Consider the following scenario:

Janelle is interviewing for a low-level management job which will require her to supervise a small team of employees. One of the forms Janelle must complete as part of the interview process is a leadership style questionnaire. Janelle wonders what insight her potential employers hope to gain from the results, what insight the results will provide her, and how this information will impact her career.

Experiences like Janelle's are not uncommon. Organizations use leadership style assessments and other such instruments for a variety of reasons. Bookstore shelves and the Internet offer a vast number of resources to help business professionals uncover their leadership styles. Given the widespread availability and use of such instruments, scholars and business professionals alike should evaluate the potential impact and usefulness of the assessments and their underlying leadership theories.

To prepare:

• Complete the style questionnaire at the end of Chapter 4 in your course text, and reflect on your results.
By Day 3 of Week 2, post your evaluation of leadership style assessments, such as the one you just completed, and the leadership style approach. Explain whether you think such assessments and a leadership style approach are useful for providing insight into leadership behavior. Explain the potential impact of the use of such assessments for both individual employees and organizations. Also, explain the potential impact of the style approach to leadership for individuals and organizations.
By Day 3 of Week 2, read all of your colleagues' posts and respond to two of them in one of the following ways:

• Offer an example from personal experience that validates the impact outlined by your colleague. Explain how your example validates your colleague's point of view.

• Critique your colleague's evaluation of leadership style assessments and the style approach, and offer an alternative perspective.