Date

Class Agenda

Lesson 1:

February 5

Topic: Defining Leadership and the Dangers of Leading

Description: Our goals are to preview the themes of the class, discuss our theoretical framework and describe the course assignments and syllabus.

Reading:

●      This syllabus

Assignments/deadlines:

●      Bring questions about the syllabus to class

February

12:

No class meeting

NO CLASS MEETING

(there will be a Friday makeup class scheduled for Friday, March 13 from 10-12)

Lesson 2: February 19

Topic: Transforming Leadership and the Moral Self

Description: James MacGregor Burns book, Leadership, is a seminal work in leadership studies in which he develops his theory of “transforming leadership.” Burns was a political scientist but he developed this theory based in part on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the Kohlberg’s theory of moral development. Burns not only saw leadership as a relational activity, but a phenomena that had ethics/morality at its center. We will discuss the origins of morality and how moral reasoning can be a guide to the ‘elevating power of leadership.’

Reading due:

1.     Burns, The Structure of Moral Leadership, in Leadership (1977) abridged in Ciulla, The Ethics of Leadership.

2.     Listen to Adam Galinsky “How to be an inspiring leader” on Speaking of Psychology podcast: https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/inspiring-leader

3.     Kohlberg & Hersh (1977) Moral Development: A review of the theory. Theory into Practice.

Lesson 3:

February 26

Topic: Authenticity and Authentic Leadership Theory

Description: Corporate scandals, corruption in politics, and false claims of people in leadership roles seem to abound in the news. We can name more shameful failures to lead well than inspirational and exemplary ones. For the past decade or so, leadership scholars have articulated, studied and debated a model of authentic leadership based on the subfield of positive psychology—the study of human flourishing. We will discuss the components of authentic leadership theory and the context that makes it so challenging. We will also trace the concept of “authenticity” which has a rich history in philosophy.

Reading due:

1. Northouse, Leadership Theory & Practice, ch. 11 “Authentic Leadership”
2. Kernis & Goldman, A Multicomponent Conceptualization of Authenticity: theory and research. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology.

3.     Listen to WorkLife podcast with organizational psychologist, Adam Grant, Episode: “Authenticity is a double-edged sword” https://www.ted.com/talks/worklife_with_adam_grant_authenticity_is_a_double_edged_sword

Assignments/deadlines:

·      Take the Authenticity Assessment (AI-3) online: https://psytests.org/ident/ai3en.html and bring results to class.

Lesson 4:

March 5

Topic: Trust and Relational Leadership

Description: In the leader-follower relationship trust is an essential component. Yet trust is not only multifaceted, but can be a fragile thing in a group working towards a common goal, especially under stress. We will discuss the psychological barriers to trust as well as the actions that lead to interpersonal trust. The context of maintaining and gaining mutual trust will be relational leadership theory and a well-research leadership theory called Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory, which we will apply.

Reading:

1.     Bower, Schoorman & Tan, A Model of Relational Leadership: the Integration of Trust and Leader–Member Exchange. Leadership Quarterly

2.     Zak, The Neuroscience of Trust, Harvard Business Review (2017)

Assignments/deadlines:

·      Personal Leadership Theory Paper

Lesson 5:

March 12

Topic: Self-awareness: personality, impression management, and influence

Description: Within the area of psychology known as “self knowledge”, self-awareness has received a lot of research attention. In this session we will explore the outward aspects of self-awareness, what we present to the world and how we try to influence others. Often people who would take on a leadership role unconsciously or consciously wear a “mask” and try to create impressions on others. Largely our personalities can become self-protective mechanisms that we reinforce in our lives to guard against our vulnerabilities to rejection, hurt, or shame. The first step to understanding ourselves is recognizing the ways in which we participate in this. We will also discuss the Dunning-Kruger Effect, a cognitive bias that impairs our ability to be truly self-aware.

Reading:

1.     Harter, Impression Management, in Leadership: The Key Concepts

2.     Watch Tasha Eurich’s TED talk: “Increase your self-awareness with one simple fix”

Assignments/deadlines:

• Take the Insight Self-awareness Quiz online at https://www.insight-book.com/Quiz and upload your results to NEO (emailed to you in a PDF) Note: This short quiz also requires you to send it to a friend that knows you well, so sure to make time for this. (Post your result on NEO- participation assignment)
• Take the Big Five Personality Assessment: https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/IPIP-BFFM/ and bring your results to class.

Lesson 6

FRIDAY

March 13

10-12

Topic: Self-Awareness: motivations and the narrative self

Description: In this session we will deal with the question, “Does personality really capture who we are deep down?” We will use an ancient system called the Enneagram (Any-a-gram) with its 9 types to discuss personality as a defense mechanism, going beneath the “surface” to core motivational and patterns of thought that drive our behaviors and habits. Students will take the Enneagram assessment to identify their dominant type and explore the ways in which it has shown up in his or her experience and could impact the way in which they build trust with others. We will use this information, in part, through the lens of Dan McAdams research on “narrative identity” to understand our motivations and desires embedded in stories we embrace.

Reading:

1. McAdams (2008) “Personal Narratives and the Life Story” in Handbook of personality: Theory and research (3rd ed)
2. Read more about each type, and the Enneagram itself, at: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-descriptions

Assignments Due:

·      Take the Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Inventory to find your dominant type at https://assessment.yourenneagramcoach.com/

Lesson 7:

March 19

Topic: Conversation with a Leader: Šimon Pánek, Director and Co-Founder of People in Need

Description: Simon Pánek is the co-founder and executive director of People in Need (PIN), one of the largest non-governmental organizations in Central and Eastern Europe. Pánek is a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and a founding member of the Board of the European Partnership for Democracy. From 2004 to 2010, Pánek was the Chairman of the Board of the Czech Development Cooperation Forum called FoRS. From 2011 to 2013, Pánek served as the Supervisory Council President of Alliance 2015, European NGO. Since 2016, Pánek has been the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Prague Civil Society Centre. Pánek’s activism goes back to 1989. As a student activist in the Velvet Revolution, he was a leader of the anti-regime occupation strike and a member of Václav Havel’s team for negotiations with the communists.

Readings:

·      Watch a short video about our guest leader: https://www.rferl.org/a/czech-russia-ukraine-bosnia-belarus-serbia-macedonia-panek/26687018.html

Assignments: Bring your questions for our guest leader! (at least one)

Lesson 8:

March 26

Topic: Blindspots and Shadows: Individuation and Leadership

Description: Karl Jung had a theory about what it meant to be a whole person. His concept of the shadow self was integral to his concept of individuation, the process by which we face our darker features and tendencies and learn to integrate them into our self-understanding. This “journey of individuation” can help us see where we need others and how our cognitive, affective and behavioral tendencies can get in the way of leading others well.

Reading due:

1.     Ladkin, Spiller & Craze, The journey of individuation: A Jungian alternative to the theory and practice of leading authentically. In Leadership, 2018.

2. Eurich, Insight ch. 3 “Blindspots”

Assignment Due:

·      Self-Assessment Analysis due

NO CLASS MTG.:

April 2

ENJOY YOUR SPRING BREAK!

Lesson 9:

April 9

Topic: Power, Status, and Privilege

Description: One of the main criticisms of authentic leadership theory is that it does not account for power differences. Power affects the way leaders and followers collaborate. The corrupting influence of power is the typical explanation for the moral failings of any high ranking official. Yet how and why does power corrupt? Are there conditions of leadership that are more conducive ethical failure? Taylor uses his vast experience as an actor to look at authenticity in terms of raising and lowering ones status to be an effective leader.

Reading:

1. Taylor, “Authentic Leadership and the Status Trap” In Ladkin & Spiller, Authentic Leadership: Clashes, Convergences, Coalescences.
2. Useem, Power Causes Brain Damage. The Atlantic (2017)
3. Galinsky, Magee, Inesi & Gruenfeld, Power and Perspectives Not Taken, Psychological Science, 2006

Lesson 10:

April 16

Topic: Self-deception and Followership

Description: Most people claim to be well above average in many professions, which is statistically impossible. Leaders and followers too can go on believing what they want to believe and the distortions can be quite dramatic. The trap of self-justification becomes prominent where leaders treat followers as obstacles or objects for their own will. This can lead to toxic workplaces or at least toxic relationships. In this session we will discuss theory about followership, types of followers and the authoritarian personality that Erik Fromm first introduced. We will also discuss ways to break through self-deception, even if that means receiving some unwanted information.

 Reading:

·      Arbinger Institute, Understanding Self-Deception and Its Impact on Leadership, from Leadership and Self Deception chapter 1

·      Kellerman, What Every Leader Needs to Know About Followers, Harvard Business Review.

·      Edmonson & Lei (2014) “Psychological Safety: The History, Renaissance, and Future of an Interpersonal Construct”. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior. 

Lesson 11:

April 23

Topic: Self-esteem and Narcissistic Leadership

Description: Narcissism is part of the “dark triad of personality” but it also characterizes a tendency that we all have to become overinvested in our sense of self importance. Self-esteem usually has a positive connotation but as a motivator it can lead to worse performance and overconfidence. What is the proper place of self-esteem especially in pursuit of larger goals? How does one work productively with a narcissistic leader? We will explore these issues in the leader-follower relationship and get to the roots of narcissism and humility.

Reading:

1.     Chamorro-Premuzic, Are Narcissistic Leaders Actually Insecure? Forbes, 2026

2.     Brunell et. al., Leader Emergence: The Case of the Narcissistic Leader. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Assignments Due:

·      Failed Leadership Paper

Lesson 12:

April 30

Topic: Self-compassion and Growth

Description: Research has shown that the key to personal growth and well-being in not self-criticism as many assume, but in the practice of self-compassion. Why is that? We will discuss the components of self-compassion, how it works, how it is developed and its relationship to the pressures of leading others. We will take an assessment and apply evidence-based exercises that have been shown to increase self-compassion.

Reading:

1. Watch Kristin Neff’s TEDxTalk entitled, “The Space Between Self-Esteem and Self Compassion”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvtZBUSplr4&t=2s
2. Warren, Smeets and Neff “Risk and Resilience” in Current Psychiatry

Assignments due:

·      Take the Self-compassion Test and bring your results to class: https://self-compassion.org/self-compassion-test/

Lesson 13:

May 7

Topic: Building Leadership and Group Identities

Description: In his analysis of leaders, Howard Gardener (1996) concluded that the common thread across great leaders was their propensity to be good story-tellers and almost all their stories were about group identity. Other psychologists have called leaders “entrepreneurs of identity” for their ability to both communicate and embody a group identity. Related to this, and rooted in identity development theory is the Leadership Identity Development model which maps the stages of seeing oneself as a capable leader. Self-perception and self-efficacy matter here and we will discuss how one moves through the stages of leadership identity. In this session we will also report on our Leadership Challenges and some lessons learned.

Reading:

1.     Komives et. al. A Leadership Identity Development Model: Applications from a Grounded Theory, Journal of College Student Development, 2006 .

2.     Haslam & Reicher, Rethinking the Psychology of Leadership: From Personal Identity to Social Identity, Dædalus, the Journal of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, 2016.

Assignments due:

·      Integrative Reflection on Leadership Challenge

Lesson 14:

May 14

Topic: Final Exam & Course Conclusions

Description: The final exam will cover selected areas from the course, which will be noted for students several weeks in advance. We will also follow-up on self-leadership skills and how to take the learning from this class for continual personal leadership development.

Readings: none

Assignments due:

·      Study for Final Exam