Leaders and Leadership

Once again, we will be considering an experience which has personal significance for you as a means of understanding the material from this module better. For this case, think about a situation involving leadership that made a strong impression on you. Please structure your essay in the following format, using the subtopics as headings. Your paper should be 4-6 pages, plus a title page and a references page.

Introduction: Discuss the topic of the paper and how you will approach it. It is best to write this section after you have written the rest of the paper.

Concrete Experience: Objectively describe the leadership experience. It could be a situation where you were in a leadership position, or one in which you were working under someone else as leader. The situation could have been a good experience or a failure in leadership. The important consideration is that it is a situation which you would like to understand better. In this section, strive to be objective and stick to the facts – who, what, where, when, and how.

Reflective Observation: Step back and consider the situation from different points of view. How did you feel – what were your thoughts at the time? It is also critical to consider the experience of others involved. How do you think they were feeling? Did they see things the same way you did? The key to this section of your paper is to understand the experience not only from your own perspective, but also to develop the ability to be able to look at the situation through others’ eyes. Use these different perceptions to add depth and meaning to your objective description.

Abstract Conceptualization: There are many readings and other materials explaining various models of leadership in the background section of this module. Use at least three of them to help explain the behavior of the leader and the followers in this incident. How do the models of leadership and power presented in the background material help you understand your behavior as well as how others reacted (commitment, compliance, or resistance?) Use proper citations and referencing when referring to any material from the background pages or any additional outside research. (Outside research not required, but you may supplement the background material if you choose. It should not replace the background readings and videos, but acts as an additional source.)

[Remember: The abstract conceptualization section is the “heart” of your paper. Your ability to clearly and logically apply concepts of leadership to explain your own experience is essential to demonstrating critical thinking. ]

Active Experimentation: What have you learned about effective leadership from this exercise? What have you learned about how the leadership style influences follower’s reactions and motivation? What actions would you take to revise or improve upon your own leadership style and practices to be more effective in the future?

Conclusion: Sum up the main points of your analysis and the key learning you are taking from it.

Reference List: List all references that you have cited in the paper using APA formatting. References include materials from the required background readings as well as any outside internet or library sources you used in researching and writing your paper. If you have APA questions, refer to the optional listings on the background page.