Leadership Is a Process, Not a Position
Chapter 2 Leader Development 75
1. Not all effective leaders seem to be reflective by nature. How do you reconcile that
with the concept of the spiral of experience and its role in leadership development?
2. Explain how you can use knowledge about each of the following to enrich the
benefits of your own present leadership experiences:
a. The action–observation–reflection model
b. The people you interact and work with
c. The activities you are involved in
3. Using the role of teacher as a specific instance of leadership, discuss how a
teacher’s perceptual set, expectations of students, and attributions may affect
student motivation and performance. Do you think some teachers could be-
come more effective by becoming more aware of these processes? Would that
be true for leaders in general?
4. If you were to design the perfect leadership development experience for your-
self, how would you do so and what would it include? How would you know
whether it was effective?
5. Do you think people have a need for growth and development?
6. One important aspect of learning from experience is observing the conse –
quences of one’s actions. Sometimes, however, the most significant conse –
quences of a leader’s actions do not occur for several years (for example, the
ultimate impact of certain personnel decisions or a strategic decision to change
a product line). Is there any way individuals can learn from the consequences of
those actions in a way to modify their behavior? If consequences are so delayed,
is there a danger they might draw the wrong lessons from their experiences?
7. What would a development plan for student leaders look like? How could you
capitalize on school experiences as part of a development plan?
8. What would a leadership coaching or mentoring program for students look
like? How could you tell whether the program worked?
1. Not all effective leaders seem to be reflective by nature. How do you reconcile that
with the concept of the spiral of experience and its role in leadership development?
2. Explain how you can use knowledge about each of the following to enrich the
benefits of your own present leadership experiences:
a. The action–observation–reflection model
b. The people you interact and work with
c. The activities you are involved in
3. Using the role of teacher as a specific instance of leadership, discuss how a
teacher’s perceptual set, expectations of students, and attributions may affect
student motivation and performance. Do you think some teachers could be-
come more effective by becoming more aware of these processes? Would that
be true for leaders in general?
4. If you were to design the perfect leadership development experience for your-
self, how would you do so and what would it include? How would you know
whether it was effective?
5. Do you think people have a need for growth and development?
6. One important aspect of learning from experience is observing the conse –
quences of one’s actions. Sometimes, however, the most significant conse –
quences of a leader’s actions do not occur for several years (for example, the
ultimate impact of certain personnel decisions or a strategic decision to change
a product line). Is there any way individuals can learn from the consequences of
those actions in a way to modify their behavior? If consequences are so delayed,
is there a danger they might draw the wrong lessons from their experiences?
7. What would a development plan for student leaders look like? How could you
capitalize on school experiences as part of a development plan?
8. What would a leadership coaching or mentoring program for students look
like? How could you tell whether the program worked?
