Leadership Image

Sample assignment for Images of Leadership:

Sample assignments are distributed to give you ideas about the assignments. Please do not use

sentences taken directly or paraphrased from sample assignments. It is NOT acceptable to use

similar ideas from sample assignments even if the student expresses the ideas in his/her own

words.

These are not perfect essays. Please keep in mind that the samples I will distribute in this class

are student assignments and may have some mistakes. Please follow assignment instructions to

complete the assignments.

Student Name

Image #1 (upright domino's)

The first image I chose for my leadership topic was a picture that shows dominoes lined up in

consecutive lines. The dominoes are the usual tan or brown color except for one in the middle that

stands out from the group which is red. In my view this picture shows the traits of a democratic leader.

The first thing I saw in this picture, was that the leader was surrounded by other co-workers and not

leading them from the front. According to Andrew Dubrin (2016), democratic leaders “function as

collectors of group opinion and take a vote before making a decision” (p. 125). In this picture the red

domino (leader) is surrounded by the ideas and votes of the other workers in his group. According to

Reiley (2001), using the democratic system can create a sense of buy-in, in which people can come

together. This will create a feeling of equality among the group and members will not be as nervous

about voicing their opinion on the topic. The leader will ultimately have to make the final decision on

the matter that he believes will be best for the group.

Image # 2 (Breaking through the barrier)

This image shows three different arrows colliding with a brick wall. The first two arrows are

black and must turn back and go the way they came. The third arrow which is colored red breaks

through this wall and progresses into the future. The red arrow is a metaphor for the innovative leader

who has the drive and the knowledge to break through obstacles. The wall represents problems that

every leader will face in their career. The majority of leaders will keep trying the same techniques in

hopes of somehow breaking through the barrier. A leader who is determined to succeed will use

innovation, problem solving and invention. Innovative leadership can be defined as fostering new

thinking and collaboration that creates new business opportunities (How to be an innovative, not just

business, leader, 2010, January 27). David Horth and Dan Bruchner (2009), from the Center for

Creative Leadership, say that “when faced with a problem or confusion, our instinct is to repair it with

order” (p. 4). This is true for the two black arrows; they have analyzed the problem and have used the

usual means to fix the problem. Many times problems are much more complex than they seem and

“what worked before will not work today” (Horth, & Bruchner, 2009, p. 4).

Image #3 (Crossing the bridge)

This image shows chickens debating on whether or not to cross a long wooden board that is

over a small stream. On the middle of the board making his way across is a rooster, leading the group.

You can see the followers are very reluctant to cross the bridge as it is a new and scary activity for

them. The rooster is using the leading by example trait that many great leaders use to inspire and

educate their followers. This photo is a great reference for transformational leadership, especially the

model the way competency. James Kouze's and Barry Posner's (2012) definition of model the way says

“modeling means going first, living the behaviors you want others to adopt” (p. 16). In many occasions

people will not believe what leaders say but what they do. As the hens see that the rooster has made it

across the board successfully, they will feel motivated to cross the board. According to Dubrin (2016),

Transformational leadership is “one who brings about positive, major changes in an organization” (p.

77). The rooster also shows a bit of situational leadership in this picture. In different circumstances you

must use varying theories and for this problem he chose to take it upon himself to act and inspire the

rest of the hens.

References

DuBrin, A. J. (2016). Leadership: Research findings, practices, and skills (8th Edition). Boston, MA:

Cengage Learning.

Horth, D., & Buchner, D. (2009). Innovation leadership: How to use innovation to lead effectively,

work collaboratively, and drive results. Retrieved from

http://www.ccl.org/leadership/pdf/research/InnovationLeadership.pdf

How to be an innovative, not just business, leader (2010, January 27). Forbes. Retrieved from

http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/27/innovation-change-strategy-leadership-managing-ccl.html

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge (5th Edition). San Francisco, CA:

Jossey-Bass.

Reilly, T. (2001). Collaboration in action: An uncertain process. Administration in Social Work, 25(1),

53-74.