ISM Graded Homework Exam: Leading to High-Performance (IBC)

Student Name: Majd Abudeeb

Student ID: 91-01-042-21-1

Exercise 1:

a) In leadership, how can we measure the output of a manager?

b) Explain in your own words, why sometimes leaders of smaller teams can achieve just as much or
more output as leaders of bigger teams?

Answer

a) The output of a manager can be measured by the output of his organization with output of the
neighboring organizations under his/her influence.

b) Smaller team does work more efficiently than a large team and have more effective
communication. In small team collaboration, not only do you have fewer people to keep track
of, but you’re more aware of each person’s responsibilities and how your own work fits in.
Because teams with 5 people have higher engagement compared of teams with of 20 people or
more. For example, if we divide the output over 4 people, it will give us higher result than
dividing it over 6 people.

Exercise 2:

You are a junior team member for a large software company. After your first 2 years on the job, you are
promoted to senior team member. As part of that promotion, you will now have the responsibility to
also manage a small number of junior team members and interns.

a) Please explain in your own words, how you would do 1:1s with those junior team members on a
regular basis and what format you could use? After a few months on the new job, you are realizing that
you are spending way too much time micro-managing these junior team members.

b) What framework could you use to delegate tasks to the junior team members (how do you decide
which tasks you delegate and to who delegate them to)?
Answer

a- Sometimes it can be difficult to manage a team. Team performance, overall success and
productivity depends usually on the way the team leader can manage his team successfully.
The first thing as leader to do is to train the team members. I would take time for each person to
show them how better things can be done, to provide incentives, support and other resources
for people to grow. Providing constructive feedback is one of the most important aspect that a
leader would do to help the team with career development. Also, listening, sharing information,
building trusting relationship, and asking questions are important to develop the team skills.
Use a simple format of 1:1s starting from the name then talk about the highlight of the week for
2 minutes. After that, read the prepared update and questions regarding update for 7 minutes
followed by issues and proposed solutions for 5 minutes, give top tasks and finally provide
feedback.

b- Deciding which tasks and responsibilities to delegate to others on your team Analyze your
current tasks and ask yourself, which of these is absolutely necessary for me to do, and which
can be done better by someone else? Then, recognizing and utilizing the strengths of each
member of your team. The next thing you do is find the right people who have the skills and
experience to assign to after preparing a list of tasks to which you are going to delegate.

Roam free Step in decide

overrule
high
Level of
conviction Delegate Gather more
information
low

low high

Consequences of
decision

Exercise 3:

a) What are the differences between the Decision Matrix and the Eisenhower Matrix?

b) Explain in your own words why leaders need to consider buy-in/support from the team in decision
making?

Answer
 Consequential
a- The four dimensions of the decision matrix are Irreversible and inconsequential, Irreversible and
consequential, Reversible and inconsequential, and Reversible and consequential.

Gather evidence Spend time deciding

Irreversible Reversible

Delegate Delegate

Inconsequential

And the four dimensions of The Eisenhower Matrix are Important, but not urgent/ Urgent and
important/ Urgent but not important/ Not important and not urgent.

Urgent Not urgent

Important
Do it Decide when to
Immediately do it

Not important
Delegate to
Do it later
someone
b- One of the key leadership issues is how to get your team to make a decision. It is often easy to
decide, but emotionally investing in that decision might be far difficult for your team.
Leaders should consider Buy-in with the team to make them feel that they are a part of the
decision and their input is important to the final result. Therefore, when they feel that they have
more power over the outcome, the more they will be invested in the final results.