Competency

This competency will allow you to demonstrate what you have learned about effective leadership by creating a plan to successfully run a small business.

Instructions

You have become comfortable with contemporary leadership competencies and feel it is time to open your own small business. As a future business owner, you know that all organizations must be well managed and that effective leadership is at the core of ensuring that a business runs smoothly.

Reflect on the following questions and write a 3-5 page report to help you solidify your thinking and describe your plan for running a small business.

Refer to the DISC behavioral characteristics you identified for yourself in module 01. How will you use two of these characteristics (i.e., values, culture, mission, and vision) to shape your small business?

Employees are a business's greatest asset. Refer to the best leader traits/skills/tactics you identified in module 02. How will you mentor the informal and formal leaders that you hire?

Identify the leader theory from module 03 that fits you best. How can this leader theory help you align business goals, customer expectations, and employee objectives?

Refer to the challenges to leading change that you selected in module 04. Identify two of these challenges. How will you address these challenges to minimize risk for your new business?

Utilizing the facilitative leadership skills you studied in module 05, discuss the three facilitative leadership skills that you think are the most important for your business. How will you incorporate what you learned about facultative leadership into your business so that employees can successfully run meetings and projects?

Refer to the leadership skills you presented in module 06, as well as the other concepts you've studied in the course (e.g., leader traits, leadership theory, and facilitative leadership skills). How will you use these to ensure effective leadership in your small business?