Your Final Project in this module consists of three parts:
1. Personal and Professional Development Plan and Competency-Based CV
2. Reflective Portfolio
3. Leadership Critique
Throughout the module, you have participated in activities and completed assignments that have helped prepare you to complete this Final Project. In the case of your PPDP and Reflective Journal entries, you already have many of the elements completed. Use the instructions below to complete Part 1, 2 and 3 of your Final Project.
1. Personal and Professional Development Plan (PPDP) and Competency-Based CV
o Make any needed revisions to Phase 1 (Values, Principles and Goals) and Phase 2 (Your Action Plan)
o Complete Phase 3 (Reflecting on your PPDP)
o Complete your Competency-Based CV, which should include the following:
- A section that provides your personal details
- A personal statement summarising your career, strengths and interests
- Additional detail on your skills and abilities, including sections on your work experience and education
2. Reflective Portfolio
o Compile your Reflective Journal entries from Units 1 through 5 into a single document.
o Add a final 1- to 2-paragraph summary of what you learned from completing your Reflective Journal entries, describing any growth or development you observed as you progressed through the module and addressing anything you plan to do differently in future modules to improve your approach to self-reflection.
3. Leadership Critique
You have completed several activities and assignments in this module on finding and summarising resources on leadership and connecting leadership concepts to your own experiences. As you have read and discussed, it is important for leaders to stay abreast of developments in the field of leadership and management and to maintain a critical stance towards new ideas and theories that emerge. This final element of your Final Project will be your first opportunity in your programme to practice critical thinking and academic writing on leadership concepts.
Prepare an essay of approximately 1,500 words using the following general outline:
o Introduction
o A description of one or two leadership theories, concepts or models that interest you, including a brief discussion on why you find them interesting or relevant to your work
o A discussion of how these leadership theories, concepts or models relate to your personal perspectives on leadership - in other words, whether you find them useful to explain your understanding of and experiences with leadership or whether they seem to conflict with your understanding and experiences, and how
o Conclusion
o References/Works Cited
You will likely derive the most value from this assignment by choosing at least two leadership theories, concepts or models to critique, one which seems in accord with your personal perspectives on leadership and one which seems in conflict. This approach will allow you to compare and contrast the value of the two theories, concepts or models in making sense of your personal perspective and experiences.
Examples of leadership theories, concepts and models you might address are found in readings throughout the unit. Some of these include the following:
-Leadership as a personality trait
-Servant leadership
-Situational leadership
-Styles of leadership
-Transactional leadership
-Transformational leadership
In many cases, different authors use the same terms to describe different concepts or use different terms to mean what are essentially very similar ideas. Do not let terminology worry you; discuss your chosen concepts or theories in specific, descriptive language, without too much jargon. Good academic writing is clear and explanatory, not dense or obfuscatory (and, hopefully, does not include words such as obfuscatory!).