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• 26 Mar 2024
• Cold Call Podcast

How Do Great Leaders Overcome Adversity?

In the spring of 2021, Raymond Jefferson (MBA 2000) applied for a job in President Joseph Biden’s administration. Ten years earlier, false allegations were used to force him to resign from his prior US government position as assistant secretary of labor for veterans’ employment and training in the Department of Labor. Two employees had accused him of ethical violations in hiring and procurement decisions, including pressuring subordinates into extending contracts to his alleged personal associates. The Deputy Secretary of Labor gave Jefferson four hours to resign or be terminated. Jefferson filed a federal lawsuit against the US government to clear his name, which he pursued for eight years at the expense of his entire life savings. Why, after such a traumatic and debilitating experience, would Jefferson want to pursue a career in government again? Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer Anthony Mayo explores Jefferson’s personal and professional journey from upstate New York to West Point to the Obama administration, how he faced adversity at several junctures in his life, and how resilience and vulnerability shaped his leadership style in the case, "Raymond Jefferson: Trial by Fire."

• 24 Jan 2024

Why Boeing’s Problems with the 737 MAX Began More Than 25 Years Ago

Aggressive cost cutting and rocky leadership changes have eroded the culture at Boeing, a company once admired for its engineering rigor, says Bill George. What will it take to repair the reputational damage wrought by years of crises involving its 737 MAX?

• 02 Jan 2024
• What Do You Think?

Do Boomerang CEOs Get a Bad Rap?

Several companies have brought back formerly successful CEOs in hopes of breathing new life into their organizations—with mixed results. But are we even measuring the boomerang CEOs' performance properly? asks James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• Research & Ideas

10 Trends to Watch in 2024

Employees may seek new approaches to balance, even as leaders consider whether to bring more teams back to offices or make hybrid work even more flexible. These are just a few trends that Harvard Business School faculty members will be following during a year when staffing, climate, and inclusion will likely remain top of mind.

• 12 Dec 2023

Can Sustainability Drive Innovation at Ferrari?

When Ferrari, the Italian luxury sports car manufacturer, committed to achieving carbon neutrality and to electrifying a large part of its car fleet, investors and employees applauded the new strategy. But among the company’s suppliers, the reaction was mixed. Many were nervous about how this shift would affect their bottom lines. Professor Raffaella Sadun and Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna discuss how Ferrari collaborated with suppliers to work toward achieving the company’s goal. They also explore how sustainability can be a catalyst for innovation in the case, “Ferrari: Shifting to Carbon Neutrality.” This episode was recorded live December 4, 2023 in front of a remote studio audience in the Live Online Classroom at Harvard Business School.

• 05 Dec 2023

Lessons in Decision-Making: Confident People Aren't Always Correct (Except When They Are)

A study of 70,000 decisions by Thomas Graeber and Benjamin Enke finds that self-assurance doesn't necessarily reflect skill. Shrewd decision-making often comes down to how well a person understands the limits of their knowledge. How can managers identify and elevate their best decision-makers?

• 21 Nov 2023

The Beauty Industry: Products for a Healthy Glow or a Compact for Harm?

Many cosmetics and skincare companies present an image of social consciousness and transformative potential, while profiting from insecurity and excluding broad swaths of people. Geoffrey Jones examines the unsightly reality of the beauty industry.

• 14 Nov 2023

Do We Underestimate the Importance of Generosity in Leadership?

Management experts applaud leaders who are, among other things, determined, humble, and frugal, but rarely consider whether they are generous. However, executives who share their time, talent, and ideas often give rise to legendary organizations. Does generosity merit further consideration? asks James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 24 Oct 2023

From P.T. Barnum to Mary Kay: Lessons From 5 Leaders Who Changed the World

What do Steve Jobs and Sarah Breedlove have in common? Through a series of case studies, Robert Simons explores the unique qualities of visionary leaders and what today's managers can learn from their journeys.

• 06 Oct 2023

Yes, You Can Radically Change Your Organization in One Week

Skip the committees and the multi-year roadmap. With the right conditions, leaders can confront even complex organizational problems in one week. Frances Frei and Anne Morriss explain how in their book Move Fast and Fix Things.

• 26 Sep 2023

The PGA Tour and LIV Golf Merger: Competition vs. Cooperation

On June 9, 2022, the first LIV Golf event teed off outside of London. The new tour offered players larger prizes, more flexibility, and ambitions to attract new fans to the sport. Immediately following the official start of that tournament, the PGA Tour announced that all 17 PGA Tour players participating in the LIV Golf event were suspended and ineligible to compete in PGA Tour events. Tensions between the two golf entities continued to rise, as more players “defected” to LIV. Eventually LIV Golf filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing the PGA Tour of anticompetitive practices, and the Department of Justice launched an investigation. Then, in a dramatic turn of events, LIV Golf and the PGA Tour announced that they were merging. Harvard Business School assistant professor Alexander MacKay discusses the competitive, antitrust, and regulatory issues at stake and whether or not the PGA Tour took the right actions in response to LIV Golf’s entry in his case, “LIV Golf.”

• 01 Aug 2023

As Leaders, Why Do We Continue to Reward A, While Hoping for B?

Companies often encourage the bad behavior that executives publicly rebuke—usually in pursuit of short-term performance. What keeps leaders from truly aligning incentives and goals? asks James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 05 Jul 2023

What Kind of Leader Are You? How Three Action Orientations Can Help You Meet the Moment

Executives who confront new challenges with old formulas often fail. The best leaders tailor their approach, recalibrating their "action orientation" to address the problem at hand, says Ryan Raffaelli. He details three action orientations and how leaders can harness them.

How Are Middle Managers Falling Down Most Often on Employee Inclusion?

Companies are struggling to retain employees from underrepresented groups, many of whom don't feel heard in the workplace. What do managers need to do to build truly inclusive teams? asks James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

• 14 Jun 2023

Every Company Should Have These Leaders—or Develop Them if They Don't

Companies need T-shaped leaders, those who can share knowledge across the organization while focusing on their business units, but they should be a mix of visionaries and tacticians. Hise Gibson breaks down the nuances of each leader and how companies can cultivate this talent among their ranks.

Four Steps to Building the Psychological Safety That High-Performing Teams Need

Struggling to spark strategic risk-taking and creative thinking? In the post-pandemic workplace, teams need psychological safety more than ever, and a new analysis by Amy Edmondson highlights the best ways to nurture it.

• 31 May 2023

From Prison Cell to Nike’s C-Suite: The Journey of Larry Miller

VIDEO: Before leading one of the world’s largest brands, Nike executive Larry Miller served time in prison for murder. In this interview, Miller shares how education helped him escape a life of crime and why employers should give the formerly incarcerated a second chance. Inspired by a Harvard Business School case study.

• 23 May 2023

The Entrepreneurial Journey of China’s First Private Mental Health Hospital

The city of Wenzhou in southeastern China is home to the country’s largest privately owned mental health hospital group, the Wenzhou Kangning Hospital Co, Ltd. It’s an example of the extraordinary entrepreneurship happening in China’s healthcare space. But after its successful initial public offering (IPO), how will the hospital grow in the future? Harvard Professor of China Studies William C. Kirby highlights the challenges of China’s mental health sector and the means company founder Guan Weili employed to address them in his case, Wenzhou Kangning Hospital: Changing Mental Healthcare in China.

• 09 May 2023

Can Robin Williams’ Son Help Other Families Heal Addiction and Depression?

Zak Pym Williams, son of comedian and actor Robin Williams, had seen how mental health challenges, such as addiction and depression, had affected past generations of his family. Williams was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a young adult and he wanted to break the cycle for his children. Although his children were still quite young, he began considering proactive strategies that could help his family’s mental health, and he wanted to share that knowledge with other families. But how can Williams help people actually take advantage of those mental health strategies and services? Professor Lauren Cohen discusses his case, “Weapons of Self Destruction: Zak Pym Williams and the Cultivation of Mental Wellness.”

• 11 Apr 2023

The First 90 Hours: What New CEOs Should—and Shouldn't—Do to Set the Right Tone

New leaders no longer have the luxury of a 90-day listening tour to get to know an organization, says John Quelch. He offers seven steps to prepare CEOs for a successful start, and three missteps to avoid.

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Leadership Case Studies

Here is a sample of three case studies from the book, Leadership Case Studies, that are most instructive and impactful to developing leadership skills.

For the past 30 years, I have conducted seminars and workshops and taught college classes on leadership.

I used a variety of teaching aids including books, articles, case studies, role-plays, and videos.

I recently created a book, Leadership Case Studies that includes some of the case studies and role-plays that I found to be most instructive and impactful.

Here is a sample of three case studies.

Peter Weaver Case Study

Peter Weaver doesn’t like to follow the crowd. He thinks groupthink is a common problem in many organizations. This former director of marketing for a consumer products company believes differences of opinion should be heard and appreciated. As Weaver states, “I have always believed I should speak for what I believe to be true.”

He demonstrated his belief in being direct and candid throughout his career. On one occasion, he was assigned to market Paul’s spaghetti-sauce products. During the brand review, the company president said, “Our spaghetti sauce is losing out to price-cutting competitors. We need to cut our prices!”

Peter found the courage to say he disagreed with the president. He then explained the product line needed more variety and a larger advertising budget. Prices should not be cut. The president accepted Weaver’s reasoning. Later, his supervisor approached him and said, “I wanted to say that, but I just didn’t have the courage to challenge the president.”

On another occasion, the president sent Weaver and 16 other executives to a weeklong seminar on strategic planning. Weaver soon concluded the consultants were off base and going down the wrong path. Between sessions, most of the other executives indicated they didn’t think the consultants were on the right path. The consultants heard about the dissent and dramatically asked participants whether they were in or out. Those who said “Out” had to leave immediately.

As the consultants went around the room, every executive who privately grumbled about the session said “In.” Weaver was fourth from last. When it was his turn, he said “Out” and left the room.

All leaders spend time in reflection and self-examination to identify what they truly believe and value. Their beliefs are tested and fine-tuned over time. True leaders can tell you, without hesitation, what they believe and why. They don’t need a teleprompter to remind them of their core beliefs. And, they find the courage to speak up even when they know others will disagree.

• What leadership traits did Weaver exhibit?
• If you were in Weaver’s shoes, what would you have done?
• Where does courage come from?
• List your three most important values.

Dealing with a Crisis Case Study

Assume you are the VP of Sales and Marketing for a large insurance company. Once a year your company rewards and recognizes the top 100 sales agents by taking them to a luxury resort for a four-day conference. Business presentation meetings are held during the morning. Afternoons are free time. Agents and spouses can choose from an assortment of activities including golf, tennis, boating, fishing, shopping, swimming, etc.

On day 2 at 3:00 p.m., you are at the gym working out on the treadmill, when you see Sue your administrative assistant rushing towards you. She says, “I need to talk to you immediately.”

You get off the treadmill and say, “What’s up?” Sue states, “We’ve had a tragedy. Several agents went boating and swimming at the lake. Randy, our agent from California died while swimming.”

(Background information – Randy is 28 years old. His wife did not come on the trip. She is home in California with their three children).

• Explain what you would communicate to the following people.
• Your Human Resources Department
• The local police
• The attendees at the conference (Would you continue the conference?)
• How will you notify Randy’s wife?
• If Randy’s wife and a few family members want to visit the location of Randy’s death, what would you do?
• What are some “guiding principles” that leaders need to follow in a crisis situation?

 Arsenic and Old Lace Case Study

Review the YouTube video, “ I’ll show them who is boss Arsenic and Old Lace.”   

Background Information

The Vernon Road Bleaching and Dyeing Company is a British lace dyeing business. It was purchased in bankruptcy by the father/son team of Henry and Richard Chaplin. Richard has been acting as “Managing Director” which is the same as a general manager or president of a company.

The company has had 50-to-150 employees with 35-to-100 being shop floor, production employees. The company produces and sells various dyed fabrics to the garment industry.

Gerry Robinson is a consultant who was asked to help transform methods of conducting business to save the company.

Jeff is the factory manager.

• What are Richard’s strengths and weaknesses as a leader?
• What could Richard have done to make the problems of quality and unhappy customers more visible to the workforce?
• What do you think Richard’s top three priorities should be for the next 12 months?
• What could Richard have done to motivate the workforce?
• Evaluate Jeff’s approach and effectiveness as a leader.

The book contains 16 case studies, four role-plays, and six articles. I hope you find some of the content useful and helpful in your efforts to teach leadership.

Click for additional leadership case studies and resources .

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Top 40 Most Popular Case Studies of 2021

Two cases about Hertz claimed top spots in 2021's Top 40 Most Popular Case Studies

Two cases on the uses of debt and equity at Hertz claimed top spots in the CRDT’s (Case Research and Development Team) 2021 top 40 review of cases.

Hertz (A) took the top spot. The case details the financial structure of the rental car company through the end of 2019. Hertz (B), which ranked third in CRDT’s list, describes the company’s struggles during the early part of the COVID pandemic and its eventual need to enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy. 

The success of the Hertz cases was unprecedented for the top 40 list. Usually, cases take a number of years to gain popularity, but the Hertz cases claimed top spots in their first year of release. Hertz (A) also became the first ‘cooked’ case to top the annual review, as all of the other winners had been web-based ‘raw’ cases.

Besides introducing students to the complicated financing required to maintain an enormous fleet of cars, the Hertz cases also expanded the diversity of case protagonists. Kathyrn Marinello was the CEO of Hertz during this period and the CFO, Jamere Jackson is black.

Sandwiched between the two Hertz cases, Coffee 2016, a perennial best seller, finished second. “Glory, Glory, Man United!” a case about an English football team’s IPO made a surprise move to number four.  Cases on search fund boards, the future of malls,  Norway’s Sovereign Wealth fund, Prodigy Finance, the Mayo Clinic, and Cadbury rounded out the top ten.

Other year-end data for 2021 showed:

• Online “raw” case usage remained steady as compared to 2020 with over 35K users from 170 countries and all 50 U.S. states interacting with 196 cases.
• Fifty four percent of raw case users came from outside the U.S..
• The Yale School of Management (SOM) case study directory pages received over 160K page views from 177 countries with approximately a third originating in India followed by the U.S. and the Philippines.
• Twenty-six of the cases in the list are raw cases.
• A third of the cases feature a woman protagonist.
• Orders for Yale SOM case studies increased by almost 50% compared to 2020.
• The top 40 cases were supervised by 19 different Yale SOM faculty members, several supervising multiple cases.

CRDT compiled the Top 40 list by combining data from its case store, Google Analytics, and other measures of interest and adoption.

All of this year’s Top 40 cases are available for purchase from the Yale Management Media store .

And the Top 40 cases studies of 2021 are:

1.   Hertz Global Holdings (A): Uses of Debt and Equity

2.   Coffee 2016

3.   Hertz Global Holdings (B): Uses of Debt and Equity 2020

4.   Glory, Glory Man United!

5.   Search Fund Company Boards: How CEOs Can Build Boards to Help Them Thrive

6.   The Future of Malls: Was Decline Inevitable?

7.   Strategy for Norway's Pension Fund Global

8.   Prodigy Finance

9.   Design at Mayo

10. Cadbury

11. City Hospital Emergency Room

13. Volkswagen

14. Marina Bay Sands

15. Shake Shack IPO

16. Mastercard

17. Netflix

18. Ant Financial

19. AXA: Creating the New CR Metrics

20. IBM Corporate Service Corps

21. Business Leadership in South Africa's 1994 Reforms

22. Alternative Meat Industry

23. Children's Premier

24. Khalil Tawil and Umi (A)

25. Palm Oil 2016

26. Teach For All: Designing a Global Network

27. What's Next? Search Fund Entrepreneurs Reflect on Life After Exit

28. Searching for a Search Fund Structure: A Student Takes a Tour of Various Options

30. Project Sammaan

31. Commonfund ESG

32. Polaroid

33. Connecticut Green Bank 2018: After the Raid

34. FieldFresh Foods

35. The Alibaba Group

36. 360 State Street: Real Options

37. Herman Miller

38. AgBiome

39. Nathan Cummings Foundation

40. Toyota 2010

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Original research article, school leaders' perspectives on successful leadership: a mixed methods case study of a private school network in pakistan.

• 1 Department of Education, Forman Christian College, Lahore, Pakistan
• 2 Department of Teacher Education, University of Okara, Okara, Pakistan
• 3 Department of Educational Research and Assessment, University of Okara, Okara, Pakistan

Private school culture dominates the public-school culture in Pakistan. With no central regulating organization, private schools in the country autonomously construct their educational philosophy that underpins curriculum choice, pedagogic approaches, and school operations. In this perspective, there is an increasing inquisitiveness in the understanding of what determines a private school as a “successful” school. The researchers intend to understand the determinants of a successful private school and aim to explore the leadership behaviors of head teachers of such schools in Pakistan. The Beaconhouse School System (BSS), the largest private school system in Pakistan, took part in this case study. A sample of a total of 128 participants, comprising of teachers (n = 120), School Group Heads (SGH) (n = 4) and school head teachers (n = 4) of four most successful primary schools of BSS, was drawn to participate in this case study employing a mixed-methods design. Two survey instruments, Determinants of School Success (DSS) and Leadership Practice Index (LPI) were developed on a five-point Likert Scale and applied to identify four most successful primary schools of BSS. It was found that head teachers had established a whole-school approach towards students high achievement, promoted a culture of trust, commitment, shared vision, practiced distributed leadership and involved all stakeholders in creating a shared sense of direction for the school. Recommendations have been generated for improving the performance of school leaders.

Introduction

About one-third of school-going children in Pakistan attend private schooling ( Andrabi et al., 2013 ; Nguyen and Raju, 2014 ). The industry of Pakistan’s private schools largely comprises of institutions that are for-profit, autonomous, and unregulated by any central institution. Around two percent of average household income, in both rural and urban areas constitute the industry of private schooling consequently resulting in producing magnanimous annual gross income recorded in the academic year 2013—2014 up to four ninety-seven million ( Pakistan Education Statistics, 2014 ). The annual survey report of All Pakistan Private Schools Association (APPSA) presents a tentative number of private schools operating in Pakistan; there is no accurate number of institutions that can be categorized as a “Private School”. As of 2014, one hundred seventy-three thousand one hundred and ten private schools were operating nationwide, 56% of which were concentrated in one province, Punjab.

The history of private schooling in Pakistan goes back to the era of British Rule in the sub-continent. The first private school, Karachi Grammar School was established in 1847 in Karachi. In the 1990s, on account of the decentralization of primary education, there was a dramatic boom in the emergence of private primary schools across the country. The research proposes unsatisfactory service delivery in government schools as one of the factors for this boom ( Andrabi et al., 2008 ; Baig, 2011 ). Another often-stated reason is low operating costs and high revenue mainly due to low labor wages; private school teachers are paid less than government schoolteachers ( Baig, 2011 ; Andrabi et al., 2013 ). Lack of a standard pre-requisite level of education and professional training makes it easier to find teachers who are willing to work on low wages set by private schools. A third contributing factor is a mutual consensus by the local community to associate a necessary students higher achievement with private schooling. However, this assumption is not backed by authentic academic research.

Nonexistence of a central regulatory authority to ensure the standardized quality of service at private schools in Pakistan, service delivery decisions are directed by prevailing market trends and influenced by policymakers of individual schools ( Salfi, 2011 ). Private schools enjoy full autonomy to select school curriculum, pedagogical methods, staff training models and inclusion of society. Some wide-spread networks of school branches belonging to a school system practice standardized procedure across all branches. Research asserts that even at these large school networks the pre-requisites for selecting a head teacher are not standard and may be greatly compromised in some underdeveloped cities of Pakistan.

It has been repeatedly reported by researchers around the world that head teacher plays a vital role in determining the success of a school in terms of management, high teacher performance, positive students’ learning outcomes and social reputation in the community ( Böhlmark et al., 2016 ; Education Review Office, 2018 ; Felix-Otuorimuo, 2019 ; Leithwood et al., 2019 . Fullan (2001) has gone as far to conclude that, “Effective school leaders are key to large-scale, sustainable education reform” (p. 15). These arguments suggest the need to determine what factors and determinants contribute to a successful school leadership particularly in the context of a private school system in a country where the absence of central regulatory authority creates a situation of non-standardized quality of services that leads to a state of disorganized school management.

The Focus of the Research

International studies confirm a positive relationship between the role of head teacher and school success ( Haydon, 2007 ; Leithwood et al., 2006 ; Winton, 2013 ). In the case of Pakistan, the meaning of school success is relative and varies hugely from one school to another. Lack of standard prerequisites for the hiring of head teachers in the private education sector creates a troubling void in understanding the relationship between leadership qualities of head teachers and school success ( Iqbal, 2005 ). To avoid heterogeneity this research maintains its focus only on the largest private primary schools’ network the Beaconhouse School System (BSS).

The objective of this study is two-fold; to identify determinants of school success conceived by the largest private school network of Pakistan and to understand common leadership qualities of successful school head teachers. The synthesis of results determines the relationship between school heads and school success. The core research questions addressed in this study are:

1) What are the determinants of a successful school in the private sector of Pakistani schools?

2) What are school head teachers’ leadership qualities in successful private primary schools of BSS in the province of Punjab?

3) What are the common trends in the leadership qualities of these school head teachers?

Significance of the Research

Beaconhouse School System (BSS) is the largest and most wide-spread network of private schools in Pakistan contributing up to 38% to the total number of private primary school enrolment in the province of Punjab ( PES, 2014 ). It is the first school network in the country to set in-place a School Evaluation Unit (SEU) that carries out cyclical school evaluations to report periodic individual school performance in terms of “good” practices and areas for further development. However, these are internal documents and not to be used as a resource for sharing of good practices and remain a missed opportunity to draw descriptors of a successful BSS school in the context of Pakistan and to further identify the qualities of a good school leader. This research is an attempt to fill this gap by synthesizing this information to help Pakistan’s largest private schools network to learn from their success and to use findings to design targeted head teachers training programs.

This study concentrates in the primary school section due to the high impact the selected section has on the overall education standard in the region. BSS takes approximately 38% of primary school enrollment in Punjab through a range of their education products including The Educators, United Chartered Schools, and mainstream Beaconhouse Schools. The study has significant implications for the other networks of private schools in Pakistan for bringing reforms in school leadership programs. It can augment for establishing effective school leadership practices for the success of other schools in BSS and the schools of other networks in general. The study signifies to reduce a gap of quality school leadership between one of the most popular school networks in the country and public sector schools of the province of Punjab.

Methodology

This study employed a mixed methods research design using four schools working under the umbrella of the Beaconhouse School System. An in-depth case study was undertaken by using multiple sources of data collection, analysis, and interpretation ( Johnson and Onwuegbuzie, 2004 ). In the quantitative standard, the researchers collected data from the selected teachers working in the four schools of BSS through two questionnaires; Determinants of School Success (DSS) and Leadership Practice Index (LPI) formulated on a five-point Likert scale. This was followed by in-depth semi-structured interviews with different stakeholders including the school head teachers and SGHs. This research process was accomplished within 3 weeks. The researchers employed a mixed-methods research approach to make the research findings more reliable, valid, and to minimize the level of bias by comparing sets of data by data triangulation and grasping an in-depth understanding of the case of BSS ( Gurr et al., 2005 ; Osseo-Asare et al., 2005 ).

Beaconhouse School System (BSS), the largest private school network operating in Pakistan with more than three hundred and seventy-five branches spread across the country, serves as the primary population and a case of study for this research. The school system was established in the province of Punjab in 1975 and it is now the largest school system of its type in the country catering to over two hundred forty-seven thousand students across Pakistan. Most of the students come from upper-middle-class families with a gross monthly household income between fifty thousand rupees up to three hundred thousand rupees ( Andrabi et al., 2013 ). BSS caters to modern educational needs and follows a customized curriculum influenced by the British and Scottish national curricula.

Organizational Setup

The network of BSS school branches is divided into three geographic regions namely Southern Region, Central Region and Northern Region. Policy planning, curriculum development, assessment development, and other related school management and teacher development issues are addressed at the Head Office which is situated in Lahore, Punjab. All three Regional Offices report to the Head Office. Academic and administrative support to school branches in each region is provided by four School Group Offices (SGOs). These SGOs report directly to Regional Directors (RD).

Note. The Figure 1 explains the division of regions and organizational structure and identifies the research population.

FIGURE 1 . Organizational Structure of the Beaconhouse School System and Research Population.

A total of fifty-seven primary school head teachers, four School Group Heads (SGHs), and two thousand eight hundred and fifty teachers comprised the overall population for this study.

Sample Size

The research is accomplished in two cycles using different sampling approaches, in the first cycle of research the Central Region was selected purposively due to the largest number of school branches operating in this region. All School Group Heads (SGHs) took part in the first cycle of research and identified one most successful primary school branch in their cluster therefore, following a subjective sampling technique. The second cycle of research was carried out at the identified branches. To maintain the anonymity of these school branches they will be referred to as School A, B, C and D. A total of one hundred and twenty teachers also participated in the second cycle of research.

Research Design

An explanatory mixed methods research design comprising of both quantitative and qualitative methods of research respectively was employed for an in-depth understanding of the case and to achieve the study objectives.

Research Instrument

Data were collected using a mixed-methods research design that includes: two questionnaires namely Determinants of School Success (DSS) and Leadership Practice Index (LPI) were formulated on a five-point Likert scale and combined with in-depth semi-structured interviews with different stakeholders including the school head teachers and SGHs. This study was carried out in a two-phase model, the first phase explored and reported determinants of school success as perceived by the senior leadership of the school system. The second phase of research investigated the leadership traits of effective school leaders at schools perceived as “successful” based on the outcome of research phase -1. Figure 2 illustrates the phases in research design.

FIGURE 2 . Research Design Phases.

There is a plethora of research struggling to find an answer to what constitutes a successful school. Some researchers have strongly linked it with elevated students learning outcomes ( Scheerens, 2004 ; Winton, 2013 ), others attempted to find the answer by increased reporting causes of school failure, for instance, Salmonowicz (2007) recognized fifteen conditions associated with unsuccessful schools including lack of clear focus, unaligned curricula, inadequate facilities, and ineffective instructional interventions. Edmonds (1982) offered a list of five variables correlated with school success, Lezotte (1991) evolved the list by adding two more variables: 1) instructional leadership, 2) clear vision and mission, 3) safe and orderly environment, 4) high expectations for students achievement, 5) continuous assessment of student achievement, 6) opportunity and time on task and, 7) positive home-school relations. The meaning of school success is contextual and existing research is yet to conclude a fixed list of variables that determine the success of a school.

DSS used in this research is based on five broad themes namely: positive outcomes for students, quality teaching and curriculum provision, effective leadership and school management, safe and positive school environment, quality assurance. All these variables are well supported by the existing research and have been extracted from the internal school evaluation framework of BSS. Twenty-five items inspired by Marzano Levels of School Effectiveness (2011) formulate the sub-categories of these domains. The response format on a five-point Likert scale for the items was, strongly agree = 5, agree = 4, neutral = 3, disagree = 2, strongly disagree = 1. The levels of school effectiveness suggested by Marzano (2011) fit well with the internal evaluation indicators of the high-performing school system of BSS. This method of research is new in the context of Pakistan however; evidence from internationally set-up research confirms Marzano levels of school effectiveness being utilized to study the long-term performance of schools in Oklahoma, United States (OSDE, 2011) and Ontario, Canada ( Louis et al., 2010 ). Researchers assert that Marzano’s levels of school effectiveness “Extends our understanding of the explanatory potential of research on school performance” ( Louis et al., 2010 , p.8).

In the second research cycle, Leadership Practice Index (LPI) was developed by the researchers to index successful leadership qualities. LPI comprised a five-point Likert scale and the responses were collected from teachers (n = 120) in terms of frequency of demonstration of a variety of leadership qualities by the school head teacher. The format was 0 = Never, 1 = Seldom, 2 = Often, 3 = Regularly, and 4 = Routine Practice. LPI constitutes twenty-eight performance indicators for effective leadership qualities under five primary domains: personal, professional, organizational, strategic and relational. The Evidence from large-scale school-based leadership research conducted in high-performing economies such as Canada ( Louis et al., 2010 ) and the United States ( Leithwood and Jantzi, 2006 ) assert that these domains breakdown the knowledge of role and impact of school leadership on instruction, school performance, and students learning outcomes.

During the second cycle of research, head teachers were interviewed using a semi-structured interview style. The interview guide was divided into six overarching categories: students achievement, teaching, and learning, instructional leadership, and management, establishing the direction for the school, social links with the community, and quality assurance. A total of four interviews were conducted during this study in a traditional modality; the average interview time was 47 minutes. Ethical and practical guidelines were shared and agreed with the interviewees and all interviews were recorded, and fully transcribed before inducing for data analysis.

Pilot Study

To ensure the internal reliability and clarity of items of DSS the researchers conducted a pilot study within the same research population. From the Southern Region of the same organization School Group Heads (n = 2), School head teachers (n = 4), and primary school teachers (n = 6) were invited for the pilot the research. The questionnaire was disseminated through the Internet using Google Forms. 12 min was recorded as average time taken by respondents to attempt the questionnaire. There were no negative observations noted for language difficulty however, two items were reported to be overlapping under the section effective leadership and quality assurance. Consequent modifications in the questionnaire was made to address this discrepancy. There were no negative observations for the semi-structured interview questions developed for the school head teachers.

Data Analysis and Discussion

One hundred twenty-eight respondents participated in this multi-method study. Respondents represented various layers of organizational hierarchy complying with extant literature that asserts effective school leadership and successful achievement as a product of multi-tiered support system within the school organizational set-up that initiates at senior leadership and permeates to classroom teachers through individual school leadership ( Mikesell, 2020 ).

Demographic Data of First Cycle Sample.

Sample for the first research cycle comprised of four female SGHs. The demographic data defining their academic qualifications and the total number of years of professional experience is given in Table 1 .

TABLE 1 . Demographic Data for First Research Cycle.

The conclusion of the first cycle of research led to the sample that took part in the second cycle of research. All teachers ( n = 120) and head teachers ( n = 4) of primary school branches identified as most successful by the SGHs took part in this research. Table 2 represents the demographic data about participants of this research including age, gender, academic qualification, and professional experience.

TABLE 2 . Demographic Data for Second Research Cycle.

The qualitative data were analyzed using MaxQD and the quantitative data was studied using SPSS version 22 for Windows. The analysis led to the emergence of some themes common with those determined in the West. The next section details key findings from the analysis of DSS and LPI.

Research Q1: Results of DSS

The research question; what are the determinants of a successful school in the private sector of Pakistani schools was addressed through the results of DSS. All SGHs account for high students learning outcomes measured in terms of academic, co- and extra-curricular activities as the most significant determinant of a school’s success. Quality of teaching and curriculum provision has been identified as other influencing determinants and lastly, there was a consensus that effective school leadership is responsible to bring these factors together.

Table 3 shows the accumulative mean for all five domains of DSS in order of highest to lowest. The bivariate correlation of study variables projects a strong relationship with each other. The first domain, “Positive outcomes for students” accounts a positive relationship with all other determinants with the highest correlation with “Quality Teaching and Curriculum Provision” (r = 0.78) which asserts that teaching practices have a tremendous impact on students achievement. Analysis of results emphasizes the role of school leadership in boosting teaching and learning in classrooms with r=.66. Extensive long-term studies identify the school head teacher as the central source of school leadership ( Mulford, 2003 ; OECD, 2013; Louis et al., 2010 ) that significantly impacts pupil outcomes ( Leithwood et al., 2006 ). In this study, it is noteworthy that leadership was best correlated with “Quality Assurance” (r = 0.72) setting the significant foundation of self-evaluation and self-review. A strong culture of self-review is an indicator of thoughtful leadership ( Ofsted, 2010 ). The interrelationship of all these variables brings effective leadership as a vital determinant of school success.

TABLE 3 . Mean and Bivariate Correlation of Variables.

At the end of the first cycle of study, the SGHs were able to place effective school leadership at the heart of school success. This research supports the persuasive evidence present in favor of the strong influence of school leadership on school success. School success indicators presented by Hull (2012) , The Wallace Foundation, (2013) and DuFour and Marzano, (2011) in different contexts and regions of the world identify pupil achievement, quality of teaching, leadership and self-review in variable order of significance. Moreover, Felix-Otuorimuo (2019) found that the practices and experiences of school leaders influenced the strategies and approaches they can use to become successful school leaders.

Research Q2: Results of Leadership Qualities Index (LQI)

One hundred and twenty teachers from four different schools participated in the second cycle of research carried out to identify key leadership practices of school head teachers. Responses were gathered in the five levels of frequency for the demonstration of leadership practices. Table 4 presents the results of Leadership Qualities Index (LQI) calculated through SPSS and presented in an order of highest to the lowest mean score for the most prominent three leadership qualities practiced by school head teachers of four selected schools. The results of this section answer the research question; what are school head teachers leadership qualities in successful private primary schools of BSS in the province of Punjab?

TABLE 4 . Most Prominent Leadership Qualities.

Research Q3: Factor Analysis.

A factor analysis on Likert-type survey items involving Varimax rotation and Kaiser normalization, led the researcher to answer the research question; what are the common trends in the leadership qualities of the selected school head teachers? It determined the common leadership traits of the four successful schools. With the Varimax rotation, the indicators were uncorrelated and independent from one another ( Kim and Mueller, 1982 ; Khan et al., 2009 ). With a sample size n = 120, loadings of at least 0.50 were considered significant and used to draw common attributes ( Khan et al., 2009 ) which were pronounced as the commonly occurring leadership traits of leaders of successful primary school head teachers as shown in Table 5 and discussed in the proceeding section.

TABLE 5 . Common Leadership Qualities of Successful School Head Teachers.

These results can be broadly divided into two types of leadership style dimensions; qualities directed towards task accomplishment, and qualities focusing on interpersonal relations ( Hydon, 2007 ; Nystedt, 1997 ).

Qualities Directed Towards Task Accomplishment

Establish a coherent and continuous professional development for teachers and other staff..

Analysis of this indicator reveals that all four head teachers taking part in this study rigorously planned the professional development exercises drawing upon training needs analysis, context, and school development targets. Seventy-two percent of teachers reported this aspect as a matter of routine practice for selected schools head teachers. Research tends to view leading teachers professional learning in coherence with their needs as an instructional leadership ( Gumus et al., 2018 ; Mulford, 2007 ; The Wallace Foundation, 2013 ).

All the head teachers taking part in the second cycle of study shared their views that support the methodical agenda for teachers in-service education. Head teachers strongly connected students learning outcomes with the quality of teaching and teachers professional learning and development.

“I make sure that our school development plan projects vision of commitment to greater achievement and success for all students that come with committed teachers in my opinion, access to opportunities for continuous learning strengthens teachers as the change agents I try to create opportunities for them to take part in professional education that is embedded in their daily job life and the best of their and the school’s interest” (Head Teacher School Branch C).

Three out of four schools promoted a strong culture of mentoring and regular peer-coaching with a purpose to embed learning within daily school routines to improve the quality of teaching. In an interview, a School head teacher stated:

“high achievement comes with good teaching; good teaching comes with learning, training we don’t have enough budget for training its better when teachers learn from their colleagues, it’s practical and situational learning learning on-job from peers is the best solution for us From their senior colleagues, they learn better without any hesitation.”

One out of four head teachers maintained that teachers learning portfolios which not only provided a learning graph but also serve as a source of information for setting annual appraisal targets. Longitudinal data for teachers training needs provide school leaders an opportunity to: graph individual professional development of teachers; address the most accurate training needs; and redefine induction criteria for new teachers ( Knapp and Hopmann, 2017 ).

Development of School Vision, Development Goals, Action Plan, and Evaluation Criteria in Collaboration with Teachers

The second leadership quality commonly identified by the analysis of qualitative and quantitative results is a shared vision. A majority of 68% of teachers identified this as a positive leadership trait possessed by their respective head teacher. Three out of four head teachers formulated an annual school development plan together with teachers to encourage individual ownership for achieving these targets. When teachers have formal roles in the decision-making processes regarding school initiatives and plans, they are more likely to perform better and take higher ownership of their decisions ( DuFour and Marzano, 2011 ). The same was reported by the head teacher of School B “when teachers have a direct input in formulating the school development plan, they take responsibility to achieve these targets because it is their plan, not a dictated idea”. Head teachers participating in this study regularly consulted BSS school evaluation framework and engaged in rigorous self-review to keep themselves and their staff aware of school performance.

Clear and Effective Distribution of Leadership Responsibilities and Sharing Day-To-Day Tasks in School with Teachers and other Staff Members

Analysis of head teachers interviews provided strong evidence of involvement of all staff to make leadership a combined endeavor, rather than practicing a model of single leader atop the school hierarchy. Research also supports that the distribution of leadership promotes a culture of trust, high motivation and coherent vision for school development ( Copland, 2003 ; Gronn, 2003 ; Spillane et al., 2005 ). A considerably high mean value for this indicator (3.72) and 63% of teachers vote for this leadership trait concludes it as one of the prime leadership qualities of successful school leaders. One of the head teachers from School “A” was of the view:

Heading a school is not a one-man show you know It requires joining hands together with all the stakeholders within the school premises and outside of the school I would not ignore the active engagement of parents, our academic liaison with other educational organizations, academia, and professionals of BSS and even the results of the latest research on school leadership.

Thus, the results show that the school heads believe in effective school headship as a joint venture and running the school democratically in collaboration with other relevant academic and administrative personnel of the school. It was revealed in a study conducted by Felix-Otuorimuo (2019) in Nigerian perspective that “successful primary school leadership in Nigeria is a collective and direct effort of the entire school community working together as a family unit, which cuts across the cultural and national boundaries of sub-Saharan Africa” (p. 218).

Qualities Directed Towards Interpersonal Relations

Acknowledgment of teachers and students achievement.

Appreciation, motivation, and empathy refer to the level of interpersonal care from senior leadership ( Gurr et al., 2005 ). Findings of the study revealed that about 59% of teachers indicate that their school head teachers mostly or always demonstrated a motivating, encouraging and facilitating behavior to project an increase in achievement of different cohorts of teachers and students. An emerging theme from head teachers interviews sets the intention of fostering a culture of support, trust, the concept of shared achievement and a sense of sensitivity when dealing with cohorts of students and teachers struggling to produce desired results. One of the senior school heads working in School “D” reflected:

The students, teachers, parents, BSS higher authorities and the head teachers work like a community who believe in mutual help, support and appreciation. We learn from each other strengths and weaknesses and acknowledge each other’s efforts in achieving the common school goals. Achievement of a single student is the achievement of the whole team working behind him and we must appreciate them all.

They have set systems in place to acknowledge, share and celebrate students and teachers achievements. Previous researchers have also emphasized on the significance of this indicator ( Day et al., 2016 ; Hitt and Tucker, 2016 ; Leithwood et al., 2017 ; Louis and Murphy, 2017 ; Leithwood and Sun, 2018 ). Williams (2008) reported that in high-poverty communities, successful school leaders primarily invest in relationship building focusing on individuals for collective progress. In an annual report on Education in Wales, Estyn, (2015) argues that a culture of trust, mutual empowerment, care, collaboration and genuine partnerships amongst all levels of staff serve as the driving force for effecting school improvement. Also, one of the most recent studies in this field conducted in the Nigerian perspective found that the school heads vision, trust in mutual relationship and personal belongingness established a strong relationship of school with the home and influenced the overall improvement in the school leadership ( Felix-Otuorimuo, 2019 ).

Development of Positive and Strong Links With the Community

There are systems in place for involvement of diffused communities such as art and literary societies in the city, health service providers, and global partnerships with other international schools. Exchange of work samples, networking of parents and distant mentoring for teachers via Skype are regularly practiced at these schools. A large percentage of teachers (68%) identified the culture of developing strong links with the outer community as a reason for the success of their school, the head teacher from School “C” supported: “we are not in a closed shell, I encourage teachers to adopt good practices, as long as they add to pupil achievement, change is good for developing”. All school head teachers engaged others outside the immediate school community, including parents and the local community. Community—School partnership was a positive trend that emerged from this study; research in the international context asserts that the impact of community involvement on school success is vague ( Hull, 2012 ). Nevertheless, a connection between school and family is an influencing factor to determine a school’s success and to improve students learning outcomes ( Boyko 2015 ; Goodall, 2017 ); Dodd and Konzal, 2002 ; Epstein, 2001 ). One of the head teachers who was working in School “A” asserted her remarks in these words:

Learning does not begin when students enter the school, it begins at homes and when they walk through the school gate they bring with them culture, behaviors, language, attitudes, skills and learning from homes and when they leave here they take back knowledge, culture and values from the school, therefore, there is a strong link between children, school, and families.

The participant school heads elaborated that annual orientation sessions for parents to: keep them informed about the school development plans; curricular interventions; teacher training initiatives; and quantitative surveys to inquire parents aspirations on improving the school environment and teaching practices were some of the regular attempts at these school branches to build a better relationship with families. It was interesting to find that three out of four schools communicated with parents through an official webpage.

Conclusion and Recommendations

In relation to the existing academic literature, this study reinforces the significance of effective school leaders for students high achievement. School head teacher has the strongest impact on student achievement across life, school practices, culture and quality of performance ( Boyko 2015 ; Böhlmark et al., 2016 ; Day et al., 2016 ; Felix-Otuorimuo, 2019 ; Gurr et al., 2003). Research and practice confirm that a school head teacher has a tremendous capacity to revolutionize school culture to promote success and change ( Elmore, 2002 ; Louis et al., 2010 ; Leithwood et al., 2019 ). Findings of this study synthesize that head teachers of the most successful primary school branches of BSS:

• had established a whole-school approach towards students high achievement;

• promoted a culture of trust, commitment, shared vision and celebrate achievement at all levels of hierarchy in the school;

• practiced distributed leadership and promote a culture of sharing;

• involved all stakeholders in creating a shared sense of direction for the school;

• prioritized teachers professional development by setting contexts for learning and creating opportunities for learning embedded in day-to-day campus-life; and

• practiced democratic leadership style and worked towards building positive links with the community.

The repertoire of effective leadership practices presented in existing academic literature encompasses the findings reported by this study. Research categorizes leadership development as a lifelong learning process ( Hull, 2012 ), the researchers make the following recommendations that contribute more to school success:

Provision of Training

Although there was no standard approach to the provision of leadership development the Beaconhouse School System should organize in-service programs for school head teachers concerning their school context. When there are no other prerequisites, strong in-service programs should encourage the development of advanced leadership skills. Three out of four school head teachers who participated in this research did not have 16 years of education, on a larger scale school senior leadership teams should be encouraged to uplift their academic qualifications to keep abreast of modern educational trends.

Sharing of Good Practices

For a vast network of school systems underpinned by identical vision, philosophy and standard operating procedures; the Beaconhouse School System should promote the culture of sharing of good practices of successful schools to promote excellence across the system.

Lessons for Other Schools

These recommendations are specifically supportive for further improvement of the school leadership and consequently school success for the BSS- one of the largest private school networks in the country. Nevertheless, the results of the study have implications for the other competitive private school networks that share common characteristics of school headship. Some of the results may be useful for the primary schools being governed and managed by the government of Punjab in Pakistan.

Findings from this study my serve like a blueprint for low-cost private schools to establish systems for in-house teachers professional development, strategic school improvement planning, monitoring and evaluation, and create a sense of school community in collaboration with multi-stakeholders. This study has opened several avenues for other private schools to explore, contextualize and advance towards a systematic leadership program within their organization.

Data Availability Statement

The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.

Ethics Statement

Ethical review and approval was not required for the study on human participants in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.

Author Contributions

MR conceived of the idea, worked on research design and collected data. She conducted a preliminary analysis, and outlined major parts of the manuscript. NG, and SW conducted additional interviews to saturate the data, analyzed the interview transcripts and finalized the draft for submission. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Keywords: leadership qualities, private school, successful school leadership, school success, primary school leaders

Citation: Raza M, Gilani N and Waheed SA (2021) School Leaders' Perspectives on Successful Leadership: A Mixed Methods Case Study of a Private School Network in Pakistan. Front. Educ. 6:656491. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2021.656491

Received: 20 January 2021; Accepted: 26 July 2021; Published: 17 August 2021.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2021 Raza, Gilani and Waheed. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Syed Abdul Waheed, [email protected]

This article is part of the Research Topic

Emotions and Leadership in Organizations and Educational Institutes

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Developing Leaders and Managers: A Case Study

• Author: Sheryl McAtee
• Management, Supervision & Leadership

Jeanette started the weekend frustrated. On Wednesday morning, she had asked Bob to have his team draft an executive summary about an emerging challenge for senior management.  Based on feedback from her own coach, Jeanette was working on being clearer with her team about action items, deadlines and the reasons behind them.

With that in mind, on Wednesday, she told Bob that she wanted a two-page draft no later than the end of the day Friday. She and Bob discussed an outline for the summary, with key points to incorporate. Jeanette told Bob she planned to finalize the summary over the weekend, so her boss would have it Monday morning.  Jeanette felt pleased by her clarity, and expected good outcomes based on the discussion.

The end of Friday came, so Jeanette wrote an email to Bob to check on the status. Bob acknowledged that his team had given him a draft by noon, but he had not had time to look at it before the end of the day, and he needed to log off for a family event.  Bob attached the unreviewed draft executive summary to the email, “just in case you need it now.”

Jeanette was irritated. Of course she needed it now! She has clearly explained on Wednesday that she would be working on it over the weekend, and Bob’s lack of focus on a mission-critical item seemed irresponsible. She opened the draft Bob had forwarded and became even more irritated. The document was full of technical jargon and was three pages long – a full page longer than her instructions. It was going to take hours to fix it.

Jeanette considered a few options:

• Insist that Bob take responsibility for the project, directing him to review the draft and send her his final version by noon Saturday. While this would contradict Jeanette’s commitment to work-life balance, Bob needed the pain of the negative consequence, so he would not make the same mistake again.
• Write to senior leadership, communicating a delay in the executive summary, so Jeanette would not have to spend her own time on the project over the weekend, and so Bob could “right the ship” upon returning to work on Monday.
• Finalize the executive summary over the weekend, as promised to senior leadership. Share the revision with Bob and set up a coaching/feedback session on Monday to discuss the problems and what should be done differently next time – both with the timeline and with the document itself.

Pause and think about how you would address this if you were Jeanette.  Would you have pursued one of these options? What other options do you see? What would you have done?

In the end, after taking some time to calm down, Jeanette chose the third option. While this required the most time for Jeanette, it got the senior leaders what they needed and Bob received the coaching that he needed. On Monday, Bob also shared the guilt he felt, recognizing that his boss had to work harder over the weekend because of his failure to manage his time and his team’s work better.

There are no right answers to this case study – how you address it depends on your personality, relationships, organizational culture and roles, as well as the project itself. The development lies in asking the right questions, owning your own development needs and considering the options that both build a better team and a better organization over time.

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How To Write A Leadership Case Study (Sample) 

Table of Contents

Writing a case study isn’t as straightforward as writing essays. But it has proven to be an effective way of teaching complex topics, even in organizations. Want to know how to write a leadership case study ? That’s not surprising. Leadership is a dynamic topic. Hence, a case study simplifies the analysis of various leadership techniques and complexities. Since you’ve got to learn how to write one, let’s talk leadership case studies .

What Is a Case Study?

A case study is a research method that analyzes an in-depth, detailed look at a particular situation or event . It may involve examining specific events or contexts in detail and considering their implications for similar events. A case study may require gathering information from multiple sources, like interviews or observations, to understand the context of a problem or phenomenon. The research results help you develop insights and an understanding of how individual experiences fit into the broader framework of their environment. Case studies are commonly used in business research, social science, education, psychology, and health sciences.

Benefits Of Case Study In Leadership

Case reports are time-consuming and tiring. But is it worth the stress? What are the benefits of the case study? Case studies in leadership can be highly beneficial, offering invaluable lessons and insights into becoming an effective leader. They provide a practical approach to understanding the complexities of real-world leadership experiences. Here are some of the benefits that case study in leadership provides: 1) Increased knowledge – By examining specific examples from history or current events, leaders can gain new perspectives on various leadership styles. 2) Improved decision-making – Case studies allow for critical analysis of existing data. It also covers potential future scenarios, which helps leaders make more informed decisions. 3) Greater self-awareness – Examining other leaders’ successes and failures gives insight into our values, beliefs, and biases, leading to better self-knowledge and development. 4) Enhanced problem-solving skills – Studying successful strategies used by other leaders provides ideas and frameworks for dealing with similar challenges in the future. 5) Increased collaboration – Through discussions surrounding case studies, team members can develop a greater understanding of each others’ viewpoints and work together more effectively.

How To Write A Leadership Case Study

A leadership case study effectively shares real-life leadership success or failure. To write such a study, one should include inspiring and educational details for readers. Begin by researching the subject thoroughly to ensure accuracy in facts and figures. Then, craft the narrative around this data, adding a personal flair with anecdotes and quotes from those who have worked directly with the subject. Emphasize key points with relevant examples and create impactful transitions between ideas. Finally, consider providing insight into possible lessons learned from the experience to help others facing similar challenges.

Leadership Case Study Example

Kiara, a tech executive at a startup, is an exemplary leader. She has been in her position for over two years and continues to be successful despite the challenges of managing a rapidly growing team. Kiara’s leadership style is based on empathy and trust-building. Her primary focus is creating an environment where each person can reach their fullest potential and feel supported by their colleagues. Kiara frequently facilitates meetings with open dialogue and encourages her team to voice their opinions without fear of judgment. She also emphasizes direct communication whenever possible so that everyone knows what is expected of them and feels connected to one another. Kiara puts forth additional effort when it comes to decision-making. Before any significant changes or initiatives are implemented, she thoroughly researches and solicits feedback from other leaders. She also consults experts within the company. This ensures that choices are well thought out and align with the organization’s mission. Kiara seeks regular employee feedback to continue fostering a healthy work culture. She holds weekly “check-ins” with individuals and teams to address issues as they arise. Ultimately she creates a congenial working atmosphere for all. Kiara exemplifies authentic leadership – putting the needs of her team before her own. She takes calculated risks, trusts her gut intuition, and communicates effectively with those around her. Through these actions, she demonstrates excellent tenacity and selflessness while pushing her team toward success. This case study highlights the importance of feedback and seeking quality counsel to make appropriate decisions for your organization. It shows that leaders who are willing to put more effort into communication can find ways to thrive even under challenging circumstances.

Final Words

A good leadership case study should be an engaging read. It’s crucial to present your expertise in clear language that is easy for readers to follow. Include real examples of successes or failures when possible, as this adds substance to your writing. Draw inspiration from the sample in this article to learn how to write a leadership case study . Or use INK’s Command Mode to craft a personalized case study!

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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Successful Leaders Case Study

Grace worked very hard to achieve the promotion. She became the medical department’s chief due to her assiduity, persistence, and diligence.

Grace Reed also possesses a number of useful skills, internal qualities, and abilities associated with successful leaders. It should be noted that first of all, she is a woman of a special mind: clever, widely-read, educated, and skilled. She studied from the best doctors. She could cope with any task, could easily calm the sick patient and solve his/her problem. Grace, as the leader, was an example for imitation; she showed how is necessary to work. In the relations with colleagues, she was restrained, counterbalanced, and quiet; she usually does not show her emotions.

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A good chief should possess such qualities. Grace Reed is benevolent and positively adjusted; she gains people around. Grace is one of the bosses who do not become isolated. She tries to work collectively. She penetrates into the employees’ problems and tries to understand their situations. Also, she could support the worker with a joke, with a kind word, or pay a pleasant compliment.

Grace was able to recognize and allocate merits of other people. According to Tepper (2012), a real leader should be able to estimate the working staff. The correct motivation of the personnel, colleagues, or citizens allows of increasing the work capacity of a human resource. The simplest way of subordinates’ motivation is to give people confidence that all they do is good and correct. The management efficiency is shown by the personnel in similar nuances (Tepper, 2012, p. 10).

To become better on a chief position, Grace should become more charismatic and confident. She should also enhance her resoluteness. After all, these qualities should be present in the person who aspires to be a real leader. According to Tepper (2012), a firm position, the ability to communicate with subordinats, and capability of making important decisions are the main features of a good leader. Due to the above listed qualities, a person can gain trust of people and manage them effectively. However, many qualities may be not inherent to the person, but they can be developed or improved.

Continuous work and the ability to set goals properly will allow a person to conquer the new heights with each successive step (Tepper, 2012, p. 31). Why Did Grace Have Problems Making Changes and Maintaining Discipline When She First Was Promoted to a Position That Required Leadership? When Grace received promotion, she had many problems with the discipline and collective work. It is not surprising that nobody considered her as the boss. Although formally Grace has risen to the chief’s level because of her skills, knowledge, abilities, and merits, employees still treated her as the pal and considered that it was not obligatory to obey her.

Orders and instructions which Grace gave to the colleagues were ignored and not followed. The work capacity and quality level of work decreased at a high rate. And Grace as the chief could do nothing with it. She was too shy to punish her so called friends for their instructions’ default. She did not have enough of that resoluteness, about which was told earlier.

According to Tepper (2012), if there is a society, it means that there should be the one who directs this society. The leader is a person who is brightly distinguished from other people and takes an authoritative place among them (Tepper, 2012, p. 24). Grace did not occupy the similar position: she was not authority for the colleagues. One more problem which Reed faced was a fear to complain about the workers to the administration.

She believed that they will consider her unqualified and not good enough for a chief position. Also, she was afraid of losing the boss’ position. Having faced all these problems and inconveniences, Grace decided to do all work herself. Of course, her subordinates had some small instructions, but she took on most of the tasks to create no problems to her and other people. First of all, it is absolutely incorrect position in relation to her.

Thus, she reminds not the leader but the workers’ slave. According to Tepper (2012), each leader should praise or criticize employees. It is necessary to remember that praise is very well reflected in working capacity and worker’s initiative; especially praises affect the beginners who were impacted by the first failures. The criticism, however, needs to be carried out very correctly; one should never raise the voice or become personal. It is necessary to criticize a concrete act instead of the worker’s identity as a whole.

The praise should be public, and the criticism should be confidential (Tepper, 2012, p. 52). Grace only praised her workers and never used any criticism in their address. The problems at her work appeared because of it. Desire to merge with the collective and establish unduly friendly connection with the subordinates resulted in lack of discipline and poor performance.

This situation made not only her working performance complicated but the colleagues’ duties as well.The main task of the head and the management in general is to state the concrete, completely stipulated, and attainable aims. The goals were not reached; tasks were not carried out. That is why the Grace Reed’s medical department became worse. In the relations with subordinates, the head should keep a distance and should not closely relate to them. In every collective, the head should have a faultless authority.

The new medical department’s boss, Grace Reed, failed as a chief because of her too kind heart and too soft character.

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Sppa students win grand prize in ui 2024 global health case competition.

We are proud to announce that our students have received first place and the grand prize in the 2024 Global Health Case Competition for their project, “Improving Sustainability Outcomes in Homa Bay, Kenya.” In addition to receiving the first place monetary awards, they were selected by Dave Okech Okech , CEO of a Kenyan nonprofit, AquaRech Ltd, to implement a portion or all of their plan in that country! The competition is offered through the UI Institute of Public Health Research and Policy.

Their team included three School of Planning and Public Affairs (SPPA) masters students, Farnaz Fatahi Moghadam, Jovana Kolasinac, and Sanzida Rahman Setu, plus UI students Joe Maxwell (undergraduate in political science with an urban planning minor) and Sanya Sami (graduate student in public health). They competed against eight other teams representing a total of nine colleges to capture the win.

The aim of the contest is to train “the next generation of leaders through a unique competition experience built upon a real‐world challenge.” This year’s global health case study was “Sustainable Communities and Nutrition Concerns in Homa Bay, Kenya.” There were numerous aspects the students had to consider, including declining supply of fish as a primary protein source, supply chain issues, cultural implications, food insecurity, health concerns, and climate change. Additionally, they had to take into account complicating factors that were present, such as gender-based issues, economic and environmental impacts, and strategic alliance for policy implications to ensure the sustainability of their proposal. The team spent two months working on their project, incorporating many aspects of urban planning from their graduate classes.

The students’ winning proposal is available for viewing .  

A possible Trump bond rejection? NY AG questions if insurance group is good for the money

Former President Donald Trump's $175 million bond in his New York civil fraud case may not meet legal requirements for shielding his assets during his appeal, according New York Attorney General Letitia James.

James questioned in a Thursday court filing if the bond from Knight Specialty Insurance Company met New York's legal requirements. She said the company hadn't provided a certificate showing it was qualified to provide the bond. The bonding company is headed by California billionaire Don Hankey, a self-proclaimed Trump supporter who made a fortune through high-interest loans to car buyers with bad credit.

James demanded the bonding company or the defendants — which include Trump and his two oldest sons — demonstrate to New York trial judge Arthur Engoron that the company is capable of paying the money. Engoron scheduled a hearing on the issue for April 22.

More: Seize accounts? Mar-a-Lago? How Letitia James can collect $454 million if Trump can't pay

Trump lawyer Chris Kise didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Kise told the New York Times that James was making objections to the bond "to stir up some equally baseless public quarrel in a desperate effort to regain relevance." He called her civil fraud case a "baseless and vindictive political crusade."

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

Why does Trump need $175 million bond?

The $175 million bond was a far cry from the $464 million Trump and his co-defendants were originally required to post in order to shield their assets as they appeal Engoron's judgment against them. A New York appeals bond said they could post just $175 million to block James from collecting assets during the appeal.

Trump is personally liable for nearly the entire judgment — about $454 million — Engoron imposed. Engoron determined that Trump had fraudulently inflated his assets over several years to get better loan and insurance terms, and ordered Trump to cough up the ill-gotten gains plus interest.

The requirement to post a bond or deposit during a legal appeal is meant to ensure the winner in the case can collect on the judgment once the appeal is over.

Before the New York appeals court gave Trump a reprieve by reducing the bond requirement, Trump pleaded that the $464 bond was a "practical impossibility," stating that 30 bonding companies refused to accept real estate as collateral in exchange for a bond of that size.

Small Study Suggests Ozempic Relative May Slow Parkinson's

Small Study Suggests Ozempic Relative May Slow Parkinson's

By Robin Foster HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, April 4, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Could a medication similar to the blockbuster weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy slow the ravages of Parkinson's disease?

A new, small study suggests it could: Over the course of a year, a group of French researchers followed 156 people with early Parkinson’s who were randomly given lixisenatide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist made by Sanofi, or a placebo.

What did they discover? Parkinson’s symptoms like tremor, stiffness, slowness and balance got worse in those taking the placebo but not in those taking the drug.

Experts said the findings are a good starting point for future research on the drug's powers against the movement disorder.

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It is not a slam dunk, but it is “nibbling at the edges of disease modification,” Dr. Michael Okun , a Parkinson’s disease expert at the University of Florida who was not part of the study, told the New York Times.

Dr. Hyun Joo Chu , from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, said the study was “very important,” but she cautioned the early research was only designed to test a hypothesis.

“There are many, many examples of very promising Phase 2 trials,” she told the Times. “People get very excited, and then it doesn’t pan out.”

Not only that, but more than half of the patients suffered from nausea and vomiting, possibly because the researchers started with the highest dose instead of gradually increasing the dosage. When a third of patients had side effects that became intolerable, the investigators halved their dose.

For the researchers, led by Dr. Wassilios Meissner of the University of Bordeaux and Dr. Olivier Rascol of the University of Toulouse, it wasn't that far-fetched to think a GLP-1 drug might slow Parkinson’s.

Studies have found that people with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk for Parkinson’s disease, Rascol told the Times . But that increased risk drops in those who take a GLP-1 drug to treat their diabetes.

He added that studies of brain tissue from deceased Parkinson’s patients have revealed abnormalities related to insulin resistance, which is what GLP-1 drugs treat.

While the researchers said they want to do a larger and longer study, Sanofi withdrew the drug in the United States and has started withdrawing it worldwide. The move was made for business reasons, a company spokesman told the Times .

More information

The National Institute on Aging has more on Parkinson's disease .

SOURCE: New England Journal of Medicine , April 4, 2024; New York Times

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