MIS 34175 Spring 2011 Hogue
Learning To Lead Through Life
Residential: Jan. 6-9 2011
Mentoring: Through April 8, 2011
Syllabus
Professor: Mary Hogue, Ph.D.
330-672-1148 or mhogue@kent.edu
Associate: Ann Gosky
330-672-8004 or agosky@kent.edu
Book: Kouzes J. M. & Posner, B. Z. (2007). The Leadership Challenge 4th ed.
San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Objectives: 1. Develop a deeper, more complete understanding of leadership as a
process.
2. Develop a better understanding of yourself as part of that process.
3. Practice leading others with newly learned skills
Course structure: Because our course is not a traditional, classroom-based course, you must be willing to learn in an unfamiliar, non-traditional setting, serve your classmates and your teammates by helping them to succeed, and work autonomously on your own self-development. Successful completion of each component listed below is necessary to pass this class. Failure to successfully complete even one component will result in failure of the entire course.
a) Pre-camp
· Fully prepare your binder for camp, including
o copying the electronic file
o answering the necessary questions and putting your answers into written form
o placing all papers into a 1-2” 3-ring binder with side pockets
· Complete LPI Self and secure others to complete the LPI Observers, and have all responses mailed to Ann Gosky NO LATER THAN Mon. Dec. 27, 2010
b) Camp
· Fully participate in lectures, discussions, activities
· Write in your journal each day at each session
c) Post-camp
· Apply what you learned through service-learning
· Develop yourself as a better leader through mentoring
· Reflect on what you learned and reinforce the concepts through final paper
Pre-camp
Before camp, you will be sent an electronic file containing information that must go into your binder. Your binder is a notebook containing your prep work, handouts for speakers, and your journal. You must print out the pages, complete the questions that are indicated in the file, gather paper for your journal, and put everything into a 3-ring notebook that you will keep on the table with you each day at camp. Your binder must be organized with tabs that coincide with the Table of Contents at the beginning of your e-file (e.g., a tab for your journal, a tab for feedback forms, a tab for mentoring papers, etc.).
Our first day of camp will be spent discussing 5 practices of highly effective leaders. We will talk about what the practices are, how you can engage in them, and most importantly, why they matter. The electronic file contains questions for you to answer before arriving at camp. The questions are designed to make you think deeply about yourself and your leader-related experiences. The more thoughtful your responses are, the more you will learn from each session.
Your binder will serve as your ticket to camp. You cannot board the bus that goes to camp without showing your completed binder. Without boarding the bus, you may not continue with the class. You will not receive a failing grade, but you also will not be reimbursed for the course fee.
Also, before arriving at camp, you must complete the Leader Practices Inventory (LPI). You will complete one for yourself, and you will ask others to complete one that will give their impressions of you as well. As we will discuss, leadership is not just what you do. It is also what others think and expect of you. Thus, in order for you to have a good understanding of yourself as a leader, it is important to understand how others see you in that role.
The LPI forms will be mailed to Ann Gosky. Specific information is provided about that at our pre-meeting.
Camp
Camp consists of 4 days and 3 nights at a residential facility. During this time, you will be exposed to many concepts related to leadership and to leading. Below are guidelines for successfully completing camp.
General Behavioral Guidelines
Required behaviors are:
· Residing at the camp Monday-Thursday, from time of arrival to time of departure.
· Giving your respectful and complete attention to each speaker.
· Actively participating in each discussion or activity.
Prohibited behaviors are:
· Sitting out, hanging back, or otherwise not fully participating.
· Using a cell phone or laptop computer during any session. If I see any cell phones or computers out during presentations or activities unless a possible emergency has been discussed with me prior to the presentation/activity, the cell phone or computer will be confiscated for the remainder of time at camp.
· Use of alcohol or illegal drugs.
· Disrespectful treatment of speakers, other classmates, or camp personnel.
These rules are not negotiable and any deviation without my permission will result in failure of the course.
Journaling
Every session and every facilitator has a unique lesson about the leadership process. To enhance your learning, you will keep a journal of your experiences and your reflections on those experiences. Use the class note guidelines found in your e-file to ensure that you have understood the information.
Twenty points are available for camp involvement.
Post work
This class does not end when camp ends.
Service-learning leadership:
At its best, leading others is a service we provide to them – a way of eliciting the greatness that exists in them. The service-learning project is designed to increase your appreciation of the idea of leading as a service. This project is designed around community service, but the message is not simply that leaders must serve their communities. Think of this project as an opportunity to serve your teammates as well. By the time you work on this project, you all will be busy with work, your other classes, and personal responsibilities. Think of this project as an opportunity for you to serve your teammates by helping them to stay motivated and organized throughout the project.
You will work in your teams from camp to complete a project for a community organization. During the semester, the class will be taken as a group to the organization to learn about it and about the service that you can provide to them. Your first meeting after the trip will be with Ann in her office to discuss the project you picked. Once you have settled on a plan for completing your project, you will schedule a group appointment with me to explain your plan.
As you progress through this project, continue journaling what you learn, stay in touch regularly with Ann, and provide updates on your progress to me.
Ten points are available for the service-learning project. Points will be assigned by your teammates, and feedback will be provided by the people at the community organization. You will receive the average number of points assigned to you by your teammates unless the feedback from the organization indicates that those points should be altered somehow (e.g., you all decide to award one another all of the points, but the people at the facility say you never completed your project).
Anything less than full participation in the service-learning project will result in failure of the course. Full participation means you attend and are prepared for each meeting unless previous arrangements have been made. In other words, if you miss a meeting about this project without notifying your team, me, and Ann, you will fail.
Mentoring and self-development
The mentoring portion of camp will be a time for you to work on the personal challenges you discover at camp. With input from you, Ann Gosky will assign each of you a personal mentor who will work with you on self-development.
You will meet with your mentor at least 3 times.
1st meeting with mentor must be held prior to – Feb. 25, 2011
2nd meeting with mentor must be held prior to – March i8, 2011
3rd meeting with mentor must be held prior to – April 8, 2011
In your binder, you will find guidelines for each meeting, action plan sheets for creating the 3 developmental goals on which you must work, and attendance forms to be signed by your mentor after each meeting. The attendance forms must be taken by you to Ann Gosky’s office NO LATER THAN 4:00 p.m. THE MONDAY THAT FOLLOWS THE MEETING DEADLINES.
All meetings must be scheduled by you. You must arrive at each meeting prepared according to the guidelines in your binder. You must attend each meeting by the scheduled day unless you have a legitimate, documented excuse (e.g., you are in the hospital). With such an excuse, your meeting can be rescheduled at the soonest possible date. However, you must inform me, Ann Gosky, and your mentor before the meeting time. If you do not, you cannot pass this class.
Ten points can be earned for the mentoring portion of the class. Mentors will complete an exhaustive feedback form that will be used to determine the number of points you earned.
Failure to fully complete the mentoring portion of the class will result in failure of the course.
Reflection Paper
Your final requirement for class is to write a paper explaining what you learned. Guidelines will be handed out at camp.
Papers are to be submitted to me electronically by noon, Friday April 29. Late papers will be docked 1 letter grade for each hour (or part thereof) that they are late. When submitting a paper electronically, the crucial factor is that I receive the paper. It is your responsibility to get the paper to me with sufficient time for me to send you a confirmation of receipt. If you do not receive confirmation from me, then you must resend the paper. Failure to write a paper will result in failure of the course.
The final paper is worth 40 points.
Equal Access:
In accordance with university policy if you have a documented disability and require accommodations to obtain equal access to this course, please contact the Instructor as soon as possible prior to the beginning of the residency portion of the program. Students with a disability must verify their eligibility through the Office of Student Disability Services. The course extends for 12-14 hours per day and involves extensive outdoor and indoor activities involving physical and mental exertion. If a student desires not to participate in the high level of physical activity required in the Learning to Lead Through Life workshop for any reason, the Dynamics of Leadership course is a substitute classroom version of the workshop and is offered for equal credit through the Department of Management and Information Systems, College of Business Administration.
Academic Honesty:
The work while at camp is primarily teamwork. All written assignments, pre-work and the final paper, are individual assignments. The university policy on cheating and plagiarism applies to this class. According to Kent State University policy (3342-3-07), "Cheat" means intentionally to misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of academic work so as to accrue undeserved credit, or to cooperate with someone else in such misrepresentation. The KSU policy with regard to punishments for cheating and plagiarism in coursework (for a detailed explanation see the Kent State University policy-Digest of Rules and Regulations) pertains to this class and will be strictly enforced.
