Background: Your Group has been assigned to be part of the Succession Plan Committee atLife Science Nutraceuticals, Inc. (LSN).

This Committee has been hard at work for months, planning the successor for Alexandra Marvel and the rest of the executive team (largely occupied by the Marvel). They have assigned your group to complete the Succession Plan for five key leadership positions at LSN. These positions will need to be filled over the next 12-24 months. There is not an immediate need for any of them currently, but vacancies will be imminent. The preference is to fill these internally, but Ms. Marvel, the CEO, has stressed that if the right leader for a position does not exist already within the company, she would rather search for someone external to the company.

Instructions: As part of the Succession Plan Committee, your team has been tasked with identifying future leaders for the following five positions that will be open over the next 12-24 months: Please identify characteristics, values, and competencies these positions need to be effective.

Position 3: VP Headquarters Operations

Location: Headquarters Miami, Florida

Reports to: President & CEO Alexandria Marvel (Headquarters)

Headquarters houses R&D, HR, IT, Purchasing, and Finance. Each department has its own "subculture," and each department is fairly distinct from the other. The young, youthful subculture of IT often clashes with the conservative subculture of the Finance department, for example. Many of the members of the Finance and HR teams are baby boomers and are near retirement. This leader oversees the smooth operation of all of these departments and ensures the coordination of these departments with each other and with each of the four geographic divisions across the world.

Position 4: Executive Director, North American Division

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Reports to: President and CEO

This leader will head up the largest and most profitable division of LSN. This division is seen as the "flagship" by the other divisions since the company's roots are in the United States. This Executive Director has the "ear" of the CEO and spends a lot of time with the family. This leader is faced with spearheading the future direction of LSN in North America and is challenged with filling openings throughout the United States and Canada caused by fast growth and a retiring Baby Boomer population.

Position 5: Director of Finance

Location: Headquarters, Miami, Florida

Reports to: Chief Financial Officer

This leader oversees the day-to-day operations of the finance department. This leader is expected to aid in strategic planning with the executive team of LSN. Although a finance background is not required, this person is expected to bring a conservative approach to the strategic planning table to balance out the high-risk tolerance of the rest of the leadership at LSN. A "big picture" perspective is definitely needed here.