Assignment Task:
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.
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.
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’.
• Your current/recent role, responsibilities and leadership challenges in your organisation or community. (10%)
• 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. (15%)
• 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. (15%)
• 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. (20%)
• 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. (30%)
• 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.