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Main case New 2022/2023

Alessandro Riccombeni Case A: Lessons in leadership

By Randall Peterson, Nick Mickshik

2023

This case is aimed at helping executives understand the reasons why they may ‘derail’ when promoted to a new position or when they secure a new job that does not accord with their expectations of it.
Case A describes the situation Alessandro Riccombeni found himself in when, having seemingly secured his dream job with BigTech plc, he soon found himself at odds with the organisational culture in general, the sub-cultures within groups, and with colleagues and management.
This is a common scenario one for anyone switching jobs; in this case moving from academic research or industry to big tech. Alessandro soon discovered that such a transition is not straightforward and it can be difficult to find the right position in an organisation “where you are invaluable but not indispensable”.
His curiosity and desire to move things along ran into a culture that expected him to “keep to his lane”, leading to conflict with colleagues and senior executives and to great frustration with his situation.
In case B we see how, initially disenchanted to the point where he considered quitting, Alessandro acquired the skills and insight to recognise the pressures inherent in his new role and overcome the impediments to his making progress.

Learning objectives

  1. Understand that what got you here won’t get you there
  2. Learn the value of honest and accurate self-assessment
  3. Identify key interpersonal and teamwork skills for successful business leadership in a corporate setting
  4. Understand that business / career success is dependent on the ability to work well with a broad variety of people, including those who may not be ‘your type’, and that ‘the game’ is won or lost when you are vulnerable
  5. Identify leadership development skills you would like to improve

Details

Publication Date: July 2023
LBS Case Code: CS-23-006
Topic:
Subjects: , ,
Industry:
Geography: ,
Pages: 6
Format: pdf