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Leadership Assessment
Leadership Assessment and Development Program
Many employers of recent MBAs have indicated appreciation of the graduates’ technical skills but observed at the same time a lack of leadership behavior. The Zicklin School of Business recognizes the importance of leadership preparation to graduate business education.
After a one semester pilot project, the Management Department instituted Business 9301, Leadership Assessment and Development, a course focused on providing opportunities for students to enhance their capacities for leadership. Business 9301’s purposes are to allow students to assess aspects of their leadership skills and abilities that require attention to facilitate growth, gain applied understanding of leadership contexts and behaviors, and identify experiences at Baruch that can facilitate leadership development.
To realize these objectives, students complete self-assessment scales, write reflective essays, receive interpersonal feedback, analyze leadership cases, and evaluate practicing leaders.
- The self-assessment scales measure leadership style, power and politics orientations, decision making preferences, communication style, conflict and change attitudes, and individual attributes associated with leadership.
- Students write essays evaluating their leadership strengths and weaknesses, analyzing an actual leadership episode they experienced, assessing the functioning of a working team, and profiling a practicing leader’s assumptions and views.
- From both former work colleagues and current Baruch study team members, students receive candid, constructive interpersonal and leadership feedback.
- Class discussions of leadership cases require practical analysis of individual attributes, unit goals and tasks, and organizational contexts.
- Student presentations of leadership challenges and lessons confronted by reputed United States business leaders such as Andy Grove and Steve Jobs offer insights into successful leadership careers.
- After these diverse learning activities, Business 9301 students construct leadership action plans built around leadership development goals that they can pursue during their Baruch MBA programs.
Following the many self-assessment activities they have accomplished, leadership action plans should help facilitate the development of leadership skills through experience.
With the results of this assessment program, students will be able to take advantage of leadership development activities offered by Baruch, including:
- Enacting a leadership role within the MBA program
- Participating in a community service project
- Seeking leadership coaching/mentoring provided by alumni executives or faculty
- Learning about diversity leadership through a program designed for Baruch’s MBA program by the Anti-Defamation League
- Gaining exposure to different leadership practices through a workshop with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and presentations by current executives
The components of the Leadership Assessment Program will occur according to this schedule:
Activity | Distributed | Due |
Values and Objectives Statement | August 1 | Orientation |
Self-Assessment Scales | Orientation | Orientation |
360 Degree External Assessment | Orientation | Fourth week of fall semester |
Learning Team Feedback | Early January | Mid January |
Leadership Development Action Plan | Mid January | Beginning of spring semester |