Learning Outcomes:
a) Explore and reflect on self- development as a leader to build self-awareness
b) Through critical reflection on key leadership theories develop a personal leadership development strategy.
c) Analyse and develop the capacity to influence, motivate and inspire others in your workplace and/or community organisations.
MGT601 Dynamic Leadership Reflexive Report Assignment-Laureate International University Australia.
Context:
The learning design of this subject is to focus on your own leadership journey and not to study leadership as some remote, theoretical concept that applies to other people. This assessment enables you to build self-awareness and a clear sense of how you came to be the person and emerging leader that you are today. It encourages deep reflection on your life and leadership journey to your present position. It helps you to increase your understanding of your current leadership capabilities and potential. The assessment requires you to establish a mentoring relationship with another student in the class so that you can provide mutual learning support and exchange constructive feedback with each other. In addition to this classmate, you can also request feedback from a trusted colleague in your work, personal or wider student networks.
Your Task:
Your task in Assessment 1 Part B is to reflect on you own leadership journey up until now,your current role or position, how you influence others, how you lead, contribute to or react to organisational and cultural changes and your current level of self-awareness and self- confidence to lead others in your organisation and/or community.
Assessment 2, which is due at the end of WEEK 11, builds on the first and asks you to prepare a plan for the next stage of your leadership journey. The assessments are integrated pieces of work and you should bear in mind the final part as you work on this part. All assessments need to be strongly based on the established theories and models of leadership to help you interpret and explain your leadership challenges.
Working with Your Partner [this is 20% (Criterion 2) of your overall assessment]:
You need to be proactive to connect with other students in your on-line/ face-to- face class, once you post your personal introduction on the “Welcome and Introductions” Discussion Forum. On-line students can select a partner from class mates who have posted introductions, or choose a trusted colleague from your work, student or personal networks. On-line students need to take responsibility for selecting and interacting with a partner. Face-to-face students will be guided by your facilitator, taking into account diversity of backgrounds to enrich your learning experience. More detailed guidelines for working with your partner are provided at
the end of this section.
- Key points from the feedback you receive from your partner and others,combined with your reflection and interpretation of this feedback in the context of your leadership journey, needs to be included in your report.
- You may wish to also include key points of the feedback that you gave your partner and reflect on it. Feedback often says as much about the person who gives as the person who receives it.
- The feedback summaries/ transcripts can be included as appendices, where they will not be included in the word count.
While the assessment includes feedback from the interaction with your partner, each person is to submit his or her own, individual report.
More detailed guidelines for working with your partner are shown at the end of this brief.
Possible Structure:
A possible structure for your report is shown below. This is a suggestion only and is not mandatory. Other structures would be appropriate, provided that they enable you to demonstrate your learning according to the rubric shown in the brief for the first assessment.
1.A clear logic flow, using a “Contents” page and section headings, will help your readers to follow your thinking.
2.The use of an “Executive Summary” will tell your reader the key points of your report, including recommendations for action.
3.An “Introduction” to set the context
4.The body of your report should address the following issues. The percentages in brackets indicate a suggested proportional length of each section. Give appropriate sub-headings to each Part of this ‘body’.
MGT601 Dynamic Leadership Reflexive Report Assignment-Laureate International University Australia.
- Your current/recent role, responsibilities and leadership challenges in your organisation or community.
- Key aspects of your leadership journey so far (eg who influenced you, how you formed your self-image as a leader, any critical events that have been influential). This should not be a chronology or a CV. It is a reflection on a small number of the most influential aspects or turning points in your leadership development.
- The results of the Gallup Strengths Finder and any other personality or leadership style inventories that you have completed and your interpretation of the results. This can be a summary of the report (key details) that you presented for Assessment 1 – Part A.
- Key feedback points on your current leadership style, capabilities, effectiveness, interpersonal and social skills associated with Emotional Intelligence, personality assessments etc, that you have received from your partner and other trusted sources.
- The implications of the feedback and your reflection on its significance. It could include your preliminary thinking on what you do about it, to be expanded in your second submission.
- Link to theory and conceptual frameworks that explain or clarify your experiences and feedback. (You could incorporate the links to theory/models throughout your report or collect them in one section. The important point is that you anchor your submission with appropriate models or theories.
5.A “Conclusion” to capture your key learnings is desirable in a business subject. Detailed, supporting information such as psychometric results and planning templates should be placed in an appendix, where they will not be included in the word count.
Reflexive Writing – First Person:
You should write in the first person, because this is about YOU, your reflections and your interpretations. (eg “I considered this advice to be….. because it had a big impact on my……..and it helped me to understand my……….”).
Try to be as specific as possible, use brief examples to illustrate your points and try to select examples that enable you to demonstrate learning against the attributes in the rubric.
All other principles of academic writing apply, including strict referencing, acknowledgement of the work of others and avoidance of plagiarism.
Guidelines for Working with Your Partner [20% -see criterion 2 of this assessment rubric]
The following information should help you to start to build a mentoring relationship with your partner.
MGT601 Dynamic Leadership Reflexive Report Assignment-Laureate International University Australia.
In commencing the relationship, it will be helpful to work through the following steps:
1.Make initial contact through the Discussion Forum.
2.Establish an oral confidentiality agreement with each other so that you are both clear that you will not disclose personal information to others. It is appropriate to describe concepts, learnings and insights about the leadership journey of yourself and your partner in your assessment submission but not personal details that can be identified with an individual.
3.Agree on how you will communicate with each other. You can use a range of tools within the “Group” facility on Blackboard, including emails, blogs, wikis, file exchange, or alternative. You may prefer to establish a separate text or voice channel, such as Skype. Keep a record of your partner interactions (date, time, what).You may include this in your appendices as evidence of this communication process.
4.Provide your partner with brief background details on your role, employment and current leadership challenge to set the context.
5.Provide more detailed information on your personal leadership journey and current challenges. The questions in the paper by George et al on Authentic Leadership are a good starting point for you and also to ask your partner about. You can also share the contents of your reflexive journal.
6.Listen carefully to your partner’s story and current challenges, probe respectfully to encourage deeper reflection and understanding and suggest alternative approaches where appropriate. Please respect each other’s boundaries and do not go beyond what each is comfortable to disclose. This is intended to be mentoring and not psychotherapy!
7.As you progress through the modules, record any insights about your leadership journey in your reflexive journal. You may wish to exchange journals or a summary of key points with your partner.
8.In asking and learning about your partner’s leadership journey, it is likely that you will develop deeper insights into your own journey.