Theology of Women and Leading Groups and Teams

3.2 Discussion. Leader2Leader Dialogue

Getting Started

*Please note that this is different than how you have done this type of assignment in past courses*

Part of developing a strong foundation for leadership rests in seeking wisdom from others. For this assignment, you will prepare to engage a leader of your choosing as you conduct a Leader2Leader dialogue. Taking into consideration what you have studied thus far about team development, you will develop a set of questions or discussion starters that you will use to gain new insights and perspectives on how someone else practices leadership. You’ve read from textbooks and articles. You’ve discussed with your peers. However, further insights might be gained by dialogues with key leaders in your life. Do they agree with some of the frameworks, principles, and practices you’ve been studying? Disagree? Have additional insights they might offer? What have they learned from their experiences in the areas you have been studying?

You will want to be mindful of the scope of this course. Remembering what you have studied thus far (the stages of team development, team dysfunctions, cultural dimensions, groups vs. teams) will aid you in creating questions that will help you learn how this leader thinks about and practices team leadership and team development.

Be prepared to carry out your dialogue after you receive feedback from your instructor. You will need to be ready to report on your findings in Workshop Five. Please take time to review  Discussion 5.3(new tab)  so you can plan ahead.

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

· Propose a relevant set of discussion starters to enhance your learning from an established leader.

Background Information

An important part of leadership development is getting perspectives outside of a textbook. Throughout your program, you will be encouraged to glean insights or perspectives from an external “leadership mentor.” You should not just use the same leader for each course, but you should consider a variety of individuals you might learn from during the program (e.g., direct supervisor, other level leaders in their organization, a pastor/religious leader, head of a charity, local business-person) to generate a variety of perspectives. Select one of those leaders in your life for your Leader2Leader dialogue in this course. Consider – which one might have the most relevant insights for the topics you have been studying.

By this point, you have already held several Leader2Leader dialogues in your courses. As you work through the entirety of the program, it may be appropriate that you interview the same leader more than once. However, broaden your horizons. Who else might you talk to? Who is the best leader in your life to have a conversation about the importance of critical thinking as a leader? Expanding who you talk to in the program will also expand your leadership network for the future, perhaps giving you even more opportunities.

Instructions

*Please note that this is different than how you have done this type of assignment in past courses*

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade. 

2. In preparation for your dialogue, submit in a discussion post the following:

a. Name and title of the interviewee (who you will have your Leader2Leader dialogue with)

b. The 2-3 most important insights from your past L2L interviews?

c. A set of 7-10 questions or discussion starters for your upcoming L2L conversation.

3. Questions should not be simple “Yes” – “No” questions but should allow the leader you selected to provide thoughtful explanations that will contribute to your understanding of the topic.

4. Questions should display variety, not focusing on one or two topics. Be sure to take time to review what you have learned this week and during the earlier workshops. Note: When you write your executive summary, clearly connect each question to a principle represented in the course material.

5. Keep in mind the dialogue should be 30 minutes or less. So, you may not have time to ask all the questions you develop. Consider how you arrange or outline the questions. What flow exists between the questions? Which ones are most essential? What ones might serve as follow-up questions?

6. Your questions can be written in the form of an outline/bullet points.

7. Initial Post of 300-400 words responding to the question prompts due by the fourth day of the workshop. Two additional 100-to-200-word responses to other students' posts are due by the end of the workshop. Any questions posed by the instructor to the student must also be answered. Follow-up posts should help refine questions or develop new insights that would be useful to include in the interviews. You’ve been doing these Leader2Leader dialogues for several courses now. You should have developed quite a bit of skill in developing effective questions for those conversations. At this point in the program, you should be able to have good peer2peer discussions to help each other create even better starter thoughts.

8. Consider the feedback from your instructors and peers as this will contribute to assignment 3.4. After you receive feedback on your interview questions, you will need to conduct your interview ideally during Workshop Four, before you work on  Discussion 5.3(new tab) . Please schedule your interview accordingly.