Chapter 2 Leader Development 75
Not all effective leaders seem to be reflective by nature. How do you reconcile that with the concept of the spiral of experience and its role in leadership development?
Explain how you can use knowledge about each of the following to enrich the benefits of your own present leadership experiences:
The action–observation–reflection model
The people you interact and work with
The activities you are involved in
Using the role of teacher as a specific instance of leadership, discuss how a teacher’s perceptual set, expectations of students, and attributions may affect student motivation and performance. Do you think some teachers could become more effective by becoming more aware of these processes? Would that be true for leaders in general?
If you were to design the perfect leadership development experience for yourself, how would you do so and what would it include? How would you know whether it was effective?
Do you think people have a need for growth and development?
One important aspect of learning from experience is observing the consequences of one’s actions. Sometimes, however, the most significant consequences of a leader’s actions do not occur for several years (for example, the ultimate impact of certain personnel decisions or a strategic decision to change a product line). Is there any way individuals can learn from the consequences of those actions in a way to modify their behavior? If consequences are so delayed, is there a danger they might draw the wrong lessons from their experiences?
What would a development plan for student leaders look like? How could you capitalize on school experiences as part of a development plan?
What would a leadership coaching or mentoring program for students look like? How could you tell whether the program worked?
