I need this project complete

Part 1

Scenario

Over the past several years of working for the Baltimore-based consulting company, Maryland Creative Solutions, LLC, you have seen quite a bit of growth in the agency. The organization’s recent expansion, led by CEO Jillian Best, to incorporate clientele in need of digital strategy consultation has led to another boost in company revenues as well as a promotion for you. As a part of your new leadership role, you have been asked to attend the Future Directions Conference in Chicago, Illinois, to further your knowledge of best practices in business leadership, trends in the field, and project management.

Additionally, Jillian has already emailed all MCS conference attendees requesting follow-up activities upon your return: (1) a discussion with other MCS attendees about strategic leadership, and (2) a report on current strategic management and leadership theory and practice.

As you prepare for your trip to the conference, you receive an email from MCS Human Resources requesting that you submit a new skills gap analysis, which will serve as a reminder of your current leadership skills and experiences and direct your focus for the conference.

Transcript

Introduction

This course is the final step in your MBA journey. In this course, you will develop your skills in strategic decision making, planning, and implementation. You will also have the opportunity to reflect upon your growth and accomplishments as a result of your participation in the MBA program.

This project invites you to expand your knowledge of the principles behind strategic leadership to cope with the emerging challenges and steer the organization to greater heights and to consider those principles in a discussion with your classmates and in a final report.

Click Step 1: Complete Your Skills Gap Analysis to get started. In Step 1 you will submit the analysis.

Part 2

Complete Your Skills Gap Analysis

INBOX: 1 New Message

Subject:MCS Personnel Review—Skills Gap Analysis

From:Rebecca Sterling, Life & Leadership Coach

To:You

Hello,Hope your projects are going well. I saw that you were going to be attending the upcoming leadership conference in Chicago—looks like a good mix of professional perspectives and market insight.As you may have heard, MCS Human Resources is requesting that all personnel use the attached gap analysis instrument to self-evaluate business knowledge and skills before beginning work on upcoming projects.

Select the Project 1 worksheet in the bottom left of the file to complete this request. When you have completed your self-evaluation, use the text box at the bottom of the worksheet to write a reflection of 400–500 words describing two to three gaps you will work to reduce, why you selected them, and the activities you will pursue to develop your selected competencies. Please note, you will need to return to this file later to complete a final gap analysis.

Be sure to reach out if you have any questions.Best,

Becca

Part 3

: Expand Your Knowledge of Strategic Leadership

Now you’re all set to travel. You pack your bags for the Future Directions Conference and put up your out-of-office email response. After a smooth flight into Chicago, you catch a ride to the conference center to get settled.

The focus of the Future Directions Conference is strategic leadership, and you capture some notes from each presenter as you attend various sessions throughout the weekend.

Notes from Future Directions Conference—Chicago, IL

Sarah Emerson, COO of Digital Blitz

Keynote: Why Leading is Strategy

Notes on strategic leadership

Jeffree Daily, Digital Strategist for Pyle Force

Session 1: Deep Roots: Theories and Research Still Apply

Notes on perspectives in leadership theory and research

Carson Sizemore, VP of Human Resources for Enterprise Today

Session 2: Spare Change

Notes on management of change and trust

Note on Resilience

Note on Circular Economy

Johanna Gillmont, President of Continental Shift

Session 3: Quite the Contrary

Notes on managing ambivalence

Jarrell Faust, Entrepreneur and Founder of SOURCE3

Session 4: Pulling in the Pieces

Notes on shared and distributed leadership

Catherine Condorro, Director of Leadership at Parsons Institute for Finance

Session 5: Connecting on Another Level

Notes on relational leadership

Nina Orenstein, Experience Engineer at Hefler-Miller Systems

Closing Keynote: Complicated Yet Sophisticated

Notes on complexity theory of leadership

The conference concludes and you are exhausted—there was a lot of information to digest. After the conference reception, you grab a bite to eat while reviewing your notes in depth. You know that the CEO, Jillian Best, expects you to not only report out on these materials, but also to discuss many of the highlights with your peers and other attendees from Maryland Creative Solutions, LLC.

Please review all materials in the links above and then proceed to the next step.

Step 4

Following up on Jillian’s request, it is time to write a report that responds to the questions below. Your answers should demonstrate your understanding of strategic management and leadership theories. You should not only incorporate references to class discussions and learning topics but also cite at least two relevant scholarly resources on strategic leadership, such as many of those listed in the reference list of your course readings.

What values, traits and abilities do you think are most important in a CEO to meet its performance objectives, while simultaneously developing a resilient organization that can respond to the challenges of sustainability? Why are resilience and sustainability important?

Identify a CEO who has those values, traits and abilities. How have they played a role in the company’s success?

What are the major barriers to being an effective CEO?

Which theory or theories of leadership do you feel are relevant to your situation at work?

Describe an instance when you demonstrated leadership.