Leadership Toolkit

Assessing students' awareness and development of leadership

1. Reflective journals
2. Reflective essays
3. Analytical essays
4. Case studies
5. Media, film and fiction
6. Current affairs
7. Group presentations
8. Role plays

Reflective essays

Why not help your students reflect on their leadership and followership experiences by getting them to do an assignment similar to the one below.

Ask students to write a 2000 word essay reflecting on their leadership and followership experiences in relation to the planning and delivery of a group presentation. It is important for them to link their experiences to the literature and they should utilise at least six refereed journal articles and/or academic book chapters, but no text books. Internet references are optional but must be in addition to the foregoing requirement.

In reflective essays, it is appropriate to use the first person e.g.: 'I', 'my', 'our', 'he', 'she,' etc. For this assignment, however, students need to step back from the experience of the group/class and ponder the meaning they drew from undertaking the group project. They must think critically about their leadership (or follower) role when developing the group presentation and comment on their personal involvement.  They should, for example, address questions relating to their connection with other members; the extent to which they asked questions or provided information; their energy levels and how they understood them; and the influence of the dynamic of the group/class influence on their own learning.

Key learnings from this experience should, where possible, be linked to readings. Leadership requires a combination of roles, some of which are prescribed and others which are informal. Skills include self-awareness, communication, empathy with others; being a clarifier, facilitator, negotiator, etc.; and students should evaluate their own performance and learning in the light of these aspects of leadership and teamwork.

Adapted from: Course outline 7421MGT, Griffith University.
Leadership and self development (post-graduate program)

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