Leadership Exercises (Part III)

In two previous posts, I have shared the leadership exercises in the first two parts of the book The Odyssey of Self-Discovery: On Becoming A Leader. The third part of the book explores how some of the leadership frameworks outlined in the book can be applied in five different use cases, and some specific leadership development topics, including topics of interests for aspiring leaders or leaders in a new environment. In addition, I include a few specific topics about approaches for driving changes or leveraging projects for demonstrating leadership. With the increasingly global nature of leadership, I also touch upon the cultural context of leadership. Here are the leadership exercises in Part III of the book.

Chapter 12: You Are A Leader - Now What?

If you are a new leader, take proactive steps to figure out who are your key stakeholders and ensure your expectations are aligned with those of your stakeholders. Develop a ninety-day plan with thirty-day and sixty-day milestones along the way to define your priorities and enhance your chances of success.

Chapter 13: Career Change Can Be An Opportunity For Impact

Identify the last time you transitioned from one organization to another and use it as an example to reflect on the surprises and learnings in terms of what aspects of your leadership you had to change and adapt. As an alternative, develop a hypothetical scenario about a role you would like to seek, and develop a detailed plan on what aspects of leadership behavior you need to change for the new role and how you would manage those changes.

Chapter 14: Change Starts with Ripples

Identify one practice in your organization that you would like to change and use Arthur D. Little framework to define the dissatisfaction associated with the status quo, paint a picture for the future, and identify the first concrete step for change. 

Chapter 15: The Corporate Ladder is Too Crowded

Identify a specific issue either inside or outside of the workplace that you would like to pursue. Develop a one-page plan, including a clearly defined objective that is achievable in sixty days, resource the plan and explain what it would mean for the stakeholders if successful. 

Chapter 16: The Answer to Difference Is To Respect It

People have sometimes described culture as an iceberg, with 20 percent visible and 80 percent invisible below the water. Identify some of the cultural values or traits of your own which are invisible but can potentially affect how you lead or make decisions.

Chapter 17: Failures Are Stepping Stones To Success

Play out slowly the events from a recent “failure” you encountered, preferably something from your workplace. Process what went wrong and write out the three things you learned from that experience.

Chapter 18: Leadership Survey Analyses

Identify the biggest barriers to your leadership development in your organization. Develop a six-month action plan based on your assessment of the most effective option to enhance your leadership. 

If any of you have done some of the exercises in this post or the previous two posts, I would love to hear your feedbacks either in the comment section or direct message to me via linkedin.

Related Articles

Leadership Exercises (Part I) (06/13/2023)

Leadership Exercises (Part II) (06/27/2023)

(Please join the 293,000 subscribers to my newsletter by clicking the subscribe button to be notified of new editions. Better yet, please join the conversation by sharing your comments. You can also provide your support by purchasing my book: The Odyssey of Self-Discovery: On Becoming A Leader.)