Leadership Class: Course Syllabus
Instructor: Marty Young
Course Description:
This leadership class will require you to plan, implement and evaluate projects. In doing so, you will be using both problem-solving and leadership skills. You will be challenged to understand your role in leadership and to identify ways in which you interact with others. This class is not designed to be an “easy grade.” You have signed on to a commitment of time in the classroom, school and community. We will be actively studying leadership by examining communication, organization, goal-setting, decision making, and motivation.
Instructional Philosophy:
In this course students will become familiar with different ways of exercising leadership, their own strengths and weaknesses, and how they can best work with others in a leadership context. They will learn and apply leadership skills in a hands-on practical way that encourages them to challenge their own beliefs and assumptions about what constitutes leadership. This course offers a comprehensive review of contemporary issues and perspectives on leadership, including multidisciplinary and systems-oriented approaches as well as classic theory, moving to the examination of evolving contemporary beliefs. The emphasis is on application of concepts in actual leadership settings and situations. Topics include development of leadership theories, personal assessment and development, values and ethics, motivation, power, followership, group dynamics, multiculturalism in leadership, conflict resolution, performance excellence, and the change process. Through a process of readings, self-discovery, group observations, and case studies, the student will identify, observe, analyze, and apply new leadership behaviors. This course is based on the premise that each student will face a variety of leadership challenges in life. How these challenges are met, whether as a formal leader or a member of a team, can have a significant impact on an organization and on one's career. Learning more about leadership will help every student meet their leadership challenges.
The methodology followed by this course will be one of knowledge acquisition, practice, and reflection. The learning objectives are designed to give you insights into leadership theory and how it applies in real world contexts. Specifically, you will improve and address your skills in key areas of leadership, including change and innovation, reflection, collaboration, communication, conflict, and multicultural awareness.
Course Goals:
Expectations of student leaders…
1. Active members of school organizations.
2. School or class officers.
3. Members of the Student Government Executive Board.
4. positive attitudes in and out of class.
5. Exhibit enthusiastic school spirit.
6. Refrain from any actions or behaviors that are cause for disciplinary actions by school leaders, legal authority and/or community members.
7. Committed to making a difference in their school, community and world.
Major Course Objectives:
1. Identify and analyze self-awareness of their leadership role.
2. Recognize the need for different forms of goal setting.
3. Acquire organization and project planning skills.
4. Analyze group processes, communication and problem solving.
5. Apply skills learned through school projects.
6. Identify ways to work and volunteer with community members.
7. Promote Advance High School spirit:
8. Help organize and run assemblies.
9. Dress-up during Spirit Week.
10. Promote POSITIVE attitudes about AHS, staff, students, and community.
11. Become an active participant in your graduating class, clubs, and sports.
12. Become a liaison between AHS administration and AHS students.
Benchmarks by quarter:
1st Quarter: Communication
2nd Quarter: Group
3rd Quarter: Individual
4th Quarter: Ethics
Major Course Projects and Instructional Activities:
I. Weekly leadership reflection papers:
2. Case studies:
3. Critical essay:
4. Group Projects
4. Participation in class discussion and events:
Students will complete a 1-2 page leadership reflection paper weekly (12 point font, double-spaced, 1 inch margins) in which they critically reflect on some aspect of leadership that they have seen or participated in. The reflection paper could identify an aspect of the material we are covering for the week and/or a significant learning point the student has experienced.
Assignments must be typed and turned in to the instructor on time. Class participation and discussion will be expected on all assignments, exercises, and topics as they are outlined in this syllabus. This course makes use of case studies to reinforce leadership theory and principles. The intent of the case method is to allow the student to compare theory to actual situations, and thus internalize the lessons of the case In general; case studies will be limited to 4-5 per quarter. Students will be expected to read and prepare for each case assigned. The instructor will make specific assignments for each case during the semester.
*Leadership reflection papers, simulations, case study discussion, and other participation will count for 20% of the grade for this class.
Critical Essay:
Option 1: Examine a famous leader applying concepts and theories explored in this course. Follow this outline: a.) Open your essay with an opening paragraph describing the leader and summarizing the leadership theory that you will be addressing. (Keep the background information very brief. This is not a biographical sketch.) b.) Name three specific leadership skills, three specific leadership behaviors and three specific leadership traits of this leader. c.)Name the leadership skill, leadership behavior and leadership trait that you think best explains the success of this leader, and explain why. d.) apply this leader's approach or style to one of the leadership theories discussed in this course. e.) Explain why this leadership style or approach has been successful for this leader and make logical arguments supporting your case. f.) Write a summarizing paragraph. Cite at least one direct quote and include citation with page number). Direct quotes should be short (no more than one sentence) and should be noted with quotation marks. g.) Include at least one chart or table to explain a salient leadership point about this leader, one that was created by you (the student) in this Critical Essay. Paper must be typed, double-spaced, 12 point font, 10-12 pages. (Page count does not include title page or reference list.) Use the description of this assignment to create an outline for this paper. Include an introductory and concluding paragraph. This Critical Essay will count for 20% of the course grade.
Option 2: Recent unfortunate events in the United States have given rise to a controversy over the legitimacy of the government sponsored display of the Confederate battle flag. Some have decried the flag as a blatant symbol of racial hatred, while others argue that the flag is a symbol of southern heritage. You are a recently elected public official in a southern state and feel strongly that your state should not sanction the display of the flag and should enact legislative measures that would remove it from public display. Examine this issue applying concepts and theories explored in this course. Follow this outline: a.) Open your essay with an opening paragraph describing you as a leader in this context and summarizing the leadership theory (ies) that you will be addressing. b.) Name three specific leadership skills, three specific leadership behaviors and three specific leadership traits (and why) that you will need to employ in order to successfully address this issue. c.) Name the leadership skill, leadership behavior and leadership trait that you think will best explain your success, and explain why. d.) apply your approach or style to one of the leadership theories discussed in this course. e.) Explain why this leadership style or approach will be successful for you and make logical arguments supporting your case. f.) Write a summarizing paragraph. Cite at least one direct quote from a leader (include citation with page number). Direct quotes should be short (no more than one sentence) and should be noted with quotation marks. g.) Include at least one chart or table to explain a salient leadership point about your approach — one that was created by you (the student) — in this Critical Essay. Paper must be typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, 3-5 pages. (Page count does not include title page or reference list.) Use the description of this assignment to create an outline for this paper. Include an introductory and concluding paragraph. This Critical Essay will count for 20% of the course grade.
Class participation will be evaluated upon the basis of class attendance, informed discussion, evidence of preparation for class, reflection essays, and active participation in class activities. Participation points cannot be earned when absent from class.
Required/Recommended Readings:
TBA
Course Assessment Plan:
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Weekly exercises
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Leadership reflection papers
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Case studies
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Participation in class discussion
Classroom Expectations:
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Be on time for class each day.
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Be prepared.
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Follow teacher directions the first time given.
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Respect your teacher and classmates in words and actions.
Remote Learning Expectations:
****Give 100% effort. Even though you are learning remotely, you must try your best on every assignment, project, test, and activity that we complete.
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Use Google Classroom to see and post assignments.
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Check your email at least three times a day. (morning, lunch, and afternoon) This will be my main form of communication.
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When questions arise, email me. I will check my email throughout the day, and respond quickly as possible.
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Be present during the instructional time of the class period. This means you need to use the Google Meet link on our Google Classroom page to tune into the instruction. I will have a chromebook setup in class and make sure you are logged on before we start, so you can virtually learn with us.
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The homework policy is the same as the in-person homework policy. If the assignment is not turned in by the due date, it will be considered late. Please refer to the student handbook for the late work policy. If the assignment is not submitted after three days, it will be a zero in the gradebook.
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Remote learning will include different components such as reading assignments, group work, discussions, presentations, etc. Students are expected to participate in each component given the accommodations and modifications needed. Detailed instructions will be included with each assignment/component.
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Quizzes and Exams are expected to be taken during the same time as the in-person class takes the quiz or exam. The quiz or exam will be available via Google Forms. The Google Form will be in “locked” mode. Meaning, you may not exit out of the test without the teacher being notified. If a student exits out of a quiz, it will be considered cheating and entered as a zero in the gradebook.
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Cheating and plagiarism is NOT tolerated. Both result in zeros.
Supplies and Materials Needed:
Chromebook, binder notebook with loose leaf paper, and pencil/pen in class each day.
Homework Policy and Grading Scale:
The grading scale is as follows:
Participation 60%
Projects/Papers 20%
Assignments 10%
Club/Sport Activity Sponsor Evaluation 10%
100-95.5=A (4.0) 82.49-79.5 =B (2.75) 69.49-66.5 =D+ (1.25)
95.49-89.5 =A (3.75) 79.49-76.5 =C (2.25) 66.49-62.5 =D (1.0)
89.49-86.5 =B (3.25) 76.49-72.5 =C (2.0) 62.49-59.5 =D (0.75)
86.49-82.5 =B (3.0) 72.49-69.5 =C (1.75) 59.49 & below=F (0.00)
Extra Help/ Time and Place to be Reached by Parent:
Students and parents may email me at myoung@advancehornets.org or call/text 573-820-3513 to set an appointment. My planning period daily is from 9:00-9:45 each school day.
Questions for Leadership Dialogues and Reflection:
1. Is leadership a specialized role within an office, department, team or other group, OR is it a shared influence process that occurs naturally within a social system and is diffused within any members?
2. Is leadership more of a cognitive, rational process OR do the emotional and value-based aspects of leadership account for more of the influence process of leadership?
3. Should all good managers be good leaders OR are these two roles incompatible with one another?
4. Is the effectiveness of the leader measured more by the effectiveness of the group OR is it more connected to the advancement of the leader?
5. Pick any one of the following approaches and argue that it is more useful in defining, describing and explaining leadership than the other approaches: trait, behavior, power, situational, OR contingency approach.
6. Pick any one of these levels of conceptualizing leadership and argue that it is the most important and useful for defining, describing and explaining leadership: intra-individual, dyadic, group, OR organizational.
7. Does a universal theory of leadership exist that applies to all leadership situations OR do some aspects of leadership apply to some situations but not to others?
8. Should leadership decisions be made in more of a top-down formal process OR should decisions be based on a bottom-up political process?
9. Does leadership style remain fixed for leaders OR do the effective leaders change their leadership approach depending on the situation?
10. Is it more important for the leader to focus on building friendly, supportive and consultative relationships with their followers OR is it more important for the leader to initiate organizational structure, maintain standards of performance, and insure that followers are following policies and procedures?
11. Which is more important to a leader: the relationship with the followers OR getting the job (task) done?
12. Are certain leadership traits optimal for all situations OR do different situations require different attributes?
13. Pick one of the two orientations — task OR relationship — and argue that it is the most important orientation for leaders.
14. The most important measure of a leader is the performance of the followers OR leaders are most effective when their followers are satisfied?
15. Which of these three elements of leadership is most important: goal achievement, smooth internal processes OR external adaptability?
16. Leadership approaches should OR should not vary according to the ethnic culture of the followers?
19. The leader is the most important factor in determining the outcome of the group’s performance OR the followers are more likely to determine the outcome of the group's performance.
20. The most important leadership trait is integrity OR competence?
21. Women tend to have a distinct leadership style, with more attention on the relationship, OR once women rise to the level of senior leadership, they take on more qualities of men?
VII. Written Assignment Policy:
ALL PAPERS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED IN PDF FORMAT.
Papers in this class should use 12-point, Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, double spacing, and page numbers at the bottom of each page. Papers should use an explicit outline based on the description of the assignment in this syllabus and in-class instructions. Reference lists (required) and title pages (optional) do not count toward page count. Quotes in written assignments should include authors' name(s) and year of publication (in parenthesis), but not the titles of articles or name of publication within the text of the paper (those go into the reference list). Direct quotes should be noted with quotation marks and should be short and to the point. Indirect quotes or paraphrasing ideas of authors is encouraged but should be noted by referencing the author's name and year of publication of the source (in parenthesis) somewhere in the beginning, middle or end of the sentence. Reference lists should be included at the end of each written assignment.
ALL PAPERS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED IN PDF FORMAT.
Leadership quotes:
1. A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. —Lao Tzu
2. Where there is no vision, the people perish. —Proverbs 29:18
3. I must follow the people. Am I not their leader? —Benjamin Disraeli
4. You manage things; you lead people. —Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper
5. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant. —Max DePree
6. Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. —Warren Bennis
7. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way. — General George Patton
8. Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. —Jack Welch
9. A leader is a dealer in hope. —Napoleon Bonaparte
10. You don’t need a title to be a leader. –Multiple Attributions
11. A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. —John Maxwell
12. My own definition of leadership is this: The capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence. —General Montgomery
13. Leadership is lifting a person's vision to high sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. —Peter Drucker
14. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has. —Margaret Mead
15. The nation will find it very hard to look up to the leaders who are keeping their ears to the ground. —Sir Winston Churchill
16. The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born-that there is a genetic factor to leadership. That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born. —Warren Bennis
17. To command is to serve, nothing more and nothing less. —Andre Malraux
18. He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander. —Aristotle
19. Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily; even if you had no title or position. —Brian Tracy
20. I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. —Ralph Nader
21. Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes. —Peter Drucker
22. Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm. —Publilius Syrus
23. A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together. —Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
24. The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it. —Theodore Roosevelt
25. Leadership is influence. —John C. Maxwell
26. You don't lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going to that place and making a case. —Ken Kesey
27. When I give a minister an order, I leave it to him to find the means to carry it out. —Napoleon Bonaparte
28. Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better. —Harry S. Truman
29. People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision. —John Maxwell
30. So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work. —Peter Drucker
31. The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes. —Tony Blair
32. The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. It's got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet. —Reverend Theodore Hesburgh
33. The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority. —Kenneth Blanchard
34. A good general not only sees the way to victory; he also knows when victory is impossible. —Polybius
35. A great leader's courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position. —John Maxwell
36. A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be. —Rosalynn Carter
37. The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly. —Jim Rohn
38. Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish. —Sam Walton
39. A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent. —Douglas MacArthur
40. A ruler should be slow to punish and swift to reward. —Ovid
41. No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it. —Andrew Carnegie
42. Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. —General Dwight Eisenhower
43. The leader has to be practical and a realist yet must talk the language of the visionary and the idealist. —Eric Hoffer
44. Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems. —Brian Tracy
45. A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd. —Max Lucado
46. Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. —General George Patton
47. As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others. —Bill Gates
48. All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership. —John Kenneth Galbraith
49. Do what you feel in your heart to be right–for you’ll be criticized anyway. —Eleanor Roosevelt
50. Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership. —Donald Rumsfeld
51. Education is the mother of leadership. —Wendell Willkie
52. Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out. —Stephen Covey
53. Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand. —General Colin Powell
54. Great leaders are not defined by the absence of weakness, but rather by the presence of clear strengths. —John Zenger
55. He who has great power should use it lightly. —Seneca
56. He who has learned how to obey will know how to command. —Solon
57. I am reminded how hollow the label of leadership sometimes is and how heroic followership can be. —Warren Bennis
58. I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure, which is: Try to please everybody. —Herbert Swope
59. If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities. —Maya Angelou
60. If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing. —Benjamin Franklin
61. If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. —John Quincy Adams
62. In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. —Thomas Jefferson
63. It is absurd that a man should rule others, who cannot rule himself. —Latin Proverb
64. It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership. —Nelson Mandela
65. Lead and inspire people. Don’t try to manage and manipulate people. Inventories can be managed but people must be led. —Ross Perot
66. Leaders aren't born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that's the price we'll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal. —Vince Lombardi
67. Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them. —John C. Maxwell
68. Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. —John F. Kennedy
69. Leadership cannot just go along to get along. Leadership must meet the moral challenge of the day. —Jesse Jackson
70. Leadership does not always wear the harness of compromise. —Woodrow Wilson
71. Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy. —Norman Schwarzkopf
72. Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership. —Colin Powell
73. Leadership is the key to 99 percent of all successful efforts. —Erskine Bowles
74. Leadership is unlocking people's potential to become better. —Bill Bradley
75. Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing. —Tom Peters
76. Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall. —Stephen Covey
77. Never give an order that can't be obeyed. —General Douglas MacArthur
78. No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent. —Abraham Lincoln
79. What you do has far greater impact than what you say. —Stephen Covey
80. Not the cry, but the flight of a wild duck, leads the flock to fly and follow. —Chinese Proverb
81. One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency. —Arnold Glasow
82. The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind him in other men, the conviction and the will to carry on. —Walter Lippman
83. The greatest leaders mobilize others by coalescing people around a shared vision. —Ken Blanchard
84. The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership. —Harvey Firestone
85. To do great things is difficult; but to command great things is more difficult. —Friedrich Nietzsche
86. To have long term success as a coach or in any position of leadership, you have to be obsessed in some way. —Pat Riley
87. True leadership lies in guiding others to success. In ensuring that everyone is performing at their best, doing the work they are pledged to do and doing it well. —Bill Owens
88. We live in a society obsessed with public opinion. But leadership has never been about popularity. —Marco Rubio
89. Whatever you are, be a good one. —Abraham Lincoln
90. You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do. —Eleanor Roosevelt
91. A competent leader can get efficient service from poor troops, while on the contrary an incapable leader can demoralize the best of troops. —John J Pershing
92. A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit. —John Maxwell
93. There are three essentials to leadership: humility, clarity and courage. —Fuchan Yuan
94. I am endlessly fascinated that playing football is considered a training ground for leadership, but raising children isn't. —Dee Dee Myers
95. A cowardly leader is the most dangerous of men. —Stephen King
96. My responsibility is getting all my players playing for the name on the front of the jersey, not the one on the back. –Unknown
97. A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week. –George Patton
98. The supreme quality of leadership is integrity. –Dwight Eisenhower
99. You don’t lead by hitting people over the head—that’s assault, not leadership. –Dwight Eisenhower
100. Earn your leadership every day. –Michael Jordan
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