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| Leah and Dr. Levy overseeing a leadership exercise |
In one assignment in Disney’s Leadership Strategies program,
our class was divided into three groups in charge of three separate business
functions in a fictitious company. Volunteers were selected for leadership
positions. The person adjacent to them
would now be the leadership. Lesson #1 – you can be thrust into a leadership
position at any time.
The CEO explained to the leadership that we were to create a
new product line, slogan, and logo. My
task was the same as the others, but when talking with the team I could only
answer yes or no. We had 10 minutes to complete the task, and were asked if we had
any questions. Contemplating the
difficult task ahead, I inquired if I could write to my team. Indeed, binary responses were only limited to
speech. Lesson #2 – when facing a difficult
task, search for creative options to reduce roadblocks.
I jotted down our three goals and our 10-minute limitation. Collaboratively, we made progress on two of
the goals. With 9 minutes remaining, our CEO conveyed satisfaction with our
progress, and announced my promotion. Due
to urgency, I would need to change teams immediately. Lesson #3 – change can be forced upon an
organization with little notice.
As I met with my new team without the previous restrictions,
I requested the status on our goals. My
new role was disrupting the inertia within our team, and they were resistant to
accepting my leadership. Lesson #4, don't underestimate the challenge of organizational changes.
As my team worked on the project, I discovered that myself
and another leader had a mistaken vision for the company. Had we clarified the vision with the CEO at
the onset, we would have increased our chances for success dramatically. Lesson #5, Ask the right questions. Clarify and
communicate any mistaken assumptions early on.
-Chris
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