Additional instructions: Use the readings, lessons from the class and/or outside sources to frame your approach. This is intended to be 500-‐1000 word essay. You are permitted to go over for this exercise, but still limit responses to under 1500 words, max. Being able to articulate a concise and thoughtful answer is part of this exercise (recognizing that this is a complicated situation you are presenting that would ordinarily warrant a larger response). While the specifics of APA style writing will be covered in detail in the next semester, please be researched and use in-‐text citations that closely mirror APA style, e.g.
WWLD Forum Reflection
Background Since the beginning of time, man has been in a constant state of movement, exploration, flight, settlement, discovery, oppression, conquest, trail-‐blazing, leading, following, survival, and risk-‐taking. (I use the reference of “man” in this text to represent all sapiens.) Whether from colonization or imperialism, or motivated by trade or opportunity, or driven toward freedom and hope, or a hunger for the unknown, man has been on-‐the-‐go, migrating and shifting. Ben Shepard (2014) of theguardian has asked, “Was the progress of humanity driven by kindness; or by warfare and aggression?” And, he cited Harari’s theory that there are three universal orders that have governed humanity’s movement, progress, and change: money, empire and religion. The Situation There are deeply seeded polarizations in our society, which are intensely boiling to the surface. Some people even believe that we may be on the brink of a third world war. For what purpose? Cultural beliefs? Faith? Capitalism? Power? Justice? Injustice? In these times of fissure, how do we bridge what divides and destroys us to build shared purpose and co-‐preservation? Not only are there cultural norms that drive communities into strong beliefs and assumptions, but we as individuals also tend to form our own steadfast opinions in times of deep uncertainty, stress, and concerns for our future safety and security. And yet, it is precisely in these times that we, as community leaders, need to be intentional in creating opportunities for collective impact that go beyond any one race, gender, faith, ethnicity, political ideology, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, mental capability, daily rituals, color of hair, color of eyes, color of skin, size, shape. The Assignment Pick a current global, humanitarian topic for which you are passionate and have an opinion. You are a global expert in leadership studies. You are known to be academically and historically knowledgeable as well as agile in your approach. You have been asked by the United Nations to speak on this topic and guide the members on What Would a Leader Do. Broadly, they want to know: How do we build an ethos of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” when there are different tolerance levels around the world for what that means and different interpretations of what that might look like universally? And how do we build shared purpose when there is no universal trust? And how do we honor individual cultural values while maintaining a forward-‐thinking pursuit of peace and greater good? In order to answer these questions, please include:
1. A brief overview/background of the issue
2. A description of the exact problem you are addressing and the change you propose. (This can be summed up in a couple sentences.) For example, if you choose to cover the refugee crisis, this is a multi-‐faceted issue. So, identify the problem, e.g. refugees are becoming malnourished, or children in camps are not continuing their education, or there is not enough safe and
comfortable housing. (These are just examples.) It helps to narrow the problem down for this exercise.
3. Three (3) leadership approaches that could be effective, depending on circumstances. Compare and contrast them, and note how each approach might affect the behavior of others.
4. The preferred leadership approach and why.
5. Advice you would give on initiating necessary conversation(s) across the stakeholders. What barriers do you think exist and what is your recommendation on building bridges.
Additional instructions: Use the readings, lessons from the class and/or outside sources to frame your approach. This is intended to be 500-‐1000 word essay. You are permitted to go over for this exercise, but still limit responses to under 1500 words, max. Being able to articulate a concise and thoughtful answer is part of this exercise (recognizing that this is a complicated situation you are presenting that would ordinarily warrant a larger response). While the specifics of APA style writing will be covered in detail in the next semester, please be researched and use in-‐text citations that closely mirror APA style, e.g. There are six styles of situational leadership (Goleman, 2000). And please include a reference list of all your sources at the end of your response. NOTE: is very important that you keep opinions respectful. To the extent possible, focus on the doing part, not the telling part, i.e. the steps you would recommend versus espousing your ideology on the topic. This is an assignment to break down polarization. Remember that everyone in the class makes up your stakeholders. And this is a forum post. You are required to turn this paper into Writing Support well in advance of the due date and get feedback from them to ensure your work is well-‐articulated and grammatically correct before you submit the final. The feedback from Writing Support may be requested. It is strongly suggested that you use Grammerly beforehand to check for grammar errors and syntax and minimize your work and edits that come back from Writing Support.
Appendix Quick Guide to
Leadership Theories, Perspectives, Styles and Frames
Theories (discussed and additional) • Transformational • Transactional • Charismatic • Servant
Frames
• Structural – based on rules, roles, policies, facts • Human – based on needs, relationships, empowerment, feelings • Political – based on power, conflict, competition, negotiations, influence • Symbolic – based on culture, meaning, ritual, story-‐telling
Styles
• Coercive • Authoritative • Affiliative • Democratic • Pacesetting • Coaching
Other leadership approaches in literature – trait/attribute/skills-‐based
• Authentic • Advocacy • Responsible / Virtuous • Strategic • Wise • Holistic • Situational • Conscious • Level 5 • Higher-‐ambition • Inclusive • Distributive • Principle-‐centered • Visionary • Adaptive • Innovative • Transcendental • Ethical • Contemplative • Spiritual • Shared • Thought
