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Chapter 03 – Skills for Developing Yourself as a Leader
Exercise 3-7
Exercise Title: How Organizations Evaluate Leadership Effectiveness
Purpose: To help students see how leadership is formally evaluated in different organizations.
Summary: Assign groups of students the task of determining how organizations formally evaluate their
leadership talent. These groups should try to get copies of leadership performance appraisal forms from
an organization, and can do so by contacting an organization’s human resource department, talking to
parents and relatives, etc. Once groups have obtained a sample form, they should then conduct a thorough
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Exercise 3-8a
Exercise Title: Leadership and Maxims
Purpose: To analyze selected leaders and have students determine which leadership characteristics they
would select as maxims.
Summary: Have individual students select their favorite leader and develop a list of maxims to share
with the class.
Example: Maxims from “Lincoln on Leadership”
• Explain yourself in writing and offer advice on how to solve problems.
• Don’t often decline to see people who call on you.
• Use force only as a last resort.
Chapter 03 – Skills for Developing Yourself as a Leader
Exercise 3-8b
Exercise Title: Colin Powell’s Leadership Lessons.
Purpose: To analyze Colin Powell’s “leadership lessons” and have students determine which
propositions could be classified as maxims and which might be testable as theories. Additionally, students
should be asked to think about how they might develop a method to “test” the selected proposition to
check the veracity of Powell’s assertion.
Summary: Assign students to groups of 2–3 students for this activity. Distribute the list of Powell’s
• Would you consider this a maxim or theory? Why?
• Does this lesson address any of the “Myths of Leadership” addressed in Chapter 1?
• Is it possible to test the specific claim?
Student groups should be given 20–25 minutes to develop their presentation and 5 minutes to discuss
their conclusions and recommendations in front of the class.
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COLIN POWELL’S LEADERSHIP LESSONS
BACKGROUND: THE FOLLOWING LEADERSHIP LESSONS WERE TAKEN FROM A BRIEFING CREATED
TO CAPTURE SOME OF GENERAL (RET.) COLIN POWELL’S (FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE JCS)
THOUGHTS ON LEADERSHIP.
LESSON 1:
“BEING RESPONSIBLE SOMETIMES MEANS PISSING PEOPLE OFF.”
LESSON 2:
“THE DAY SOLDIERS STOP BRINGING YOU THEIR PROBLEMS IS THE DAY YOU HAVE STOPPED
LESSON 3:
“DON’T BE BUFFALOED BY EXPERTS AND ELITES. EXPERTS OFTEN POSSESS MORE DATA THAN
JUDGEMENT. ELITES CAN BECOME SO INBRED THAT THEY PRODUCE HEMOPHILIACS WHO BLEED TO
DEATH AS SOON AS THEY ARE NICKED BY THE REAL WORLD.”
LESSON 4:
LESSON 7:
“KEEP LOOKING BELOW SURFACE APPEARANCES. DON’T SHRINK FROM DOING SO (JUST)
BECAUSE YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND.”
LESSON 8:
“ORGANIZATION DOESN’T REALLY ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING. PLANS DON’T ACCOMPLISH
LESSON 9:
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“ORGANIZATION CHARTS AND FANCY TITLES COUNT FOR NEXT TO NOTHING.”
LESSON 10:
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LESSON 11:
“FIT NO STEREOTYPES. DON’T CHASE THE LATEST MANAGEMENT FADS. THE SITUATION
DICTATES WHICH APPROACH BEST ACCOMPLISHES THE TEAM’S MISSION.”
LESSON 12:
LESSON 14:
“GREAT LEADERS ARE ALMOST ALWAYS GREAT SIMPLIFIERS, WHO CAN CUT THROUGH
ARGUMENT, DEBATE AND DOUBT, TO OFFER A SOLUTION EVERYBODY CAN UNDERSTAND.”
LESSON 15:
PART I: “USE THE FORMULA, P = 40 TO 70, IN WHICH P STANDS FOR THE PROBABILITY OF
LESSON 17:
“HAVE FUN IN YOUR COMMAND. DON’T ALWAYS RUN AT A BREAKNECK PACE. TAKE LEAVE
WHEN YOU’VE EARNED IT: SPEND TIME WITH YOUR FAMILIES. COROLLARY: SURROUND YOURSELF
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Exercise 3-9
Exercise Title: Designing Leadership Studies
Purpose: To provide experience with specifying research questions, designing research studies, and
understanding the strengths and weaknesses of various methodologies.
Summary: The Designing Leadership Studies Exercise takes about 30 to 50 minutes to complete based
on the number of groups and questions used in the exercise. The exercise is carried out using the
following steps:
Step 1: Brainstorm ideas with the class about important leadership questions that they think require
This step should last 5–10 minutes (this step could be eliminated to save time and the
instructor could simply assign the specific questions).
Step 2: Separate the groups to different break-out areas or different corners of the classroom and have
them design a research study to answer the question they have been assigned. Groups should understand
the specifics they will be expected to deliver during the debriefing session. Instructors can set the level of
detail required, but some examples include:
1) Specific question to be answered
2) Variables that are critical to the method of the study, specific names and variables (if it is an
This step should take 15–20 minutes.
Step 3: Each group is given 5 minutes to present the research plan and answer questions from
the instructor or other groups.
This step should last 15–20 minutes.
Chapter 03 – Skills for Developing Yourself as a Leader
** Note 1: A modification of this exercise could consist of assigning a minimum of two groups the
same question so that different research designs for the same question could be compared and
contrasted.
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Exercise 3-10
Exercise Title: OSS In-Basket Exercise
Purpose: To provide feedback on planning, organizing, delegation, and control skills.
Summary: The OSS In-Basket Exercise takes about 90 minutes to complete and is conducted in three
phases.
Phase 1: Orientation. This phase takes 15 minutes and consists of orienting students to the OSS
organization. Here students read only the OSS In-Basket Exercise (Scenario) section (pages 1-8) in order
Phase 2: Execution. Instructors should review the instructions on page 4 and emphasize that students
should write down whatever actions they are going to take on each memo or fax in the contents section.
After clarifying the instructions, students should be given the OSS In-Basket Exercise (Contents) section
(pages 9-22) and try to accomplish as much as they can over the next 35 minutes. An option with this
phase is to have students self-administer the Contents section. This is fine as long as students only give
themselves 35 minutes to complete the In-Basket Exercise.
Phase 3: Scoring. Students should be handed the OSS Scoring Guide, and instructors should walk
through scoring each memo with their students. Students should score their own results and should be
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OSS IN-BASKET
EXERCISE
(Scenario)
Developed by Cathy Krause and Gordy Curphy
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OSS IN-BASKET
Scenario
Overview
In this exercise, you will assume the role of Lee Smith, newly appointed Division President for Office Supply
Systems (OSS). OSS distributes office supplies, equipment, and furniture to Fortune 500 organizations
through a network of warehousing and distribution operations. As OSS does not manufacture any of the
products it sells, company buyers work closely with vendors to ensure quality merchandise at affordable
prices.
OSS was founded 10 years ago and entered a fragmented market dominated by “mom and pop” office
While the company has been highly successful to date, its founder and CEO William Luis, as well as other
members of top management, has expressed concern over two factors which have recently slowed OSS’s
growth and posed a threat to its profits:
1. Accurate delivery. Customers usually place orders on a monthly basis, using just-in-time principles to
avoid the expense of buying and storing excess office products. This means that any error in orders may
2. Reduced fulfillment time. For years, customers bought office supplies and equipment based on the
quality and price of the product as well as the effectiveness of the salesperson. Recently, however, two of
OSS’s major competitors, Paper Clips and Office Warehouse, have also been going through the process of
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To address these concerns, OSS has identified several priorities:
1. Improve cooperation and teamwork between sales and operations, which have traditionally
operated as two separate and adversarial departments. To meet future demands, it will be key for these
Situation
As Lee Smith, your role will be that of newly appointed Division President in Ohio. Officed in Cleveland, you
manage all sales and operations based in Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Akron. Reporting to you are: 1) sales
representatives who oversee outside sales, 2) customer service representatives who take telephone orders
and answer questions regarding order status, 3) warehouse personnel who receive materials from vendors,
Instructions
You are to go through the packet of papers and use the next 35 minutes to take whatever action you think
appropriate. Write down every action you take, including notes to your direct reports, yourself, and others.
Keep in mind that your ideas and actions cannot be evaluated unless you write them down. Do not just say
what you would do in this situation, but actually write letters, memos, etc. where appropriate.
Chapter 03 – Skills for Developing Yourself as a Leader
Please follow these guidelines for responding to the in-basket items:
• Write out agendas and objectives for any meeting you call.
• Use the calendar provided as you do in your actual job.
Remember:
1. You are Lee Smith, newly appointed Division President of OSS’s Ohio division.
2. It is now 3:30 p.m., Sunday, October 12. You have 30 minutes to work through your in-basket.
When you are finished:
1. Re-organize the memos to their original order (see page numbers at the bottom of the pages).
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YOUR BOSS
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Lee Smith
Ohio Division President
(YOU)
Bill Jones
VP, Sales and
Customer Service
Tyler Neher
VP, Operations
Dani Frank
VP, Sales and
Customer Service
Angel Burgos
VP, Operations
Ben Schultz
VP, Sales and
Customer Service
Pat Weiss
VP, Operations
Cleveland
Cincinnati
Akron
Alan Patten
Sales Rep
Julie Carlson
Driver
Monica Ramirez
Sales Rep
Julian Vasko
Driver
Tracy Livingston
Sales Rep
Steve Disaro
Driver