Critical Thinkng for Leaders

Getting Started

This assignment represents the culmination of work you began in the third week of this course ( Assignment 3.4(new tab) ). In that workshop, you submitted a set of questions for your Leader2Leader Dialogue. If you have not already conducted that conversation, you will need to do so during this week so that you may submit your report by Day 7 of the workshop.

As a reminder, for this assignment, you will 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 your list of conversation questions to gain new insights and perspectives on how someone else practices leadership. You’ve read from textbooks and articles. You’ve discussed these topics with your peers. Now, 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?

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 business person) 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.

1. Review the following videos to glean insights into how to best conduct your interview:

a. Katie Couric on How to Conduct a Good Interview(new tab)

b. Four Tips for an Effective Interview: A StoryCorps Education Tool(new tab)

2. Write a two- to three-page executive summary, including your approved questions from Assignment 3.4, that contains the following:

2. Name and title of the interviewee (who you will have your Leader2Leader dialogue with). Explain why you chose this particular leader.

2. Date, time, and method (phone, Zoom, Skype, FaceTime…) when the interview was conducted

1. Include in your executive summary your set of 7-10 questions from Assignment 3.4. Please remember that:

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.

3. 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.

3. 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? What ones are the most essential? What ones might serve as follow-up questions?

1. Incorporate into your paper your questions and summaries of interviewee responses, along with your reflections on those responses. Be sure to link your learning in this course to your conclusions, especially noting when your interviewee shared insights that supported or contradicted what you’ve learned.

1. Include a conclusion paragraph to your paper that provides a succinct summary of your interview and learning.

1. When you have completed your assignment, submit a copy using the Assignment submission link in Brightspace by the end of the workshop week.

1. All papers are to be written in accordance with APA Guidelines (7th ed.) including format guidelines. Papers must be logical, well organized, grammatically correct, and have correct spelling and sentence structure. Write in complete paragraphs of at least three sentences in length.