Answer the questions below based on the story

Before Barb Burns Out

Barb Margolin is the coordinator of after-school programs for 11 elementary schools in Johnson County Public Schools. A former fourth-grade teacher, Barb was thrilled to take the coordinator position. She supervises a team of youth development specialists to plan and implement academic interventions, enrichment programs, student clubs, and other activities for the students to engage in during the three hours immediately following the end of the school day. Barb is responsible for a variety of tasks, including hiring staff, budgeting, curriculum development, developing community partnerships, and grant monitoring. Barb works with individuals at every level of the district, including students, support staff, teachers, and principals, reporting to the assistant vice president of academic services.

Barb had a great first year in the program. The people she worked with liked her, saying she was fun to be around, said yes to every project request, and knew all students and their families by name. Barb developed strong working relationships with her colleagues and a positive connection with the school staff. She came up with some creative new activities for the students, and students in the academic intervention programs started showing improvement. Sometimes Barb fell behind on getting paperwork completed and let a deadline for a task slip, but her supervisor and others gave her the benefit of the doubt, recognizing it was her first year in the job and she was learning the position.

Barb’s second year as coordinator is not going as well. Paperwork has piled up, and tasks she needs to do are falling through the cracks. Recently, an important deadline for a grant contract was missed, costing the program about $40,000. This is the third time in as many months Barb has missed a deadline. In addition, several principals have told Barb’s supervisor that Barb seems overwhelmed and unable to follow through on promises she made to them. Barb continues to innovate the program, but several of the changes she instituted this year required more attention from her during their implementation. Handholding these changes has taken her energy and attention away from other responsibilities.

Barb’s demeanor has suffered as well. Those who work with her say that she was once very upbeat and positive, but now seems stressed and overwhelmed. She still says yes to every project, but fewer and fewer of them are actually being completed.

Her supervisor knows Barb has valuable skills that she brings to this position, but must help her develop other needed skills before Barb burns out completely.

Please compose a response and address each set of questions.  Your response should be a minimum of two (2) paragraphs.

Questions

1. Based on Katz’s three-skill approach to leadership, how would you describe Barb’s technical, human, and conceptual skills? In which of these is she the strongest?

2. Given the duties and tasks in her position, would you characterize Barb’s job as supervisory, middle, or top management? Which skills does she need to work on in order to perform at that level?

3. As Barb’s supervisor, how would you work on developing the skill areas she may be lacking?

Advanced Questions

4. Using the Skills Model of Leadership, describe Barb’s strongest individual attributes. How have these helped or hindered her leadership outcomes?

5. Using the Skills Model of Leadership, how would you describe Barb’s competencies? How have these helped or hindered her leadership outcomes?

6. How does her environment and career experience affect Barb’s leadership?

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