Leadership Interview & Observation Paper:

I recommend that you, a) begin to think about a setting for your work, and a leader you would like to interview or shadow, b) create a plan that includes the goals of the paper as shown below, steps to identify site and people you want to interview, interview questions; a timetable to complete the paper. The references in your texts, the case studies, the discussions with your classmates and with me, are all resources at your disposal.

Leadership Interview & Observation Paper

Identify a leader to interview and observe for five to eight hours.Your goals are: a) to learn about leadership in real environments; b) test theories and concepts you are being exposed to (in class and in the literature), and c) think about the impact the chosen leader has on individuals and the organization.Use the lens of some of the concepts and theories in our texts or some you have found on the web, such as the 5 practices of Kouzes and Posner from their book, The Leadership Challenge (2017) or Bennis & Nanus’s, Leaders:The Strategies for Taking Charge (1985), or Kellerman and Rhodes’, Women & Leadership (2007)—I will send you a list of resources in a couple of weeks.Create an interview protocol and list your questions.For example:

Ø What position does person hold?(Ask for organizational chart)

Ø What are person’s values or principles?

Ø How does the leader make decisions?

Ø What type of organization is it?

Ø Is there a board of directors?

Ø How does the leader define success?

Ø What leadership style does she/he practice?

Ø Whose theory does she/he follow?

Ask for an opportunity to observe the leader in the organization, for a staff meeting, or just a day to shadow the person as s/he conducts the business of the day.Use your imagination to learn as much as you can about the chosen leader.Your paper must have an introduction, purpose statement, presentation of findings, analysis with references to the literature, and conclusions.Paper must not exceed 10 pages, including reference page; title page cannot be counted in tally.