Web Exercises

Story Corps

Log into NPR’s website www.storycorps.org/ and click on the “More stories” button.  Within the list of story categories, select “Griot.”  Look up the meaning of the term “Griot.”  How does it apply to this collection of stories? Listen to as many of the stories as you like, but at least four or five.  Choose a person who models authentic leadership and write a one-page explanation, using criteria from either the intrapersonal, developmental or interpersonal approaches.  What social value does this collection of stories have for us?

Nobel Peace Prize

Visit Salon.com (an online magazine).  In the search box, type in “Nobel Peace Prize” and read several of the articles that appear, both praising and criticizing the selection of Barack Obama as the 2009 recipient.  List the arguments for and against his selection.  Using the criteria for authentic leadership in our textbook, which of the arguments for Obama’s selection support his identity as an authentic leader? In what ways does his selection not meet the criteria for an authentic leader?  One of the weaknesses of the authentic leadership approach is that it doesn’t focus on leadership outcomes.  How does this affect the approach’s usefulness?  Can one be an authentic leader without accomplishing group goals? 

  • Follow-up assignment:  Look up past winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.  Apart from the politics involved in their selection, who are some of the most deserving recipients?  Why?  Which leadership theory best explains their success?
  • Alternate assignment: Look up current or recent winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, including Malala Yousafzai and Kailish Satyarthi. Apply the criteria for authentic leadership to these two figures.

Develop a Personal Mission Statement

Write your own personal mission statement using the guidelines at http://www.timethoughts.com.  On the home page look for “Mission Statements” in the left-hand column, click on and follow directions.  What was the hardest part about writing the mission statement?  How useful was the process?  How will you use this statement in the coming days?  Weeks?  Are mission statements overrated?

Create a Prezi

Go online and look up the Prezi developed by students at another university: http://prezi.com/ck6wvbylweed/authentic-leadership-by-taylor-dahlstrom-jessica-wasser-lena-swearingen-dana-delance-candy-yan/

Develop your own Prezi of authentic leadership and make it available to the public. This is a good way to help visually organize all the components of the chapter and how they relate to one another. Present your creation to a classmate for feedback.

The Inner Work of a Leader

There are many clips of Bill George on YouTube.  COne example is “Bill George on the Inner Work for Authentic Leadership” (about 1½ minutes long). Consider George’s three points: inner work involves having real-world experience, process that experience through some type of reflection, and seek honest feedback from others. What kinds of real-world experiences have been most instructional for you? How and where do they make time to reflect? From whom can they receive honest feedback? How have these practices (or lack of them) affected your leadership abilities?