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Instructions for Leadership Application Essay

The purpose of the Essay is to show that you know how to apply leadership theories. For your Essay,
you will choose four of the leadership approaches in the Northouse book that are covered in the
Comments on Leadership Theories in Northouse document (use only those chapters mentioned
therein; do not use other chapters in the book, i.e., chapters on Leadership Ethics or Authentic
Leadership or Servant Leadership, etc.). You will apply them to a real-world environment (your own
work setting, a friend’s, a parent’s, a spouse’s; a family or voluntary organization – any situation where
leadership may be of use). You will summarize each approach succinctly (maximum of one double-
spaced page), illustrate its application using whatever materials the book suggests, and make concrete
suggestions about behavioural changes that leaders and subordinates should make (whenever you use
surveys, show the results in a table or chart, whichever is appropriate to the information gathered). You
will then follow-up to see whether those behavioural suggestions have in fact improved the quality of
leadership in the setting you chose. Based on the result of this application, you will reflect critically
upon each theory as an approach to leadership. Your Essay should include an appendix with the actual
surveys you used and received back from those who filled them out. A good Essay will show precisely
how you used a particular leadership approach; you should walk through each model or approach on a
step-by-step basis. Think both in terms of the diagnostic and prescriptive aspects of the leadership
approach you apply. Conclude your essay with an evaluation of the approaches you used; this is, in
many respects, the most important part of your essay. I am looking for a thoughtful evaluation of your
applications and critical reflection on the ways your approach to supervisory leadership has developed as
a result of your experiences with this material. Your essay should be organized more or less along the
lines suggested below:
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• Introduction
• Theory
• Description
• Application
• Follow-up
• Evaluation
• Theory
• Description
• Application
• Follow-up
• Evaluation
• Theory
• Description
• Application
• Follow-up
• Evaluation
• Theory
• Description
• Application
• Follow-up
• Evaluation
• Overall Evaluation and Reflection on Leadership
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For each of the theories you present, I will use the following grading scale:

Element Points
Description 1
Application 1
Follow-up 1
Evaluation 1
Quality 1

In other words, each element of your application of that theory is worth a maximum of 1 point,
and I then give a maximum of 1 point for the overall quality of your application (quality is
defined here as thoroughness, depth of treatment, clarity of presentation, and degree of
reflection). This makes for a total of 5 points for each theory.

For the section entitled “Overall Evaluation and Reflection on Leadership,” you can receive up
to 5 points depending the depth, scope, and clarity of your presentation; this is a very important
part of your Essay, for here you will articulate your new philosophy of supervisory leadership
based on your experience with the theories. Please do not read or repeat any of the material
in the “Strengths” and “Criticisms” sections of each chapter when you evaluate the
theories; I am interested solely in your opinion based on your application, not anything
anyone else says about the theories.

I urge you to begin work on your Essay soon so that you have a long period to apply each theory
and follow-up on its application. This will also give you a sufficient period to reflect upon your
experiences. I should add that I tend to be very stringent on the grading of this Essay, so please
make this your best work.