Fast-track MBA and MPA graduates cycle through several managerial assignments during their career, requiring that they repeatedly "take charge" of new units or organizations. Research has shown that this transitional stage of an executive assignment has unique leader-follower dynamics and tasks. However, most leadership courses do not provide formal study of the transition dynamics, tending to emphasize the qualities of established, steady state leadership. This article summarizes research on the "taking charge" process, distinguishing between the entering and the established phases of a managerial assignment along dimensions such as the self-focused and other-directed tasks at each stage. The article describes teaching strategies, materials, and adaptations to current curricula that enable students to understand the evolution of a managerial assignment from taking charge through to established leadership and to build relevant skills and expectations.
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