Assignment:
Topic: Leadership Paper
Part 1: Strengths Finder
At this point you should have completed reading the first section of the Strengths Finder Book (pp.i-31) and taken the Strengths Finder assessment. You will reflect on the readings in Section A and on your Assessment Report in Section B.
Section A: Reflect on the idea behind the Strengths Finder assessment:
What are your overall thoughts on the Strengths Finder assessment?
On pages 5-7 author Tom Rath talks about the Misguided Maxim "You can be anything you want to be if you just try hard enough." What are your thoughts on this topic? Agree/Disagree, Why?
On page 9, Mr. Rath restates the motto to say "You cannot be anything you want to be-but you can be a lot more of who you already are." What do you think about that motto? Agree/Disagree Why?
On page 12, Mr. Rath discusses that if you are not in the "strengths" zone then you are less likely to be engaged in your job, as well as it could have implications for your health and relationships. What are your thoughts? Agree/Disagree, Why?
Section B: Reflect on your 5 themes or "talents":
Look up your 5 themes in the Strengths Finder book and also read about them in your report. Do you agree with your themes? Yes/No, Why? How does this information help you better understand your unique talents? Do you see other themes in the book (list is on page 36) that you feel fit you better? Yes/No Why?
Read through your "Ideas for Action" for each of your themes (either in your report or the book). Do you see any ideas in the lists that you will implement in the near future? Yes/No? Explain.
What is your next step now that you have found the areas where you have the greatest potential to develop your strengths? Will this change the way in which you do anything in the workplace or in your personal life?
Part 2: Leadership Theory
After reading about the various leadership styles/theories, I want you to choose 1 (2 if you feel more than one fits) to explain in detail. When discussing your leadership theory include the following points in your paper:
What leadership style or theory did you choose and why, what made you chose this over the other theories?
Explain how you will use this theory in your current work situation now or how you will implement it in the future and how?
Outside Sources: The books and readings gave a quick overview of each leadership theory. You will need to research the theory in more detail to gain more knowledge on the topic. Find a minimum of 1 outside source (besides the textbook) that relates to your leadership style. This does not have to be from a peer-reviewed source. When you use this outside sources in your paper make sure you cite it properly in APA format and include it in your reference page. You can use what you learned from this source throughout part 2 of your paper or where needed.
How will you integrate your 5 "strengths" or "themes" from your Strengths Finder Assessment you took in with your leadership theory/style you chose? Do these themes match your leadership theory/style, yes/no, how?
What will you do differently as a result of learning about your strengths or themes and your leadership style? This can be in the workplace, at home, or in any other situation.
Points will be deducted if you are missing sections or do not include full reflective answers. Make sure you proofread for grammar and spelling errors.
You do not have a minimum or maximum page, but in the past on average these papers have been around 5 to 8 pages in length.
Use 12 point font, double spaced, Times new Roman or similar font, 1 in. margins and written in APA Essay format.
You will write this paper in essay format, but it is fine to break the paper up with headings to match the parts and/or sections. APA format required for citations and reference page.