This assignment requires in-depth analysis that demonstrates your ability to apply management theory to real life situations. There are a number of steps you will need to complete to be able to write a comprehensive report. The first step is to identify an individual that you believe is an effective leader. This individual can be someone with whom you work, someone in your work organisation that you do not work with directly, someone with whom you attend school, an individual on a sporting team or other social or recreational club. This individual will need to be accessible to you, as you will want to interview this person to substantiate your hypotheses. Once you have identified your subject describe the specific actions/behaviours you have seen this individual display that made you choose them as your example of a good leader. Ensure you fully describe the context and the outcomes. I would prefer that the individuals chosen as subjects not be identified - so please change any distinguishing characteristics to protect the identity of your subject. Review the literature for theories and concepts of leadership that support the effectiveness of your subject. For example, you may have chosen an individual who appears to use the Path Goal model of leadership, or perhaps someone who is charismatic as per the trait theories. Use the concepts/theories to explain why you believe your subject is successful in leading the people he or she ‘works' with. Interview your subject to understand how they perceived the actions/behaviours that you identified previously. Use the interview as an opportunity to test how well the theories correspond to real managerial behaviour.
You will want to describe the actions/behaviours you observed and explore with your subject their motivation for acting in this way. Complete a report of about 3,500 words that outlines your findings. Ensure that the report includes:
- a general (but unidentifiable) description of your subject
- a full description of the actions/behaviours that you believe enabled this individual to be a successful leader
- the theory or theories or concepts that support your assessment
- your findings to substantiate or refute the theory or theories based on your interview of your subject
- the lessons learned, with an emphasis on your future leadership behaviour.