Leadership Analysis – Case Study
Melissa Lasley
Southern New Hampshire University
Week 4
Leading People & Organizations –MBA 530
Professor Ellingwood
3/24/24
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Leadership Analysis – Case Study
Developing leadership skills is essential for the success of an organization. In this case
study, we are going to look at an employee who was recently promoted into a leadership
position. Feedback suggests he is struggling with strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and
communication. Below we will discuss these skills, their importance to the team and
organization and actionable steps our new leader can take to develop these skills. We will also
discuss how the flywheel effect can transform his leadership style by identifying tasks to
promote tangible gradual improvement.
Leadership Skills
Strategic thinking is a critical skill in effective leadership. It is defined by Rich Horwath
(n.d.), “as the generation and application of business insights on a continual basis to achieve
competitive advantage”. Schermerhorn (2020) offers that “competitive advantage is the ability to
do something so well that one outperforms competitors” and if this is the organizational goal,
then strategic intent and strategic thinking is the means to achieve it. Based on recent feedback,
our new leader, Eduardo, is not leveraging his team towards the shared vision, nor is he inspiring
confidence. Without these two elements in his team, Eduardo is siloed. By developing his
strategic thinking, Eduardo will start to ask more long-term questions and will be able to see the
value in inspiring a shared vision. By awakening the shared vision, Eduardo will start to engage
his team more and feel less siloed. His team will start to see the trust being built and will
therefore be more self-determined and motivated to respond to this leader. “People want to know
what they do matters, and they want to feel included” (Kouzes, 2024, p.K-120). More strategic
thinking will also decrease Eduardo’s pace at coming to a siloed solution because this method of
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thinking focuses on looking ahead at all the possibilities, and by engaging the fresh ideas of his
team, he may find they have insights he did not think of that will allow for a more positive
outcome in reaching the goals set by the organization.
Emotional intelligence enables leaders to handle interpersonal relationships thoughtfully
and compassionately which enhances not only the trust within an organization but also the
communication. Yadav (2019) states emotional intelligence is defined, “as the capability of
monitoring personal and others’ emotions and feelings, to differentiate among them, and to use
that information for guiding personal actions and thinking” and he feels, “leadership is an art of
emotions management” (p.17-32). There is a substantial positive relationship between the
emotional intelligence of a leader and the performance and productivity of employees.
Currently, the feedback is that our new leader, Eduardo, is creating insecurity and frustration
among his team. Once Eduardo focuses on increasing his emotional intelligence, he will become
more self-aware and adaptable to situations and ideas. By becoming more self-aware, he will be
able to see when his actions are creating frustration and angst and be able to course correct his
actions. As his emotional intelligence increases, he will start instilling positivity into the team
environment through increased empathy which will facilitate trusting relationships with his
employees. When employees feel valued and trusted, they will give more to the team and will be
more invested in the organizational goals.
Strong communication skills are critical for effective leaders. This honed skillset allows
leaders to define goals succinctly, set expectations, and to inspire and empower their team.
Schermerhorn (2020) defines communication as, “the process of sending and receiving symbols
with meanings attached, (p.369) and as “the means for connecting with people to network, build
relationships, and collaborate” (p.369). Top communication skills include active listening,
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empathy, respect, and confidence. From the feedback presented, our new leader, Eduardo, has
challenges with listening and ignores others. If this behavior continues, we will lose our top
talent, and if it spreads to external partners, it will negatively affect our organization’s overall
goal. Many times, confidence is a contributing factor to whether communication is effective or
not, and it is not uncommon for efficient communication to be ineffective. “We are often too
busy to take the time to ensure our communications are effective” (Schermerhorn,2020, p.369).
By focusing on his communication skills, Eduardo will increase the trust within his team. They
will understand how they fit into the organizational goals, understand expectations, and will feel
more valued and inspired to share ideas and participate in the organization’s strategic goals.
Actionable Steps
The first actionable step Eduardo could take is to enroll himself into a Crucial
Conversations course. In this approach to communication, leaders are mindful of everything
involved during a conversation such as thoughts, emotions, words, tone, body language, and
behaviors. During a crucial conversation the stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run
strong. It is important to understand your role in the “story” being told and to delineate between
fact and story to get to a pool of shared and beneficial meaning. One of the principles taught in
Crucial Conversations is called Start with Heart. Pahl (n.d.) states,
the first thing that degrades in a Crucial Conversation isn’t our behavior but our motives.
We can quickly go from wanting to learn and understand to wanting to win, be right, and
defend ourselves—and usually we don’t even notice it. Eventually, what we are thinking,
feeling, and wanting will impact the conversation. In other words, motives influence
behavior. Get your motives right, better dialogue will follow.
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This course would help Eduardo have a new perspective related to communication and assist him
in encountering his team in a non-confrontational way. It will also guide him to start active
listening to what his team has to say. Crucial conversations happen all the time, and it will be
beneficial for Eduardo to encounter his team with grace and compassion to retain his top talent
and to move our organization goals in the right direction as efficiently and effectively as
possible.
The second actionable step Eduardo could take is to move from a dictator style of
leadership to an adaptive style of leadership. The idea that one individual can single handedly
generate results is obsolete. People in leadership positions must work together with their
employees to initiate change and accomplish goals. Doyle (2017) says,
Adaptive leaders motivate teams and followers, focusing on the task at hand while
monitoring the levels of stress within the team and of each team member. In addition,
adaptive leaders transfer ownership to followers as they become more capable,
recognizing when to step back. Finally, an adaptive leader should listen selectively to
balance the collective views of the group. (20)
Becoming an adaptive leader will allow Eduardo to take his team to the next level of efficiency
and effectiveness. Not only will this style empower his team; it will also allow him to feel
supported as well. In today’s VUCA environment, adaptive leadership supports the competitive
edge our organization needs to succeed.
Flywheel Effect
To transform his leadership style from that of a dictator to the adaptive style, Eduardo can
utilize the flywheel effect and make consistent changes to his leadership style towards the
adaptive process. To start this transformation Eduardo should start with self-awareness and a new
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perspective. He must realize his current style is not getting the results he needs, and therefore, he
must stop leading in his current way and work towards adopting the adaptive style. Eduardo also
needs to reconnect with his team to create a safe environment. Doyle (2017) states, “Safe
environments have been found to be critical to success and to moving the
group toward adaptation” (20). Eduardo can do this by meeting with
members of his team to share his new perspective and vision. Next, Eduardo
can continue connecting with his team by embracing the Hedgehog Concept.
Collins (2007) states, “in the journey from good to great, defining your Hedgehog Concept is an
essential element” (p.44). Eduardo can practice active listening and ask him team what they are
passionate about. He can get their perspectives and visions, monitor their concerns and worries,
and empower his team to complete the work necessary to meet the organization’s goals (Doyle,
2017, p.20). To gage success, Eduardo can elicit feedback via his supervisor and by employee
survey during his next quarterly review to ensure his actions are yielding positive results. He will
also have some anecdotal results in that he will feel less frustration and will see more
communication and less frustration in his team as these changes in his leadership style are
embraced. Collins (2007) states, “the real path to greatness, it turns out, requires simplicity and
diligence” (p.45).
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Reference
Collins, J. (2007, September 1). Good to Great. Women in Business, p.38-46. https://eds-p-
ebscohost-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=6b4a8d69-cbc2-
48ee-9b9c-b854e4392acd%40redis
Doyle, Alaina. (2017, October). Adaptive Challenges Require Adaptive Leaders.
Performance Improvement, 56(9), 18-26.
https://eds-p-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=73c8ffb2-
f712-486a-a1a7-ae1a173aafab
%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d
%3d#db=bsu&AN=125743426
Horwath. R. (n.d.). What is Strategic Thinking?
https://www.strategyskills.com/Articles_Samples/
What_is_Strategic_Thinking.pdf
Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z. (2021). Leadership Challenge. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Pahl, J. (2022, February 22) Crucial Conversations Skill Summary: Start with Heart.
https://cruciallearning.com/blog/crucial-conversations-skill-summary-start-with-heart/
Schermerhorn, J.R., Jr., & Bachrach, D.G. (2020). Management. Wiley.
Yadav, R., & Lata, P. (2019, October 1). Role of Emotional Intelligence in Effective Leadership.
International Journal on Leadership,7(2),17-32. https://eds-p-ebscohost-
com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=012e6da0-5097-4ccc-93ff-
1cd2bdf23fef%40redis
