Holmes Institute: Leadership Challenge Curriculum Report, T1 2019

This report provides an analysis of the Leadership Challenge Curriculum, based on an interview with Raul Enrique Pena from Sonoma Leadership Systems. The curriculum, which approaches leadership as a measurable and learnable set of behaviors, aims to develop effective leaders capable of achieving extraordinary results in organizations of any size or type. The report discusses the curriculum's objectives, its impact on leadership competencies, and the lessons learned from its implementation. It also explores how the program measures return on investment and success, highlighting the positive feedback from clients and the program's role in developing more effective leaders. Finally, the report examines the future of the program, including its global expansion and adaptation to different languages and cultural contexts to facilitate leadership development worldwide. The report references several key leadership and management publications.

Trends in global business environment

Table of contents
Introduction 3
Background of the questions 3
Discussion on the answers 4
Conclusion 7
References 8

Introduction
Leadership has become an evident need of a firm or organization when operating there
operational activities. Leadership gives direction to the workforce and subordinates which lead
the organization towards a common objective. It is important to consider that leadership has to
face various challenges while operating hence leaders should be capable enough in countering
these challenges. In the current report there will be discussion over the articles which relations to
challenges in leadership. It will discuss on how leadership challenges within a company helps an
organization to effectively ensure that they are able operate in situation of distress and
challenges.
Background of the questions
In order to the reasoning for the answer the objectives and background of questions which have
been asked must be known. The background of the current interview question is to gain
knowledge over the Leadership Challenge Curriculum which has been a curriculum under the
Sonoma Leadership system. The question were simply based on the various aspects of this
leadership curriculum which is being promoted under Sonoma Leadership system. The first
question asked about the objective of the program was meant to know the possible goals and
objective which organization has set deliver through this Leadership Challenges Curriculum. The
impact of the program over the leadership competencies has also be asked to know what are the
possible impact that this program, have in developing leader’s competency at leadership. The
third question was asked regarding possible lessons learnt by conducting the program in the
current year which tells the possible advantages and shortcomings of the program. The fourth
question was about how return on investment and success is measured to know the major
parameters based on which performance of program will measured. The last question addresses

on what lies in future of program and what are possible changes the program will see after the
end of first facilitation.
Discussion on the answers
The interview that has been taken into consideration discusses a leadership curriculum that
approaches leadership as a cumulative structure based on a measurable, learnable and teachable
set of behaviors that when implemented and practiced efficiently can result in extraordinary
accomplishments.
The first question dwells on the objective of this new curriculum. The curriculum focuses on
portraying leadership as a learnable and teachable discipline rather than an inherent personality
trait. It is defined as a set of behavioral traits that can be acquired through continuous practise.
The curriculum focuses on this idea of practised leadership that will enable individuals to
accomplish extraordinary aspirations (Vito et al. 2014).
The second question attempts at divulging the impact of such a program on the post modern
business environment. The curriculum in infinitely scalable and fits any organization regardless
of their size, purpose or type of the organisation. The concept of leadership is not limited to any
particular type of business environment and efficient leadership is essential for any type of
organisation in order to make it successful and achieve its purpose (Kouzes and Posner, 2014).
The concept of leadership cannot be scaled to fit a particular mold nor can it be defined
according to factors. It is a set of skills that need to be acquired that can increase instinctual
efficiency and diverse decision making. The program as reviewed focuses on a variety of formats
that fit this particular factor of diversifying the mindset of individuals and creating an
equilibrium even in the face of perilous situations. Literature suggests that their are particular
characteristics that define that particulars of a true leader. These characteristics though

summarised have a vast spectrum and need to be summarized and accumulated and that is the
objective of this program. There are no particular traits that are ion context to leadership skills
but there are different ideas that are to be incorporated in order to cre4ate a personality that has
the inherent leadership qualities to steer an organisation in the proper direction. A leader has to
understand different organisational structures proficiently and structure and business strategy in
accordance. Factors such as the needs of the workforce, type of the industry and other
characteristics that need to be factored in in order to provide proper ideas that may change the
course of any business organisation regardless of its defining attributes. There proficiencies
involved in being a leader. A leader has to steer individuals with continuous confidence that
requires attention. The conclusions that will be defined by the workforce based on the
performance of a leader will define their tendencies towards following that particular leader.
These defining characteristics will be shaped by this particular program and the tendencies will
be shaped. No specific characters will be forced ion the individuals but rather they will be tagh in
accordance to their needs and that is the ultimate objective that can be revised after
understanding and identifying the second question from this particular article (Kouzes and
Posner, 2018).
The answer to the third question was regard the possible result which have gained from the
current year of such facilitation. On this the respondent told that the Sonoma Leadership system
has found out the the leadership challenge is flexible with the consultative approach and derives
value which are prominent needs of leadership which is adaptive in different challenging
situations and creates effective solution in respect of firm. The respondent feels that Leadership
Challenges program is a process through which the leader will be able to counter different type
of challenge in an prominent way. This answer is received due to the adaptability of leadership

challenge approach. It can be said that challenges always make people think of their possible
solutions in this way the knowledge of problem solving increases. This increases the leadership
strength of the leader. In this way it can be said that leadership Challenge program helps in
creating and training leaders for different challenges which can arise in different situations.
Using this the leaders are able to decide on what are possible methods of solutions which can be
used to solve and counter challenges which ultimately increases their skills and make them more
prominent in terms of decision making and problem solving activities (Kouzes and Posner,
2017).
The further question was focused on the measurement of investment and success return through
leadership challenge program. It is to be mentioned that the firm has measured the return on its
investment and success by using the Leadership Practice Inventory. The company found its
evident and effective way through which return on possible investment was measured. It was
found that the firm recorded that leaders after the Leadership Challenge program have become
great, more credible, loyal and effective after the program. The client of the company have also
stated that the leader developed by this program have been more effective and better than ever
before. Now it can be said that the firm attained success by conducting the following program
but it can also be said that the firm has gained good feedbacks of the programs from the clients
which shows that the program in itself is very successful in developing leader and to extend their
ability to make them more efficient at leading. This is positive sign for the program as they are
developing and shaping better leader which would help an organization to achieve operational
objectives in a more prominent manner (Kouzes and Posner, 2017).
In the last Question the future in regard of program were asked on this the respondent said that
the program is currently available in 6 language and the company wants to render this program

globally to ensure global development of leader. Hence there is possible extension of this
programs in more language so that they are conducted in any language through effect. In the
views it can be said that the reason for such extension that the company wants a bigger market
place and wants to operate on the global platform to which language has been playing as an
barrier to the firm in the recent years (Alexander Arthur and Hardy, 2014). Hence the
management of the company has decided to increase the number of language in which the
current program is rendered. This will help the company as well as the leaders all around the
world and this will help in development of better leadership all around the world. It can be said
that the other reason for such extension of language is the expansion of the firm in different
countries where the current 6 languages are not applicable. Now within this areas the company
wants to make sure that the program complies to language of locales in this way the program will
made easier to understand and conduct within diversified areas (Grossman and Valiga, 2016).
Conclusion
Concluding in the light of above context it can be said that leadership challenges programs is
way through which leaders will develop their skills in leading organization and workforces while
there is a downturn of stress. This shows that continuous development of leadership skill in terms
of balancing workload between employees and creating an environment free of operational load
can be a way through which leader can manage workforce which is facing challenges in lieu of
reaching their respective goals and objectives which is common in nature.

References
Alexander Arthur, C. and Hardy, L., 2014. Transformational leadership: A quasi-experimental
study. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 35(1), pp.38-53.
Grossman, S. and Valiga, T.M., 2016. The new leadership challenge: Creating the future of
nursing. FA Davis.
Kouzes, J.M. and Posner, B.Z., 2014. The leadership challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Kouzes, J.M. and Posner, B.Z., 2017. A coach's guide to developing exemplary leaders: Making
the most of the leadership challenge and the leadership practices inventory (LPI). John Wiley &
Sons.
Kouzes, J.M. and Posner, B.Z., 2017. The Leadership Challenge Workbook Revised. John Wiley
& Sons.
Kouzes, J.M. and Posner, B.Z., 2018. The student leadership challenge: Five practices for
becoming an exemplary leader. John Wiley & Sons.
Titzer, J.L., Shirey, M.R. and Hauck, S., 2014. A nurse manager succession planning model with
associated empirical outcomes. Journal of Nursing Administration, 44(1), pp.37-46.
Vito, G., E. Higgins, G. and S. Denney, A., 2014. Transactional and transformational leadership:
An examination of the leadership challenge model. Policing: An International Journal of Police
Strategies & Management, 37(4), pp.809-822.