Leadership Self-Assessment: Case Study

¶ … Malcolm is far too much focused on career progression that all his actions are geared towards promotion, as opposed to productivity. Although he remains a high performer, his somewhat ill-timed ambitions could get in the way of enhanced performance in areas that, in his opinion, fit poorly with his career ambitions. Root Causes The most likely contributory factors in this case are poor career planning (on Malcolm's part), failure by the organization to assign mentors during the early stages of deployment, and poor feedback processes.

Possible Solutions One possible solution is to ensure that Malcolm is properly mentored. Another solution is to ensure that the responsibilities Malcolm is assigned match with his competencies and career goals. Advantages & Disadvantages One key advantage of mentorship in this case could be enhancement of professional development. This could, from a general perspective, help in the reduction of employee turnover costs. The disadvantage of this solution is that mentorship could in this case turn out to be counterproductive especially if Malcolm does not hit off with the assigned mentor.

With regard to assigning Malcolm tasks that match his career goals, this could have the effect of further motivating him - resulting in enhanced performance. On the downside, however, Malcolm could end up being a 'half baked' corporate executive who does not possess proper and sound understanding of certain critical corporate and organizational processes.

Final Recommendations I recommend that the mentorship initiative be continued, but this time with greater emphasis being placed on assisting Malcolm in the development of knowledge and skills that will further enhance both his personal and professional growth. Mentorship should in this case be tailored to facilitate Malcolm's total development. Questions from the Book 1.

In what ways is this case about leadership development? Lawson describes leadership development as "a strategic investment in a structured process that provides individuals with the opportunities, training, and experiences to become effective leaders in their organizations" (Lawson, 2008, p. 10). In that regard, therefore, leadership development has got to do with the enhancement of leadership qualities in an individual. Malcolm has his sights set on "the corner office." Indeed, all his activities and actions seem focused on this particular goal.

To be effective, leaders ought to develop their leadership competencies -- something they could do via on-the-job training, attending mentorship sessions, etc. Malcolm's various engagements and the mentorship initiative are all critical components of leadership development. 2. What would you recommend that Malcolm do to facilitate his path to an executive position? To facilitate his path to an executive position, Malcolm should concentrate on the tasks assigned to him, as his promotion could be pegged on how well he performs on this front.

A promotion is likely to be granted on the basis.