Mgmt 591 Leadership Development Plan

[Type the company name]
MGMT 592 Leadership in the 21st
Leadership Development Plan

Bussey, Chris

Table of Contents

I. Purpose

II. Background and Current State

III. Literature Review

IV. Vision, Mission, Objectives and Action

V. Summary and Conclusion

VI. References

PURPOSE:

I am currently the Manager of the Project Controls group for the Containerboard and Cellulose Division at Georgia Pacific LLC. I have held this position for over a year. Prior to this position I have many years of professional experience which includes several years of supervisory and managerial experience. After twenty years plus of professional experience I am writing this paper partly from a reflective prospective and also as a part of my continuous
improvement effort.
I currently manage the Project Controls group, which is part of the Project Management organization. The group consists of four professionals that have various levels of experience and compliance levels. The department organization chart is below:

The core purpose of my team is to deliver competitive and predictable projects that meet organizational objectives by assuring transparent, credible, and actionable project estimate, schedule, and cost information. Additionally, the objective is to create long term value by applying project controls oversight, leadership, and partnerships in executing the right projects at the right time and the right cost.
I have a short term and long term goals for my Leadership Development Plan. This paper will mainly focus on the short-term plan which is to continue to develop the skills that will enable me to effectively create and manage a highly effective team of technical professionals with various levels of experience and compliance. While at the same time ensuring that the individual goals are consistent with the vision I have developed for the department. In addition, make sure that I set a process in place to periodically check to ensure the vision is in line with the vision and goals of my leadership.

BACKGROUND AND CURRENT STATE:
My current role did not exist prior to November 2011 and was part of a reorganization effort that created the Technical Services group. The purpose of the organization was to ensure the company is better able to manage capital projects effective, which means scope them correctly, manage them correctly, and finish this on time and within budget. The company has now put a greater emphasis on project management and more importantly project controls.
In April 2014, when I was hire as the Project Controls Manager, the department only included one very experience employee with some challenging work practices. The department did not have a clear vision, purpose or specific goals. As part of my 30 day plan, I developed a department gap analysis for purpose of getting alignment from all the stakeholders and setting the appropriate priorities. Below is a sample of a larger document that I created as a way to document the currently state before I begin any serious initiatives.
Category

Strategic objective

Deficiency

COST ESTIMATING
PRODUCE TIMELY AND ACCURACY COST ESTIMATES
1. CURRENTLY NO STANDARD ESTIMATING APPLICATION CONSISTENCY USED BY THE COMPANY.
2. THE ESTIMATING TOOL CURRENTLY USE IS A 1500 ROW EXCEL SPREADSHEET
3. THERE ARE NO COST REFERENCE DATA TABLES COST MANAGEMENT
PROACTIVELY TRACK AND MONITOR ALL PROJECT RELATED COST SO THAT ONE CAN ADDRESS ANY AND ALL ISSUES BEFORE THE BECOME PROBLEMS
1. CURRENTLY MOST COST TRACKING IS DONE USING EXCEL SPREADSHEETL
2. LACK OF PROJECT CONTROLS RESOURCES TO SUPPORT AND TRAIN MILL PERSONAL
3. THERE IS A LACKOF KNOWLEDGE AND TRACKING FOR THE CURRENTLY COST TRACKING SYSTEM CALLED PRIMAVERA UNIFIER.
4. THE PRIMAVERA UNIFIER NEEDS TO BE REVISED TO INCLUDE THE NEEDS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT
5. EXTENSIVE TRAINING NEED TO OCCUR WITH ALL PROJECT MANAGMENET , CORPORATE AND MILL ENGINEERING STAFF ON THE PROCESSES AND TOOLS
COST CONTROL

COST FORECASTING
PERIODICALLY DOCUMENT AND REPORT POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE TRENDS EARLY ENOUGH TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE ADDRESSED IN A TIMELY MANNER.
1. NO CONSISTENT APPROACH T O FORECASTING PROJECT.
2. CAPITAL PROJECT FORECASTING IS BASED ON REQUIREMENTS OF THE ACCOUNTING/FINANCE ORG AND MANAGED BY THE ACCOUNTING ORGANIZATION.
3. THERE IS A PERCEPTION THAT FORECASTING IS NOT TIMELY OR ACCURATE.
4. THERE IS A RELUCHTENCE TO SO ANY VARIANCES IN MONTHLY REPORTS.
5. THERE IS A LACK OF TRANSPARENCY IN PROJECT REPORTING PARTICIALLY AROUND COST REPORTING

PROJECT SCHEDULING
PROACTIVELY DEVELOP, MAINTIAN, DETAIL PROJECT SCHEDULING AT A LEVEL THAT WOULD FACILITATE MANAGEMENT OF THE PROJECTS
1. THERE IS NO STANDARD TOOL(S) FOR PROJECT SCHEDULING.
2. THERE IS NO STANDARD FORMAT OR TEMPLATE FOR PROJECT SCHEDULES
3. DETAIL OUTAGE SCHEDULED IS NOT CURRENTLY USED AS TOOLS TO PLAN AND MANAGE THE OUTAGE PROCESS.
4.
5.
PROGRESS MEASUREMENT AND REPORTING
REPORT PROGRESS, TRENDS AND DEVIATIONS IN A TIMELY MANNER SO THAT ANY AND ALL ISSUES CAN BE ADDRESSED EARLY IN THE PROCESS,
1. CURRENTLY THERE NO MANAGERIAL TEMPLATES AND/OR CONSISTENT FORMAT FOR PROJECT REPORTING.
2. LACK OF TRAINING AS IT RELATES TO EFFECTIVE PROJECT REPORTING
1. WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE (WBS)
THE WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE SHOULD BE STRUCTURE IN A WAY THAT ALIENS WITH THE WAY THAT PROJECT IS MANAGED, TRACKED AND REPORTED.
1. THE CURRENT WBS DOES NOT APPEAR TO REFLECT THE WAY THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT COMPLETES PROJECTS.
2. THE CURRENT WBS STRUCTURE LOOKS MORE LIKE A CHART OF ACCOUNTS. THIS IS MAINLY BECAUSE IT WAS DEVELOPED BY THE ACCOUNTING ORGANIZATION.
BENCHMARKING
HAVE THE ABILITY TO PRODUCE BENCHMARKING AS PART OF A CONTINUATIOUS IMPROVEMENT PROCESS
1. CURRENT BENCHMARKING IS NOT BASED ON ACTUAL PROJECT DATA.
2. THERE APPEARS TO BE NO BENCHMARKING AGAINST COMPLETORS AND INDUCTRY STANDARDS
3.
POST PROJECT ANALYSIS
EVALUATE THE SCOPE, SCHEDULE AND SCOPE PERFORMANCE OF PROJECTS IN ORDER TO IMPROVEMENT THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESS AND TOOLS.
1. NO POST PROJECT ANALYSIS OCCURS
2. NO USABLE HISTORICAL DATA THAT COULD BE USED AS CONTINUIOUS IMPROVEMENT
Project Setup
The Comptroller organization
The comptroller’s organization does not allow any setup of Passport or Unifiers and use of capitalization GL accounts until P3 DMF approval. This is not consistent with the project work process and creates additional work for the accounting organizations and project controls. Also we lose visualibility of the details of the project transactions when they are journal entries.

LITERATURE REVIEW:
Consider “From the Management to the Leadership Theory Paradigm” from our
Text. Movement from management to leadership requires a change in focus from “stability, control, competition, work, and uniformity” to “change, empowerment, collaboration, people and diversity” (Lussier, 2004). In order to create sustainable, repeatable results we can consider leaders who possess the “right” mix of characteristics (Trait Theories), are capable of Mintzberg’s 10 managerial roles (management IS a part of leadership – Process Theories), exhibit the right actions (Behavioral theories) at the right time (Contingency Theories). Contemporary Articles build on these foundations.
“Research indicates that leaders with the best results do not rely on only one leadership style;
They use most of them in a given week – seamlessly and in different measure – depending on the business situation” (Goleman, 2000). The key seems to be not just skills, but the ability to think flexibly and react effectively to ever present change. Shifting the balance to more long-term focus is a significant challenge.
Transformational leadership and effective change management becomes critical because
Results lie in reaching new goals or implementing new practices. Considering strategic
Leadership in the midst of change, most executives would probably agree that execution is most
Critical to success; without it, the most brilliant plan or strategy will founder. (MMR, 2005). In
A survey of 276 companies across 8 industries, 45% stated that improvement initiatives had
Performed below plan; 43% said that the initiatives failed to achieve objectives, and fewer than
1/3 indicated that initiatives had performed above plan. “Considerable slippage occurs between
What are often quite good plans for improvement and their actual execution?” (Jeffery, 2005).
This often happens when vision is not clearly articulated and/or members are not personally
Invested in the transformation.
Resistance to change is manifested in many ways. Often when new processes or
Initiatives are introduced, managers say that it makes no sense, or they “don’t have time.” If
Managers can relay the vision effectively; employees view the process very negatively.
“Behavioral Displacement” occurs when managers pursue short term objectives (like monthly quotas) rather than larger goals (DeWaal, 2002). With an industry shift toward more complex
Selling present, there is much long term impact when teams look for the quick sale rather than taking a more comprehensive approach to solutions. “Gamesmanship” occurs when managers take action to improve their performance indicators without producing any positive economic effects (DeWaal, 2002). One example of this is a field reaction to corporate “pipeline metrics”
Or paperwork requirements. The manipulation of pipeline data (entering opportunities that are
Not real) to conform to minimum standards skews the ability of the company to truly gauge its
Position. The bottom line effect of all these types of resistance is negative attitudes – job tension, conflict, frustration and resistance result when an employee feels overly controlled (DeWaal, 2002). Classical Change theories (force-field and 8 step models) would indicate that a critical first step “Unfreezing – Establishing a sense of urgency” would set the foundation.
Communication and vision are critical during the change step as here we must involve and
Empower members, set up successes, continually reinforce the benefits and vision for the
Change. Effective change management and transformational leadership are crucial to long term success in more ways than one. Successful execution of the strategy has far reaching effects right from the beginning. A poorly implemented approach may be much worse than having none at all. It undermines the credibility of management and wastes valuable time and resources. (Bacal, 1999).
The Univerisity of California Berkeley published these “Steps to Building an Effective Team”, which I find to be very useful in the current role as I am working to building a new highly effective team.
The first rule of team building is an obvious one: to lead a team effectively, you must first establish your leadership with each team member. Remember that the most effective team leaders build their relationships of trust and loyalty, rather than fear or the power of their positions.
1) •Consider each employee 's ideas as valuable. Remember that there is no such thing as stupid idea.
2) •Be aware of employees ' unspoken feelings. Set an example to team members by being open with employees and sensitive to their moods and feelings.
3) •Act as a harmonizing influence. Look for chances to mediate and resolve minor disputes; point continually toward the team 's higher goals.
4) •Be clear when communicating. Be careful to clarify directives.
5) •Encourage trust and cooperation among employees on your team. Remember that the relationships team members establish among themselves are every bit as important as those you establish with them. As the team begins to take shape, pay close attention to the ways in which team members work together and take steps to improve communication, cooperation, trust, and respect in those relationships.
6) •Encourage team members to share information. Emphasize the importance of each team member 's contribution and demonstrate how all of their jobs operate together to move the entire team closer to its goal.
7) •Delegate problem-solving tasks to the team. Let the team work on creative solutions together.
8) •Facilitate communication. Remember that communication is the single most important factor in successful teamwork. Facilitating communication does not mean holding meetings all the time. Instead it means setting an example by remaining open to suggestions and concerns, by asking questions and offering help, and by doing everything you can to avoid confusion in your own communication.
9) •Establish team values and goals; evaluate team performance.
Be sure to talk with members about the progress they are making toward established goals so that employees get a sense both of their success and of the challenges that lie ahead. Address teamwork in performance standards. Discuss with your team: ◦ What do we really care about in performing our job?
10) ◦ Define what does the word success means
VISION, MISSION, OBJECTIVES AND ACTION PLAN
One of the first actions in building an effective team is for the leader to develop and clear vision for the organization. As the textbook talks to, this a great way to communication to everyone what the core purchase of the department is and is the basis of a more detail action plans and priorities.
My organization vision statement is as follows:
”Deliver competitive and predictable projects that meet organizational objectives by assuring transparent, credible, and actionable project estimate, schedule, and cost information.
We will create long term value by applying project controls oversight, leadership, and partnerships in executing the right projects at the right time and the right cost.”
Based on the above vision statement I developed a more detail action plan which is below.

Based on this vision I have developed a more detail list of priorities for department, which are listed
below:

The skills needed to achieve the organizational goal I have be challenged with by my management team and myself are as follow:

1) Building Personal Credibility and Influencing Others:
In my person professional experiences I have found that the most effective way create a highly motivated and satisfied teams within any organization is simply a matter of taking time get to know each member of the team in order to gain a understanding of what their individual motivation factors. In addition, I totally agree with the text book that motivation, satisfaction, and performance are related and are primary characteristics of an effective organization.
I would think almost everyone can provide examples that validate the fact that a lot of performance problems can be attributed to unclear expectations, skill deficits, resource and equipment shortages, or a lack of motivation. This has been a key part of my personal leadership plan, which is to make sure that I make sure all my team has the tools, training and support necessary to be successful. I also make every effort to communicate as clearly as possible what the overall team strategy is and what part each of my team members play in achieving that strategy.
The specific actions I have committed in my leadership development plan are as follows:
Communication often the organization strategy
Schedule individual meeting with each follower to ensure that each of us have opportunity to understand how they are progressing with their roles, responsibility and goals (short term and long term).
Spend quality time with each of the followers (individually and as a group) so that I continue to understand what their core motivation factors are. This is a continuous process because motivation factors may change over time.
Communication individually to my leadership what my organization strategy execution plan is to ensure they it in align with the overall strategy
Finally, provide open and honest feedback as a way to prevent any possible conflict.
Follow-up in a timely manner to ensure that you maintain the highest level of credibility.
2) Skills for Developing Others
In today environment leaders need to be aware of how various aspects of tasks can affect both their own and their followers ' behaviors, and how they might change these factors to improve followers ' satisfaction and performance. In addition, an increasingly important variable at the environmental level is societal culture, which involves learned behaviors that guide the distinctive mannerisms, ways of thinking, and values within particular societies.
Each of the contingency theories implicitly assumes that leaders can accurately assess key follower and situational factors. It is also possible that two leaders in the same situation may reach different conclusions about followers ' levels of knowledge and skills.
One of the key functions of good leaders is building a highly effective and diverse team. The way this will occur is that the leader had the ability to development an effective organizational structure, which includes accurate assessment of the team member’s knowledge and skills… The assessment will help [the leaders put the correct people is the appropriate roles.
The specific actions I have committed in my leadership development plan are as follows:
Take time to understand every situation
Take time to understand the impacts of every situation
Work on the skills so that I make an accurate assessment of the knowledge and skills of everyone I am working with and for.
Complete continuous education classes to continue to improvement my own skill set.
Make proactive and timely changes because they to impact any negative impact to the team chemistry and dynamics.
Communication the results of my assessment to the impacted people in a timely manner.
My timeline for my personal development plan is as follows:
ACTION
DATE
Develop Vision Statement
May 2014 Start regular one on one meetings with each team member
June 2014
Start regular one on one meetings with my leadership
June 2014
Establish specific dates to review progress of my leadership development plan and my specific objective
June 2014
Get 360 degree feedback from leadership and stakeholders
March 2015
Progress session with team
June 2015

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
The items that I have spoken to in this paper are things that I have addressed and will continue to address in the future.
I know that the key to building a highly effective and motivated team starts with selection of the right individuals and the development of highly communication skills. One must ensure that we communicate openly and honestly so to understand the motivational factors of our followers and leaders.
I also know that I need to make every effort to communicate my organizational strategy to all my followers and also make very sure I communicate continuously so that I always have a clear understand of the motivation factors of my followers and leaders. Finally, I have to make sure to follow-up in a timely manner, complete the things I commit and ensure that as a leader I will maintain the highest level of credibility.
Effective leadership can have positive or negative impacts on my performance and the performance of my followers. In addition, I will be able to gain a better understanding of the importance of making accurate and timely assessment of the knowledge and skills of my followers, leaders and colleagues.
REFERENCES:
http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/guides/managing-hr/interaction/team-building/steps
Bacal, Robert. (1999) Performance Management: An Overview. McGraw-Hill.
Chang, Helen. (December, 2004) MulcahyTook a No Nonsese Approach to Turning Xerox Around.
Stamford Graduate School of Business http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/headlines/vftt_mulcahy.shtml
Caminiti, Susan. (January/February 2005) The People Company NYSE.com http://www.nyse.com/pdfs/nysemag05_jan_feb.pdf DeWaal, Andre. (2002) Quest for Balance: The Human Element in Performance Management Systems.
John Wiley & Sons
Erwin Rausch. (2005) Management Decision: Leadership Debate. Emerald Group Publishing
Gosling, J. and Mintzberg, H. (2003). The Five Minds of a Manager. Harvard Business Review,
November 2003, 54–9.
Jeffery, Bill. (2001) Strategy Execution: Achieving Operational Excellence. Racher Press. 2001. v 18 p 12
Kotter, John P. (1990) What Leaders Really Do. Harvard Business Review
Lawinski, Jennifer (November, 2005) Top 25 Executives; Anne Mulcahy, Chairman, CEO of Xerox http://www.crn.com/sections/special/reports/top25.jhtml?ArticleID=173600097 Lussier, Robert N, and Achua, Christopher. (2004) Leadership: Theory, Application, Skill
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