Transformational Leadership American University

This is an experience in storytelling . . .

1. Select someone YOU view as a leader to interview.



We are business school and you may choose someone from a

business organization – OR – you may expand your

considerations and perhaps choose someone in a non-profit

setting, or local government setting, or a small business

owner or an entrepreneur with some kind of start-up.



Explore your curiosities with this leader — You will be

building a small compare/contrast with our readings.



If you think they are at all uncomfortable, you may change all

names to respect their privacy.



Part of what you seek is a circumstance in which this leader

had to make a decision or a choice to overcome a particular

problem or challenge; something to move a group, a division,

a department forward, in which the path was not clear or was

not easy. The decision or the choice required REFLECTION.



Be certain to ask some questions about followers along with

some questions about culture.

2. Having some prepared questions will be helpful. You might

consider questions from Kouzes & Posner – they have a number

scattered throughout the book. Or you might select some of the

guiding questions from the personal best assignment.

Allow your curiosity to “lead” you talking with your interviewee –

they and you will open doors for you both to explore!

3. You want to provide the reader of the case with “context” both for

the leader interviewed and for the organization in which they lead

(or perhaps actually lead if you choose a chief officer). This

includes sufficient background for the reader to “identify” with the

leader and/or the organization and/or others related to the case.

4. Within the case or (perhaps more easily) in an appendix, include a

section of “Compare/Contrast.” This is where you will examine

what you have learned about this leader through the lens of the

leadership models we examine throughout the course.

a. Kouzes & Posner;

b. while we have not talked about it in class, you have the

readings on “Transformational Leadership” by Burns

(posted);

c. Leader Theories;

d. Teams and Groups;

e. Followership.