Overview:
Prepare to interview two organization leaders, and write an assessment in which you outline the intended purpose and focus of your interviews,
along with the interview questions.
Over the course of your career, you will develop your own theories of leadership that will inform your attitudes and actions. Interviewing
leaders after having done some research about leadership allows you to see effective leadership in action through the lens of scholarly
research.
• Competency: Create an effective theory of leadership.
o Describe the purpose and rationale for leadership interviews.
o Describe the level of leadership selected for interviews.
o Prepare relevant interview questions for an interview protocol.
The resources provided focus on two larger leadership topics: interpersonal and presence leadership and resilience and action leadership.
Interpersonal leadership and leading through presence focus on a leader’s ability to develop relationships and synergy and contribute to and
spring out of his or her own personal power. There is a connection between knowing oneself and being able to listen to and learn from
interpersonal feedback. A leader must examine whether he or she is open to other points of view or ways of working or, out of fear, shuts them
down. Expressing yourself authentically, listening and appreciating others, allowing others to participate, and serving others are important
leadership skills. Very possibly, good leaders develop these skills out of a comfort with their own inner self or being. Most great leaders
have the capacity for deep reflection. Many use nature, music, meditation, or prayer to find inspiration and are able to quiet their thoughts
and silence their own anxiety.
Resilience and action also play a part in leadership effectiveness. In the past most leaders believed that keeping their work and their life in
balance lead to better health; however, shifting our attention from time management to energy leadership allows for creating a personalized
formula for sustained energy and resilience. Signs of lack of resilience include fatigue, dullness, depression, and/or life threatening habits
around coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, and obsessive or manic work behavior. Healthy leaders tend to include abundant energy, optimism, vitality,
and close intimate and fulfilling relationships as a having resilience. Many experienced leaders manage energy in their lives over time. They
loosen up and are happier, more involved, and resilient. Taking action is important to ensure growth as a leader. Many leaders pursue
reflection by self-coaching—building awareness, commitment, and practice. Coaching others provides awareness to avoid curves in the road.
Mature leaders feel a responsibility not only to earn a living through authentic self-expression but also to create value by their service to
the community.
Thinking Habits of Mind, Heart, and Imagination
1. Complementary Thinking – The habit of thinking that weaves multiple perspectives into an integrated fabric of understanding.
2. Connected Seeing – The habit of seeing reality as a whole system, which is a seamlessly connected, interactive, and dynamic web-of-
life.
3. Collaborative Teamwork – The habit of collaborating and using teamwork to accomplish common purpose, by integrating personal initiative
and group cooperation.
4. Constructing Meaning – The habit of constructing meaning by acquiring and synthesizing diverse sources of knowledge to enrich
understanding.
5. Conceptual Clarity – The habit of clear conceptual thinking from first principles, to make sense of and to distinguish among the known,
the unknown and the unknowable.
6. Communicating Effectively – The habit of communicating effectively in a teamwork style to collaboratively create new understandings,
new possibilities, and new realities.
7. Courageous Action – The habit of courageously taking action and making meaning in the face of ambiguous experience and uncertainty.
8. Caring Empathy – The habit of caring for, identifying with, and honoring others, as well as understanding how others see the world.
9. Conversational Reflection – The habit of reflecting on the experience of professional practice through learning conversations.
10. Continuous Learning – The habit of seeing every experience as an opportunity for continuous lifetime learning.
• Cashman, K. (2008). Leadership from the inside out: Becoming a leader for life. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
o Chapters 3, 5, 6, and 7 of this e-book are particularly applicable.
• SEDL. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.sedl.org/
o You may use this Web site of the organization formerly known as the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory to examine the
comprehensive leadership history and how the theory of leadership has changed over time.
Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.greenleaf.org/
o Robert Greenleaf was the founder of the servant leadership movement, an alternate leadership approach.
Center for Creative Leadership. (2012). Retrieved from
The Berkana Institute. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.berkana.org/
Margaret J. Wheatley. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.margaretwheatley.com/
Preparation
As part of Assignments 3 and 4, you will need to interview two leaders in organizations of your choice. To prepare for these two interviews,
complete the following at this time:
• Decide on the level of leaders you would like to interview (for example, individual contributors, middle managers, or top managers).
• Research and choose an aspect of leadership based on the topics in the Cashman text (personal mastery, purpose mastery, change mastery,
interpersonal mastery, being mastery, balance mastery, or action mastery) to use as the focus for your interviews.
• Request and schedule 45-minute interviews with two different leaders at your chosen level. You should conduct the interviews between
now and when you begin work on the Assessment 3, as you will need to complete the interviews in order to complete Assessments 3 and 4.
Interview Pitch
Submit the following components for this assessment (4 pages):
• State your intended purpose for the interviews. Provide an explanation of the aspect of leadership on which you plan to focus and why
you chose it.
• Describe the level of leadership selected for your interviews.
• Outline your schedule for both interview sessions; include the names and titles of the leaders with date and time of interview. If you
have not been able to solidify your schedule, please include a report of your progress.
• List the interview questions you plan to use for your chosen aspect of leadership. If you wish, you may use some of the questions from
the reflection exercises in the related chapter of the Cashman text. You can use any leadership theories you like to help you develop your
interview questions, including servant leadership, Kevin Cashman, Margaret Wheatley, articles from the Center for Creative Leadership,
leadership stage theory, and other sources.
Conducting Your Interviews
As you conduct your interviews, remember the following:
• At the start of each interview, explain who you are, what you are doing, what leadership mastery you will be exploring in the
interview, and how you will use the interview material.
• Clarify with your interviewees whether you have permission to use their names and organizations.
• Take thorough notes or record the interviews so you can refer back to them as you work on Assignments 3 and 4.