Followership as a Role

3.4 Assignment. Leader2Leader Dialogue Question Preparation

Getting Started

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 leading, 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 this 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 will aid you in creating questions for the dialogue. Be prepared to carry out your dialogue after you receive feedback from your instructor. 

· Conduct your interview during the Week of Workshop 4.

· Review  5.3 Assignment: Leader2Leader Conversation Report(new tab)  where you will report your findings.

· Include your learning from the dialogue as you complete your course project in workshop six.

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

· Assess the fundamental relationship between effective followers and effective leaders necessary for effective organizations.

Background Information

An important part of leadership development is acquiring perspectives outside of a textbook. Throughout your program, you will be encouraged to glean insights or perspectives from a variety of external leaders. Beginning with this first course in your program, you have been encouraged to identify some leaders with whom you can hold a brief discussion (30 minutes or less).

You should not just use the same leader for each course, but you should consider a variety of individuals from whom you might learn during the program (e.g., direct supervisor, other level leaders in your organization (or other organizations with which you are familiar), a pastor/religious leader, head of a charity, local businessperson) in order 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.

Instructions

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

2. Review the following videos to glean insights into how to best develop questions:

3.

4.

1. In preparation for your dialogue, submit an executive summary containing the following:

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

5. Date, time, and method (Zoom, Skype, FaceTime…) planned for conducting the dialogue.

5. A set of 7–10 questions or discussion starters from this week’s material on character, virtues, and values.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

8. What flow exists between the questions?

8. What ones are the most essential?

8. What ones might serve as follow-up questions?

1. Your executive summary can be written in the form of an outline.

1. Submit your completed assignment by Day 7 of the workshop.

1. After you receive feedback from your instructor on your interview questions, it is highly encouraged that you conduct your interview during Workshop Four, so that you can allow yourself enough time to work on the report during Workshop Five.