Regis University

MSM 602 DL - Week One

Leadership: Why Is It Important?

1.0 Overview and Outcomes

Topics:

The Nature and Importance of Leadership

Traits, Motives, and Characteristics of Leaders

Introduction:

We begin by exploring a framework for understanding the nature and importance of

leadership. Emphasis is placed on understanding the meaning of leadership and its

impact on the organization.

In addition, we'll examine the rhetorical question of whether or not leaders are born,

bred, or emerge based on need by identifying the personality, traits, motives, and

characteristics of effective leaders.

Outcomes

After studying the readings and completing the exercises, you should be able to:

Develop your own definition of leadership and describe how leadership differs

from management.

Identify general and task-related traits that contribute to leadership

effectiveness.

Describe the various roles leaders can assume and identify the major

satisfactions and frustrations associated with the leadership role.

Describe how leadership influences organizational performance.

Recognize how leadership skills are developed.

Language Objectives:

After studying the readings and completing the exercises, you should be able to:

Write an essay using proper English grammar and syntax.

Understand, analyze and propose a solution in writing, using a variety of

vocabulary in an appropriate manner.

Participate and express your ideas orally using correct grammar and

pronunciation.

Why do you think there are so many perspectives on leadership? Post your answer on the forum.

Demonstrate your oral proficiency and command of English by presenting the

ideas studied in your own words.

Content1.1 What is Leadership?

Learning Activity & Discussion

Should you have any doubts that there is much discussion and even more “expert”

opinions available on just what leadership is, please go to Amazon.com and find out

how many books are available on the subject. And if that is not enough, “google”

the subject of leadership and find out, in addition, just how many articles are also

available on the subject. You may be surprised just how much information is readily

available on the subject. Is all this information necessarily good or even valid?

Forum Posting

1.1.1 Authentic Leadership

Unfortunately, a good deal of the material available treats the subject of leadership

as if it were a set of behaviors to be put on like a piece of clothing - “the 4, 8, 16 or

32 steps to becoming a leader.” In addition, leadership definitions quite often

position leadership as some type of manipulative influencing “outside in” practice

that “bends one to your will.” Authentic leadership is none of the above but rather

an “inside-out” practice through which the leader creates an environment in which

people choose to follow the leader — a noticeably very different set of behaviors.

Positional Power abuse is not leadership. All too often, due to the hierarchical

infrastructures in the business environments in which we operate, there is a

tendency to expect that those in higher positional power roles are leaders.

Unfortunately, as we experience the critical shortage of leadership in American

businesses, quite often nothing could be farther from the truth.

"Leaders are not only stewards of the business charged with generating outcomes, but are also responsible for the health and well being of those they lead."

1.1.2 Leadership vs. Management

Leadership and management are very different roles. Broadly speaking, leadership

deals with the interpersonal aspects of a manager’s job, whereas planning,

organizing and controlling deal with the administrative aspects. Your text does a

very adequate job of identifying the characteristics of leaders versus managers. The

leader is more concerned with strategic activities while the manager is more

focused on tactical maneuvers. The leader is the one responsible for “driving the

bus.”

For the health and well being of the organization, a manager must know how to lead

as well as how to manage. The choice to follow is always in the hands of the

followers and the leader must be able to create an environment in which the

follower chooses to follow the leader to go to places the follower would not go on

their own.

Highly effective leaders make significant impacts on followers that go well beyond

the task or immediate assignment at hand. They are able to create environments

that honor and value the individual and fully engage human beings in the creation

of outcomes that they mutually want to create.

High performance environments are the creations of highly effective leaders. High

performance environments are peak performing experiences. Once a follower has

experienced the power of having been a part of a peak performing experience, they

will spend the rest of their career seeking to replicate the experience.

Leadership can be one of the most fulfilling and yet one of the most frustrating

growth opportunities that one can experience. First of all, it is always a choice. In

addition, it is a moral choice that makes one ultimately responsible for the human

spirit that is entrusted to your care. Leaders are not only stewards of the business

charged with generating outcomes but are also responsible for the health and well

being of those they lead. As to be expected, having a much greater responsibility

for the outcomes of an organization and being responsible for all that has to be

done to generate those outcomes as well as the human spirit entrusted to their care

“The leader is more concerned with strategic activities while the manager is more focused on tactical maneuvers”.

can be an overwhelming proposition. It is definitely not a career for the faint of

heart.

1.1.3 Leaders in Practice - What is Leadership

1.2 Roles and Responsibilities of Leaders

Leader's in Practice

MSM602_W1_1_2_Video Now let's take a look at some of the roles that leaders play.

As you watch the video, think about the following question and discuss it in the forum: Where and by whom is leadership exercised in an organization?

MSM602_W1_1_2_Transcript for "the roles that leaders play."

1.3 Characteristics of Leaders

Leader's in Practice

MSM602_W1_1_3_Video for What characteristics must a leader demonstrate?

Leader's in Practice

MSM602_W1_1_1_3_Video Now let's ask: What is Leadership?

As you watch the video, think about the following question and discuss it in the forum: Which definitions of leadership presented by the leaders in the video most resonate with you and why?

MSM602_W1_1_1_3_Transcript for "What is Leadership?"

As you watch the video, think about this question and discuss it in the forum.

MSM602_W1_1_3_Transcript for "What characteristics must a leader demonstrate?"

1.4 IQ vs. EQ

Bottom line - a leader is someone who is very unmistakably authentic and very

clear about who they are and what they intend to accomplish with and through

others. They are those individuals who are very adept at knowing how to “use

things and love people rather than some of their peers who, perhaps, are much

more proficient in the practice of loving things and using people.”

Leadership is an “inside out” process and is resident in one’s ability to create high

trust, high integrity environments. Environments in which respected and valued

individuals can fully utilize their gifts and talents to work collaboratively to create

outcomes that they really care about.

There are many valuable tips and techniques to enhance task skills and technical

proficiencies to help leaders develop and become more effective. However,

authenticity, integrity, and the ability to create high trust environments are the

foundational characteristic traits of highly effective leaders that are not trainable or

negotiable. These traits are only identified and enhanced through very intense and

on-going honest introspection and reflection.

While I.Q. is important and is the major contributor to both task proficiency and the

attainment of creditability, emotional intelligence (E.Q) is also equally important.

Often, positional power abusers, masquerading as leaders, are those who may have

high I.Q’s. but very low E.Q’s.

1.5 Are Leaders Born or Made? While there continues to be a great debate over whether leaders are born or made,

the truth more than likely lies somewhere in the middle. We are all by-products of

Leadership is an “inside out” process.

our genetics, environments and our life experiences. If it were relegated strictly to

determining that it is heredity or environment then how is one able to explain

scenarios in which only one leader emerges from a family of nine produced by the

same parents and raised in identical environments. To what degree each of these

realties might override the other and become the predominant factor has never

been adequately proven. Perhaps, it is timely to entertain the possibility that

leaders, affected and impacted by both heredity and environment, emerge as a

result of being called to address outcomes that they really care about. It’s an idea

worth considering.

Discussion Forum: Questions

Si usted tiene alguna pregunta, le invito a que acceda a la carpeta Written

Discussion Forum/Foro de Discusión Escrito y seleccione el enlace

Communication/Comunicación.

En este espacio podemos aclarar cualquier inquietud. Para participar presiona New

Post o seleccione el foro de discusión de su interés

Activities / Tasks: Week One

Task 1.1 Icebreaker activity

Instructions:

1. The facilitator will go to the voice discussion forum and verbally introduce

him/herself using the voice and video tool available.

2. The e-lab tab contains information about how you can record and submit

your participation in the Voice Discussion Forum.

3. Facilitator will create a new thread for students to introduce themselves. The

facilitator may choose to include the following information: name, occupation

or professional interests and aspirations, e-mail address, and course

expectations. (The facilitator may choose to use other prompts or questions)

4. The student will select the Voice Forum/Foro Oral tab. Navigate to the

discussion forum called T1.1“Icebreaker activity” to post verbally his/her

message. The discussion forum appears on the screen. Select the New Post

hyperlink (in the toolbar located in the top frame) to post a new message.

5. Listen to your classmates and respond to at least two of your classmates’

introductions.

Task 1.2 Voice Discussion Forum: Videos

Instructions

1. Based on the answers to the “Leaders in Practice videos, Web

research and your Personal Leadership Journal, describe:

o The most effective leader you have worked with.

o What made that leader so effect?

o What did you learn from that leader?

2. Access Voice Forum/Foro Oral tab then, clic T1.2 Voice Forum

Video and use the voice tool available to post orally your answers by

Sunday evening of Week 1.

3. Comment on at least two of your classmates voice publications.

4. The e-lab tab contains information about how you can record and

submit your participation in the Voice Discussion Forum.

Task 1.3 Case Study Essay (written)

Instructions:

1. Read one of the case studies that you and your facilitator have

selected from chapters 1-3 in your Leadership textbook:

Chapter 1 - Leadership Case Problem A - "Highland Homes Goes

for the Green"

Chapter 2 - Leadership Case Problem A - "Amy Touchstone

Wants to Shape Up the Club"

Chapter 3 - Leadership Case Problem A - "The Image Doctor Is

In"

2. Answer the questions for that particular case as well as the following

questions:

What role did the leader really play? (Even if you believe the role

was the same as stated in the case.)

Who are the stakeholders and what is their impact on the

situation?

What is the role of communication in the success of the

organization?

Who is the current leader of the organization—check the

organization's web site. If different than the leader in the case

study, what happened to that leader?

What was the outcome of the initiative or situation discussed in

the case?

What are implications for the company's future?

How would you have addressed the situation if you were the

leader in that organization?

3. Write an essay addressing all the questions for that particular case

study as well as the additional questions given by the facilitator. Your

essay must include the following requirements:

APA style guide (6th. ed.) for writing is required. Further

information on how to use the APA Style Sheet for written

assignments can be accessed through the following link:

http://www.regis.edu/regis.asp?sctn=ars&pl=ws

Essay should be typed in a MS Word document or Open Office. It

must be double- spaced, standard-sized (8.5" x 11") with 1"

margins on all sides. You should use 10-12 pt. Times New

Roman font or a similar font.

Include a page header at the top of every page; the page

header will include title of your paper at the left and page

number at the right hand side.

The title page should contain the title of the paper, your name,

and the institutions name.

Type your title in upper and lowercase letters centered in the

upper half of the page. APA recommends that your title be no

The Personal Leadership Journal

Download and save the Personal Leadership Journal template to your computer. You will be using this template every week for your journal entries.

MSM602_W1_1_4_Task for Personal Leadership journal Template

more than 12 words in length and that it should not contain

abbreviations or words that serve no purpose. Your title may

take up one or two lines. All text on the title page, and

throughout your paper, should be double-spaced.

Beneath the title, type your name: first name, middle initial(s),

and last name. Do not use titles (Dr.) or degrees (Ph.D.).

Beneath your name, type the institutions name.

Answer each question in one or two well crafted paragraphs.

Your essay should include four major sections: the Title Page,

Abstract, Main Body, and References.

Save your case study assignment. Title it

T1.3.yourname.lastname.Case Study Essay and submit it

using the Assignment Drop Box/Bandeja de asignaciones

folder.

Task 1.4 Personal Leadership Journal (written)

Instructions:

1. Answer the following questions in your journal

What do you feel is your own leadership style?

What did you learn about yourself and others that would help you

as a leader?

2. Enter 1-2 brief paragraphs in your journal.

3. Download and save the Personal Leadership Journal template to your

computer. You will be using this template every week for your journal

entries.

(Press Ctrl+Click to follow link)

Task 1.5 Placement Test TELL ME MORE® (written/oral)

Instructions:

The purpose of this task is to complete a diagnostic test that will determine your

language proficiency level in English and/or Spanish.

Welcome to TELL ME MORE® where you can access a personalized Language

Program to improve your language skills. Using this program, you will be able to

develop the skills that are crucial for communication such as: listening and reading

comprehension, oral and written expression, vocabulary, and grammar.

TELL ME MORE ® can be easily accessed from your home. Simply access your e-lab

link and start enriching your skills in the language chosen as described below:

Tell Me More Program

1. Go to your E-Lab located at the content page of your course on BlackBoard.

2. To access the application, Click the link TELL ME MORE – English to create a

link with your information to launch the program.

3. Once you are in TELL ME MORE, click start the test to take the placement test

which will identify your level of proficiency in the language selected.

4. During this process, get advice and support from your facilitator and contact the

Technical Support if you encounter technical difficulties.

5. Assess your progress at the end of your training with the option Achievement Test

by clicking the tabs Tests and Achievement Test.

Click the link Start the Test and then click the link Start.

Copy your results from TELL ME MORE and paste them in MS Word or any other

compatible program document. Your instructor will use Appendix B: Tell Me More

Rubric (5 points) to evaluate this task. Once you have completed this week’s

exercises, you will be awarded five (5) points.

Steps on How to Paste Your Results:

1. Once you have completed the TELL ME MORE® exercises, press the control

(CTRL) + Print Screen keys simultaneously (these keys are located on the upper

part of your keyboard). This will copy what is being shown on your computer

monitor/screen onto your computer's clipboard (memory) - snapshot. Note: If you

have a Laptop, instead of pressing the CTRL key, press the Function key (a blue

key located in the bottom left side of the keyboard next to the CTRL + Print Screen

keys).

2. Now paste the results to an MS Word (or a compatible program) document by

pressing CTRL + v (letter) or clicking on the Paste menu option of the program

you are using.

3. The snapshot of your monitor/screen data (the Tell Me More results) should now

appear in the MS Word (or compatible program) document.

4. Save the document as: T1.5.TMM.yourname.lastnam, click on the Content

tab and access the Assignment Drop Box link to submit your exercise.

5. Once you have completed your exercise, send your file through the Content tab

and access Assignment Drop Box link. If you need instructions on how to use

Assignment Drop Box, please click here.

Assessment:

Task 1.6 Voice Reflective Journal:

1. Go to Voice Forum/Foro Oral tab and access t.1.6 Reflective

Journal, the student will orally post using the voice tool available the

answers to the following questions:

o What do you feel is your own leadership style?

o What did you learn about yourself and others that would help

you as a leader?

2. The e-lab tab contains information about how you can record and

submit your participation in the Voice Discussion Forum.

3. Verbally reply to two of your classmate’s post. The oral rubric will be

used to assess students’ participation. (Appendix D)

¡¡Congratulations!!

You have completed Week One.