Loud, Noise

Leadership Philosophy and Action Plan MGT 604

Knowing and refining your principles and your approach toward leading people is a lifelong

exercise toward being an effective leader. Using the principles of this class, you will outline your

leadership philosophy and an action plan for your own development in approximately 10 double-

spaced, typewritten pages. It is important to note that a major objective of this course is for

students to apply the course material to their own situations and self-improvement. To assist with

this objective, your action plan should outline the specific steps you would take to implement

selected aspects of the course. The purposes of this exercise are to give you (a) the opportunity to

develop a concrete strategy for changing some aspect of behavior or of yourself that you feel

needs development, (b) added appreciation for the complexity involved in applying behavioral

science concepts to managerial problems, and (c) an additional opportunity to demonstrate your

mastery of the course material.

Your paper requires you to reflect deeply upon yourself AND integrate those reflections into

what you will have learned in the course. Be sure to integrate material from the readings into

your thoughts. Cite those concepts appropriately and list your references in a reference section at

the end of your document (the reference page does not count in your length requirement). I do

not care what style you use for references, so long as you use one.

In this essay, you must address the following:

1. Look inward. In this class, what have you learned about YOUR strengths and needs for improvement regarding leadership and interpersonal effectiveness?

2. Look outward. Contemplate your own leadership philosophy. That is, how can you most effectively harness your own strengths to motivate others toward a goal? If you had to

condense your leadership philosophy down to 10--no more, no less--guiding principles,

what would they be? (Make sure you pick your own, not ones that others have written or

that you find anywhere else.) How do these principles reflect both who you are and what

you now know about leadership and interpersonal effectiveness?

3. Look onward. Describe, in concrete, actionable terms, your action plan for becoming an

increasingly effective leader and team member. This section should include a description

of your specific goals: short-term (the next 12 months), mid-term (1 to 3 years), and long-

term (3 to 5 years). Then, describe your strategy for achieving these goals.

Your paper should be presented as an essay, with an introductory paragraph, the sections listed

above, and a brief concluding paragraph. Your paper should be no less than 9 full pages, and no

more than 11 double-spaced pages, with 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, 1-inch

margins.

The paper must be submitted via Blackboard by 11:59 p.m. on the date listed in the syllabus.

I will use the following rubric to grade your paper:

Levels of Achievement

Criteria Proficient Competent Novice

Essay content 17-25 Points All aspects of the

assignment are

addressed thoroughly.

9-17 Points

Aspects of the

assignment are omitted

or treated more

superficially.

1-8 Points Essay content does not

conform to assignment.

Use of course

concepts to support

analyses

17-25 Points

Analytical claims and

arguments are

supported by

concepts/theories from

the course.

9-17 Points

Some claims or

arguments lack support

from course concepts.

1-8 Points Course concepts are not used

in advancing the analyses.

Critical Thinking 17-25 Points Ideas presented in a

logical and compelling

order; assumptions

recognized and treated

appropriately;

reasoning behind

choices/decisions is

clear and explicit.

9-17 Points Missed assumptions;

reasoning not

presented; organization

lacks logic or flow.

1-8 Points Thinking is unclear; lacks

rigor.

Structure & writing 17-25 Points No more than 1 or 2

minor errors in

sentence structure,

spelling or punctuation;

clear and appropriate

paragraph structure and

transitions; uses

original language;

author’s ideas

presented clearly and

concisely; conforms to

required formatting.

9-17 Points No more than 5 errors

in sentence structure,

spelling or punctuation;

adequate paragraph

structure and

transitions; minor

inappropriate use of

paraphrasing or

quotations; author’s

ideas confusing or

wordy in spots; minor

errors in required

formatting.

1-8 Points Repeated major and minor

errors in sentence structure,

spelling or punctuation;

paragraph structure has

serious and persistent errors;

excessive use of

paraphrasing or quotations;

difficult to discern author’s

ideas because of writing

deficiencies; major errors in

required formatting.