EMBA MGMT 469: ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Individual Leader Analysis Paper Guidelines

Prepare a paper per guidelines below – 3500 words maximum, not counting
appendices, diagrams, citations, etc.

Upload your paper to the course website as due according to the course
syllabus.

Topic:
Read a richly detailed book (i.e., a definitive biography or autobiography)
about a leader of your choosing. Use course content to analyze key
aspects of that leader’s professional life.
For this assignment, choose a leader, and focus on aspects of that
leader’s professional life, that are especially appealing and applicable to
you.

Here are a few examples of books about business leaders that would meet the
assignment criteria. You do NOT need to choose one of these; they are simply
examples:

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

My Life in Leadership by Frances Hesselbein

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

A Personal History by Katharine Graham

American Icon by Bryce Hoffman (about Alan Mulally at Ford)

Please note that you are NOT limited to business leaders.

Please feel welcome to pick a great biography about a government leader, a

leader of a nonprofit organization or foundation, a social change leader, a
religious/spiritual leader, a military leader, etc. Your leader need not be
contemporary – you can choose one from any historical era. Choose any leader
with a strong track record whom you admire and who inspires you, and choose a

Professor John Ullmen Page 1

Management 469
book about that person that is substantial and detailed.

If you’re having trouble settling on a leader or an appropriate book, contact me as

soon as you can, and we’ll work it out.

My intent is that you gain significant value from this assignment that you can
apply beyond the course. Count on me to work with you to find something that
will be more than worth the effort you put into the assignment.

-----
Why are we doing this assignment?
In my research on leadership influence, highly effective “3R” leaders – leaders
with strong track records for exceptional results, exceptionally strong diverse
networks of relationships, and exceptional reputations – refer and credit much
of their success to inspiring role models who motivate them to live up to their
example, and pay it forward.
For more on this, please see my (optional) video program Influencing Others,
which also provides many additional concepts you can use in this assignment:
http://www.lynda.com/Business-Business-Skills-tutorials/Influencing-Others/148625-2.html?org=ucla.edu

Research on priming and framing also supports the design of this assignment.
Calling to mind specific role models and effective leadership examples enables
more functional thinking and emotional regulation, and opens options for more
effective actions/choices, including under conditions of high stress or pressure.
Research also points toward how leading effectively involves an integrated,
holistic point of view on organizational dynamics, self-understanding,
relationship-building, velocity of learning, resilience, etc. A deep-dive into the life
and paths of extraordinary leaders provides a fuller perspective that supplement
importantly more narrowly focused studies, articles and books on subset
skills/competencies of leadership as actually lived over time by extraordinary
leaders.
As an example of a vast body of relevant research, see one of the optional
readings for this course: Carucci. “A Ten Year Study Reveals What Great
Executives Know and Do.” Harvard Business Review. (2016).
Finally, my practical experience of 20+ years as an executive coach, working
in-depth over substantial periods of time with extraordinary leaders across
industries, cultures and organizational types and stages, also reinforces all these
themes. I’ve done this “assignment” with them too.
There is value to be gained focusing on specific skills and competencies in
specific situations, and we do that throughout the course. There is also great
value to be gained by grasping how all the parts fit together in the full lives of real
leaders over substantial stretches of time. With this assignment, my intent is for

Professor John Ullmen Page 2

Management 469
you to do both, in ways you choose as most relevant to your circumstances and
priorities.
-----

USE COURSE CONCEPTS TO ANALYZE EXAMPLES FROM YOUR BOOK

In your paper, focus on a few examples from the book (e.g., how your leader
faced decisions, challenges, turning points, defining moments, opportunities,
setbacks etc.) which you’ll find useful to analyze.
Use course concepts to analyze your examples. Be explicit about which
concepts, frameworks, etc., you are applying.
The assigned video on Executive Leadership Fundamentals includes a broad
range of concepts you can use in your analysis. As a reminder, here’s a link to
the program (also on the course website):
http://www.lynda.com/Business-Business-Skills-tutorials/Executive-Leadership-Fundamentals/167027-
2.html?org=ucla.edu

Here’s a summary of the executive leadership disciplines and practices, each

with specific steps and methods. Any of these are appropriate to use as concepts
to analyze your examples:

The Two Principles of Executive Leadership

All your choices as an executive leader--everything you do, everything you say--should
align with two principles:
Earn trust
Serve your people

The Four Disciplines of Executive Leadership

1. Set Direction
Think strategically 

Take responsibility and be decisive 

Lead from “me” to “we”: define the past, present, and future
Create a shared purpose and compelling vision
2. Motivate Commitment
Inspire confidence, even under pressure
Energize and empower people 

Encourage personal excellence 

Create collaboration opportunities

Professor John Ullmen Page 3

Management 469
 Develop others and build a talent pipeline
Communicate to motivate
Communicate to replicate
3. Drive for Results
Establish priorities and focus 

Ensure invigorating accountability
Influence without authority 

Cultivate creative thinking and innovation
Lead large-scale change and shape culture
4. Develop Yourself
Increase self-awareness 

Build resilience and resourcefulness
Keep learning 

Keep connecting

As another source of course concepts to use in your analysis, you can draw on
any readings, videos, cases, class discussions, or guest speaker insights.
For example, if you were using Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, here are some
examples among many, many others you could analyze:

When it came time to assign employee badge numbers, Apple's first president, Mike Scott,
gave Wozniak #1 and Jobs #2. Jobs was furious and demanded to be #1, but Scott
refused. (You’ll have to read the book to see how it turned out, and I expect you’ll find it
both surprising and satisfying.) There are many examples like this one you could
analyze with concepts from the Negotiation and/or Motivation class session
materials; or “Cultivate creative thinking and innovation” from the Executive
Leadership Fundamentals video.

In Apple's early years, Jobs oversaw the hiring process and sought out applicants who
were smart but somewhat rebellious. Jobs would ask such offbeat questions such as "How
many times have you taken LSD?" You could analyze this and many other examples
about how he dealt with talent in Apple with Talent Management session concepts,
and concepts from the Zappos case materials; or “Develop others and build a talent
pipeline” from the Executive Leadership Fundamentals video.

After NeXT was bought by Apple, Jobs acted as de facto CEO until September 16, 1997,
when he became "iCEO" -- an abbreviation that first signified "interim" but would eventually
mean "indefinite." Then Jobs made some very distinctive strategic decisions about the
direction and priorities of the firm, and communicated and executed them in distinctive
ways. You could analyze this and other such examples with concepts from the
Transitioning & Taking Charge class session materials, and/or the Leading Change
class session materials; or “Think strategically” or Take responsibility and be

Professor John Ullmen Page 4

Management 469
 decisive” or “Create a shared purpose and compelling vision” from the Executive
Leadership Fundamentals video.

-----

GUIDELINES FOR THE CONTENT OF YOUR PAPER

In your paper, very briefly state:

- What leader did you choose?
- Why is this leader especially relevant or inspiring to you, e.g., given your
aspirations, goals, core values, personal mission, background, personal
experiences, strengths, development areas, etc. Of all the leaders you
could choose, why this one? How are you connected to this leader’s life?
- Which book did you read?

For each of the key parts you choose from the book (decisions, challenges,
turning points, defining moments, opportunities or setbacks) cover the
following points:

1. Situation: Explain in specific detail, what is the decision, challenge,

turning point, defining moment, opportunity or setback your leader
faced?
a. What happened?
b. Who was involved – who were the key stakeholders, and if
relevant, what were their interests?
c. Is any other background/context needed for an unbiased observer
to understand the situation?
d. Keep this segment (1a-1c) brief – just enough information so that
an unbiased observer can understand the basics of what you’re
focusing on.

2. Motivation (for you): Why did you choose this as something to

analyze?
a. Why is this personally relevant or meaningful to you?
b. How will you benefit from improving on how you address this
situation?

Professor John Ullmen Page 5

Management 469
 3. Analysis: Use course concepts to analyze the relevant factors/issues
in your example:
a. What did the leader do well in this situation? Be specific.
b. What should the leader have done differently, or how could the
leader have been even more effective in this situation? Be specific.
c. Remember to apply relevant course concepts to these examples
from the book you chose to focus on.

4. Application: What concrete actions/steps will you take going forward

in light of your analysis. Be specific!
a. In light of your analysis of this leader in your chosen examples,
summarize what you learned, i.e., explain your key takeaways.
b. More specifically, how can YOU apply insights from your analysis of
this leader – what specific steps/actions can you take in YOUR
professional life going forward? Ensure your actions/steps tie to
your analysis and to course readings/concepts.

Professor John Ullmen Page 6

Management 469