For the monthly team building meeting for mid-level managers at Grotto Inc. the head of the Human Resource Department has hired a management consultant to facilitate a self-reflection exercise on personality and leadership. You and your colleagues were all asked to individually complete a questionnaire and bring the results to the meeting. The atmosphere at the meeting is tense because Thom and Maria were recently promoted despite being in the company for only a couple of years. Thom and Maria are both external hires and are often praised for their ability to get employees to work together and stimulate innovative work processes in their units. Some of the longer-tenured mid-level managers, however, have questioned the decision to promote Thom and Maria since they only have little knowledge about the specifics and the nuances of the manufacturing process. As the meeting unfolds you are reflecting on the following questions:

• Q1. Why are self-assessments of individuals' personalities a relevant tool for discussing a person's ability to lead and be effective as a leader?
• Q2. What personality factors are linked to better leadership outcomes, and why?
• Q3. Why were Thom and Maria promoted? Are some leadership skills more important than others when advancing from mid-level management to executive management positions?

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

1 Selfassessments of individuals personalities are relevant tools for discussing leadership abilities because they provide insights into an individual... View the full answer