Submitted By- Pankaj Dhiman

One-minute Paper #1
1. What were the major points, lessons, concepts, etc. in the class?
The major concept learned during the class was the difference between leadership and
management in an organization. The class focussed on the characteristics of a good leader
from a survey of students and used the statistics to elaborate on those characteristics of good
leaders. At the end of the lecture, we also focussed on metaphors describing the workings of
an organization such as ships, organisms, and the brain.

2. What was the most useful or meaningful thing you learned or insight gained during this
session? Why? How can you apply this insight?
The most insightful thing for me during the entire class was the quote from Birkenshaw,
Becoming a Better Boss.
“What is defined as good or bad management depends on the personality and working style
of the employee”
-Birkenshaw, Becoming a Better Boss
This was an eye-opening quote for me as it meant that no management style is universal and
it depends on the culture of the organization as well as its employees. One particular
successful style of management may just not work in another company. Relating it to the real
world, I realize how the work culture of companies such as Google and Facebook differ from
other organizations focused on military technology. Companies such as Google and Facebook
provide their employees all the freedom and creativity to work and function better whereas
military tech organizations are more hierarchical and follow strict rules and policies regarding
employee behavior.

3. What, if anything, was the muddiest point in this session? (In other words, was anything
not clear to you?)
Since it was an introductory class, all the topics covered were easy to follow and I never found
anything out of grasp during the entire lecture.

4. What question(s), if any, remain uppermost in your mind

One question that I would like to get answers to is how effective managers become effective
leaders in the workplace. How do they turn themselves into leaders but still be great
managers?
I would like it answered so that I can apply that knowledge to maybe transform myself from a
good manager in my first job after my MBA to a leader.