For your final paper, I would like for you to choose a leader that you personally know, create 5-10 well thought out questions, and interview him/her about his or her experience as a leader. You can interview via email, zoom or other platform. Then write your final paper using the following guidelines:
2-3 pages, double spaced, 1 inch margins, Times New Roman, size 12 font.
Please structure your paper in the following way:
Part 1 (1/2 page): Short biography of the leader you choose. Tell me who this person is, how is the person a leader (title or otherwise), what is your relationship to this person and a little about this individual’s background.
Part 2 (1/2 page): List 5-10 well thought out questions that you will ask your person. Questions can be anything you are curious about but should include clear ties to the subject matter presented throughout this course.
Part 3 (1-2 pages): For this part I would like you to discuss what you learned from conducting this interview. (I do not need a transcript saying “I asked ___” “She/He said____”) Instead, tell me what surprised you? What was affirming? What stuck with you as an important point to remember? I am looking for the highlights in your mind. What made this experience valuable and what elements were thought provoking. For this section, I would also like to see you reference at least 3 concepts, by name, that we discussed in this class. Indicate your concepts by making the names BOLD as you use them in your paper . You may use any concepts you like from the whole class. I just want to see you make the connections between what you learned and what is happening in the “real world.”
Here is a short expert from part 3 of someone’s paper as an example: “When I asked Susan about her biggest fear as a leader, I was surprised to learn that she worried most about developing her employees and she wondered if she was doing enough to help them grow and learn new things. This made me think that Susan strives to be a transformational leader because she is so concerned with mentoring her employees for their own growth rather than just being focused on meeting current goals. I find this inspiring because I want to be that kind of leader too. I want to see people grow and become even more capable because I was a leader in their life.”
Formatting Requirements (worth 10% of the grade):
- Include a header with your name, course name and date
- Minimum two pages with 500+ words
- Use MLA Formatting: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_sample_paper.html (Links to an external site.)
- Double spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font
Grades will be based on thoughtfulness and completeness of your reflection. Excellent papers stay on topic and thoroughly address the prompt. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation will also be factors in your grade so be sure to proof read your work before submitting.
