Achieving Results Through Leadership Role Clarity

The Challenge: A technical director was promoted to Distinguished Scientist, a newly created position. Since this was a new, and somewhat undefined, position, it was important for the individual and his boss to be in agreement on leadership behaviors that would be effective. This position will have substantial impact on the organization's future since part of this individual's responsibility is to manage development of a new life sciences product based on ten years of research.

The Solution: Both filled out a Role Expectations Questionnaire. Results showed they were in agreement in many areas, but they developed useful discussions in key areas. One difference was that the Scientist placed a high value on asking others for their opinions and less on his own independent decision making. His boss felt that the scientist should use his own expertise more, especially in situations where others had less knowledge and experience than the Scientist, and where this could shorten the decision making process.

They also agreed that persuasion was a critical behavior and that the scientist needed to enhance his skill in this area. Interestingly, through these discussions, the Scientist indicated that he felt that his scientific credibility, a necessary ingredient of persuasion with his senior direct reports, had suffered the last five years since he was in a managerial role. His boss did not see this as an issue. However, he agreed to have the individual attend programs to build greater confidence.

The Results: The Scientist has exhibited new behaviors and made remarkable progress in meeting project deadlines. He was able to re-establish his scientific credibility.

• Role Expectations Assessment

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