Peer/Direct Report Comments