This assignment requires in-depth analysis that demonstrates your ability to apply management theory to real life situations. There are a number of steps you will need to complete to be able to write a comprehensive report. The first step is to identify an individual that you believe is an effective leader. This individual can be someone with whom you work, someone in your work organisation that you do not work with directly, someone with whom you attend school, an individual on a sporting team or other social or recreational club. This individual will need to be accessible to you, as you will want to interview this person to substantiate your hypotheses.

Once you have identified your subject describe the specific actions/behaviours you have seen this individual display that made you choose them as your example of a good leader. Ensure you fully describe the context and the outcomes. I would prefer that the individuals chosen as subjects not be identified – so please change any distinguishing characteristics to protect the identity of your subject.

Review the literature for theories and concepts of leadership that support the effectiveness of your subject. For example, you may have chosen an individual who appears to use the Path Goal model of leadership, or perhaps someone who is charismatic as per the trait theories. Use the concepts/theories to explain why you believe your subject is successful in leading the people he or she ‘works’ with.

Interview your subject to understand how they perceived the actions/behaviours that you identified previously. Use the interview as an opportunity to test how well the theories correspond to real managerial behaviour. You will want to describe the actions/behaviours you observed and explore with your subject their motivation for acting in this way.

Complete a report of about 3,500 words that outlines your findings. Ensure that the report includes:

•a general (but unidentifiable) description of your subject
•a full description of the actions/behaviours that you believe enabled this individual to be a successful leader
•the theory or theories or concepts that support your assessment
•your findings to substantiate or refute the theory or theories based on your interview of your subject
•the lessons learned, with an emphasis on your future leadership behaviour.

This assignment must be submitted to Turnitin to enable you to check your referencing. You can upload revised assignments, based ion the Turnitin feedback. The assignment version that is in Turnitin at the due date and time will be marked.

The Marking Criteria are:
Report Presentation ( /30)
Organisation: Structure is important to present information and to express arguments in a logical and systemic way. Was the report well organised? Was repetition evident? Was the structure easy to follow? ( /10)
Expression: Higher written communication skills include an ability to write in a clear style, with appropriate grammatical structure and vocabulary, correct spelling and punctuation, and well-structured sentences. Was the written expression of an acceptable standard? ( /10)
Citations and List of References: Whenever you quote, or use an idea or data from a source, you must indicate its origin. Did the report include an adequate list of references with meticulously cited sources? ( /10)
Report Content ( /70)
Sources: Wide reading, which has been well understood, critically assessed and used in a balanced way enhances the depth and quality of a report. Were sources used to strengthen the argument where required? Was this background reading evident in the report? Did this background reading inform the interview questions? ( /10)
Descriptive Content: Descriptive content provides the reader with the understanding of the situation. Were the descriptive aspects of the topic dealt with appropriately? Did the paper include sufficient examples of the subject’s behaviour (without providing identification)? Was there a clear description of the leadership actions? ( /15)
Analytical Content: To rise above the basic level, the package needs to demonstrate sound analytical content. Was this evident? Was there evidence of clear, logical conceptual thinking? Was there a clear link between the theories and the analysis? ( /25)
Conclusions: Did the report provide clear, logical justification for the recommendations? Was the discussion of the theory or theories informed by the information learned from the interview? Were the implications for future leadership behaviours addressed rationally and comprehensively? ( /20)