May 2 through June 26, 2011
Prerequisite: The Art of Leadership, Course One
Online Course Frequently Asked Questions
MOMENTUM COMES FROM HAVING A CLEAR VISION of what the organization ought to be, from a well-thought-out strategy to achieve that vision, and from carefully conceived and communicated directions and plans that let everyone participate and be accountable in achieving these plans. Momentum is vital and palpable. It is the feeling among a group of people that their lives and work are intertwined and moving toward a recognizable and legitimate goal.
-Max DePree
Leadership Is an Art
The Art of Leadership II builds on The Art of Leadership I and focuses on the application of the principles, methods, and techniques for developing others that were covered in the first course. The Art of Leadership I is a required prerequisite for this course.
- Students will look at the importance of vision as an ideal. They will complete an evaluation of their leadership effectiveness and a questionnaire on social motives. Understanding the role of social motives at work involves understanding the three basic motives for leadership: power, achievement, and affiliation
- Students will also evaluate the climate of the organization that they are affiliated with and determine if the leadership pattern of their organization is; exploitive, impoverished, supportive, or enlightened.
- Students will investigate the difference between top down and bottom up leadership authority. Students will analyze the type of power of someone they know in a leadership role, and reflect on how this affects the communication process (one way, two way).
- This course addresses the characteristics of empowerment and the principles involved in having an empowered workplace. Empowering employees involves a quality concept. Utilization of a quality imperative can become complicated as it battles with a company?s need to compete in the global marketplace. Students study how the quality movement originated and how it can be implemented.
- In learning about the importance of group dynamics, students will evaluate a group they are currently working with in their own work setting. They will evaluate and determine their problem solving style, learn how to avoid groupthink, and learn team building interventions and techniques.
- Week four of this course is devoted to understanding the role of individual personalities the diversity challenges faced by people in leadership roles. To help students understand that different personalities have needs and display different behaviors, students will complete an Interpersonal Style Questionnaire and also a Big Five Personality Test.
- Cultural sensitivity and cultural diversity are two new realities that leaders need to be knowledgeable about in today's work environment. In week four of this course, students will participate in "Cultural Diversity Week". Each student will invite at least one guest from a culture that is different from their own, to take part in a week long class discussion. The guests will share information from their culture and answers questions from the students and other participants.
- Successful leadership means picking the right people for the right job, developing them to their full potential, and being able to see qualities in them that they may not see in themselves. Students will be exposed to these concepts as they work through a delegation diagnosis which is a tool for diagnosing strengths and areas for improvement.
- Assigning work effectively is another skill that effective leaders must have. Students will complete a self evaluation "Understanding Personality and Occupational Types" exercise that is based on Holland's Model of basic personality. Students will also complete a Functions and Levels of management exercise. This will help them gain an understanding of the different functions of management at each level of responsibility.
- Performance management is at the heart of being an effective leader. Students will complete a performance management lab exercise, allowing them to hypothetically use the three secrets to leadership success, "One minute manager"; one minute goal setting, one minute praising, one minute reprimand.
- Research shows that the evaluation of leaders by employees is valuable in improving leadership effectiveness. Students will complete both an evaluation of a supervisor and also a self evaluation on their own job performance. Students will complete a questionnaire which evaluates job performance in three areas, statesmanship, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
- Leaders who want to improve the performance of their workers and their organization can use benchmarking as a job aid to do so. Benchmarking begins with objectives and an evaluation of an organization, followed by comparisons against the best in the industry. Students will complete a Benchmarking exercise that will help personalize this concept for them. Students will investigate how to sustain discipline by learning about how a caring leader addresses issues of performance and behavior based on a four step method for solving performance problems. All of these evaluations would serve well as resources for future use.
- Students will reflectively review the nine key concepts of leadership, and what they have covered in the both of "The Art of Leadership" courses, and write a reflective essay explaining how they will be able to apply their new knowledge to their leadership roles.
- What students take away from this course will be determined by their commitment to learning about themselves and their willingness to become a supportive component of their learning environment. The content will provide valuable assessment tools for students to use for personal and organizational evaluation. The classroom community will provide instructor and peer input discussion and guidance.
THE BOSS DRIVES; the leader coaches.
The boss wants power; the leader, good will.
The boss creates fear; the leader builds pride.
The boss says "I"; the leader says "We."
The boss places blame; the leader solves the problem.
The boss knows how; the leader shows how.
The boss uses people; the leader serves others.
The boss preaches; the leader teaches.
The boss takes credit; the leader gives credit.
The boss commands; the leader asks.
The boss says "Go"; the leader says "Let's go."
-William J. Stewart
Author and educator
References
Manning, G. & Curtis, K. (2009). The Art of Leadership. New York. NY. McGraw-Hill Irwin.