LDRSHP 204

Paradigms and Strategies of Leadership

Instructor: Todd Murphy
Office: 1813 Hinman Avenue, Room 201
E-Mail: Todd-Murphy@Northwestern.edu
Phone: 847-467-4661
Office Hours: Monday 3pm to 5pm

Course Overview
The term leadership has many connotations, most of them glamorous and exciting. Indeed, leadership is
exciting, and sometimes glamorous. However, it is also often costly, lonely, exhausting and thankless.
Quality leadership requires hard work, perseverance, selflessness, self-awareness and resilience. This
course is designed to provide a basic understanding of what leadership requires by looking at all sides - the
good, the bad and the ugly.

Course Objectives
Upon completing this course, it is expected that each student will come away with:
1.

An initial exposure to central leadership themes.

2.

The ability to make an informed decision about whether to pursue the certificate offered by the
Undergraduate Leadership Program (ULP). This course offers an initial exposure to the content
and form which ULP provides in greater depth.

Required Books
1) Harvard Business Review Press, (2011) HBRS Ten Must Reads On Leadership
2) Rath, Tom and Conchie, Barry (2008) Strengths Based Leadership

Books can be purchased through Amazon.com or Becks Bookstore in downtown Evanston

It is the students responsibility to have completed the assigned readings PRIOR to the date
assigned.

Role of Guest Speakers

The purpose of the speakers is to provide students with the opportunity to hear from, and interact with,
leaders from various fields who can authoritatively and authentically discuss leadership in various contexts.
It is important for you to remember that the guest speakers will rarely be professional lecturers or teachers.
They have been invited because they are leaders with a track record of success. Hence, the burden is not on
them to be especially entertaining or charismatic in their presentation. Rather, the challenge is for you to
take advantage of this opportunity to gather as much insight as you can about the ingredients of their
success. Additionally, many of the speakers will not fit your image of a leader. Nevertheless, their body of
work is evidence of their leadership abilities. Thus, rather than dismissing them because they do not fit your
preconceived notions, this is your opportunity to understand that leaders come in all shapes, sizes and
styles, and to adjust your perception of what is required for effective leadership.

Role of Lab Groups

The lab groups will serve as a space for students to learn more about leadership concepts introduced in the
lectures as they are illustrated and applied in different case studies discussed each week throughout the
quarter.

Graded Assignments
Lecture and Guest Speaker Attendance/ Weekly Speaker Preps 15%
Lecture and speaker attendance is a class requirement. For the purposes of this class, such attendance is
defined as arriving informed and prepared, as well as being present and engaged. In preparation for each
weeks speaker, students must compose an essay 1-2 pages long (12-point font, double-spaced). The
Speaker Prep essay must cover two areas:
1) This is what I learned about the speakers history and area of expertise prior to
hearing them speak.
2) These are the two or three questions I want to ask the speaker, and why.
A soft copy of each speaker prep must be submitted to your discussion group leader by 9am on the Monday
before class.
You must turn in a speaker prep AND be in attendance throughout the lecture and guest speaker portion of
the class in order to receive credit for being in attendance. You cannot receive partial credit for only
turning in a speaker prep or for being in attendance without writing a speaker prep.

Discussion Group Prep/ Attendance/ Participation 15%

As with lectures and speakers, discussion group attendance is a class requirement. Again, attendance is
defined as arriving informed and prepared, as well as being present and engaged. Informed and prepared is
defined as reading the weeks discussion material (article or case study) and completing the prep
assignment prior to the lab session. (Prep assignments will be posted on Canvas.) Present and engaged is
defined as actually attending and participating in the discussion. Discussion group leaders will track this
each week by collecting hard copies of your prep assignments, taking attendance each week and noting
who contributed to the discussion. As there is nothing worse than being in a group with someone who
pontificates on material he or she has not read, it is impossible to get points for attendance and/or
participation without turning in the case prep. It is also impossible to get partial credit for turning in your
case study prep but not attending a discussion group session.
Students must attend their assigned group to receive credit. Since each session is a unique combination of
timing and group members, there is no way to make it up. It is simply a missed learning opportunity,
represented by forfeited points.

Mid-Term and Final Exam Essays 50% (20% Mid-Term/ 30% Final)
You will be required to complete a mid-term and a final exam essay. In each essay, you must integrate
concepts from class into a coherent whole by explaining how they come together to form your
understanding of leadership, and how/ why this model will fit you as an individual. The due dates are given
in the class schedule. Each essay should be 4-5 pages (12-point font, double-spaced) and is to be turned in
to your discussion group leader. To do well on this assignment, you must read the document entitled MidTerm and Final Exam Essays which is posted on Canvas.

Strengths Assessment/ Reflection 10%

Effective leaders know their strengths. But perhaps more importantly, they also know their limitations. A
foundational principle for developing as a leader is to first know your strengths and play to them.
Additionally, a leader must understand the different strengths of others in order to maximize their
contributions. The first step in this process is to identify your strengths to begin to figure out how this will
shape your unique leadership style. To fulfill this requirement, you must first read the assigned book
2

Strengths-Based Leadership. While doing so, take the StrengthsFinder assessment, do the post-assessment
write-up and meet one-on-one with your discussion group leader. In this meeting you will discuss what the
assessment revealed, and based on that, a strategy for your future development.
A document entitled Strengths Assessment Exercise is posted on Canvas and explains the assignment in
more detail.

Group Assignment 10%

Students in each discussion section will work together to create a leadership exercise designed to deepen or
expand the understanding of one of the six leadership assets taught in this course. Details will be given in
class.

Required Misericordia Tour

Students are required to attend one of the four separate tours of Misericordia that are offered on the
following dates: 10/17, 10/19, 10/25 and 10/27. The time commitment for a tour will roughly be 12pm to
4pm. Students will board the bus and depart campus at noon. They will arrive at Misericordia and begin the
tour at 12:30 and end at 2:30. They will then meet and interact with Misericordia Director Sister Rosemary
Connelly from 2:30 to 3:00. Afterwards, they will board the bus and return to campus by about 4:00pm.
The Misericordia tours are in lieu of class meeting on November 8th.
Tour attendance cuts across numerous class requirements. It will count as lecture/ speaker attendance and
discussion group attendance for November 8th. Students are expected to prepare a speaker prep for Sister
Rosemary and turn it in at the time of their tour. Failing to go on a tour means forfeiting all possible
attendance and essay points for the week of the November 8th.
Students may reserve a space on a particular tour by signing up on the course Canvas site. Each tour is
capped at 20 participants. Tour slots are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. So students are advised
to check their schedules and sign up as soon as possible.
One last note: Arranging your own tour on a date or time outside of those mentioned above is not an
option. Four separate class tours are already very taxing on Misericordias staff and resources. Further, an
indispensable aspect of the tour is interacting with Sister Rosemary, and the demands of her schedule will
not allow her to be available at other times.

Student Evaluation
This class assigns grades using the following Grading Standards and Policy:
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F

Superior performance in all aspects of the course. All work exemplifies the highest
quality.
Superior performance in most aspects of the course, with high quality work in the
remainder.
High quality work in all or most aspects of the course.
High quality performance in some of the course, with satisfactory performance
in the remainder.
Satisfactory performance in the course.
Satisfactory performance in most of the course, with the remainder being
somewhat substandard.
Evidence of some learning but generally marginal performance.
Minimal learning and substandard performance throughout the course.
Very minimal learning and very low quality performance in all aspects of the
course. Minimally acceptable.
Complete absence of evidence of learning. Unacceptable performance.

Grades will be assigned according to the following scale:

A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F

94 - 100
90 93.9
88 89.9
84 87.9
80 83.9
78 79.9
74 77.9
70 73.9
60 69.9
0 59.9

Course Policies
1.
2.
3.

Exercises and Assignments must be turned in on time unless negotiated with the instructor PRIOR
TO THE DUE DATE.
An assignment will be deducted a third of a letter grade for each day (calendar day) it is turned in
late. For example, a paper due on the 20th that would have received a B+ if turned in on time, will
become a B if turned in on the 21st, B- if turned on the 22nd, etc.
Lecture absence will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

A grade of Y (incomplete) will be granted only if the student suffers a medical or familial emergency,
requests the grade, and agrees to a plan for completing the course during the next quarter. Each of the
evaluation areas described previously is assigned one of these grades and the combination of your letter
grades determines your final grade for the course. All grades are final. It is your responsibility to let me
know if I have mis-recorded a grade. While unlikely, I may modify aspects of the student evaluation
process as the course proceeds.

Students with Disabilities

In compliance with Northwestern University policy and equal access laws, I am available to discuss
appropriate academic accommodations that you may require as a student with a disability. Request for
academic accommodations need to be made during the first week of the quarter, except for unusual
circumstances, so arrangements can be made. Students are required to register with Services for Students
with Disabilities (SSD) for disability verification and for determination of reasonable academic
accommodations.
For more information, visit:
http://www.northwestern.edu/disability/
Academic Integrity at Northwestern
Students are expected to comply with University regulations regarding academic integrity. If you are in
doubt about what constitutes academic dishonesty, speak to the instructor before the assignment is due
and/or examine the University web site. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to cheating on an
exam (e.g., copying others answers, providing information to others, using a crib sheet) or plagiarism of a
paper (e.g., taking material from sources without citation, copying another students paper). Failure to
maintain academic integrity on an assignment will result in a loss of credit for that assignmentat a
minimum. Other penalties may also apply. The guidelines for determining academic dishonesty and
procedures followed in a suspected incident of academic dishonesty are detailed on the university and
school websites. For more information, visit:
http://www.northwestern.edu/provost/students/integrity/
Sexual Harassment Policy
It is the policy of Northwestern University that no male or female member of the Northwestern
communitystudents, faculty, administrators, or staffmay sexually harass any other member of the
community. Sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual
nature constitute harassment when:

Submission to such conduct is made or threatened to be made, either explicitly or implicitly, a

term or condition of an individual's employment or education; or

Submission to or rejection of such conduct is used or threatened to be used as the basis for
academic or employment decisions affecting that individual; or

Such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual's academic or
professional performance or creating what a reasonable person would sense as an intimidating,
hostile, or offensive employment, educational, or living environment.

For more information, visit:

http://www.northwestern.edu/sexual-harassment/policy/index.html

Class Schedule 2016

Use of laptops, smartphones, headphones, etc., is not permitted during any part of the class.
9/20

Reading: None
Lecture: Class Roadmap, Six Leadership Assets
Speaker: None
Lab: None
Assignments Due: None

9/27

Reading: HBR Heifetz & Laurie; Rath and Conchie, pp. 1-27
Lecture: Leadership Focus
Speaker: Chief Richard Eddington Evanston Police
Lab: Introductions
Assignments Due: Speaker Prep

10/4

Reading: McAdams article; HBR Goleman; Goffee & Jones

Lecture: Narrative
Speaker: Dan McAdams - Northwestern University
Lab: Discussion Analyzing leaders
Assignments Due: McAdams Prep Assignment

10/11

Reading: HBR Kotter; Rath & Conchie, pp. 29-76

Lecture: Navigating and Leading Through Change
Speaker: Rev. Otis Moss III Trinity United Church of Christ
Lab: Topic Discussion
Assignments Due: Moss Prep Assignment

10/18

Reading: HBR - Drucker; Rath and Conchie, pp. 77-95

Lecture: Collaborative and Hierarchical Settings
Speaker: Captain James Hawkins, Great Lakes Naval Base
Lab: Case Study A Matter of Trust
Assignments Due: Speaker Prep
Case Study Prep
Strengthsfinder Top 5 Talent Themes

10/24

Mid-Term Exam Essay due @ 9am (Turn in to your Discussion Group Leader)

10/25

Reading: HBR - Rooke & Torbert

Lecture: Asking Powerful Questions
Speaker: Field Study Panel
Lab: Case Study Collision Course
Assignments Due: Case Study Prep

11/1

Reading: HBR Ancona et al.

Lecture: Mobilizing Difference to Maximize Performance
Speaker: Charna Halpern Improv Olympic
Lab: Case Study Taking The Lede
Assignments Due: Speaker Prep
Case Study Prep

11/8

Reading: HBR Collins

Lecture: None Misericordia Tour
Speaker: Sister Rosemary Connelly Misericordia
Lab: None
Assignments Due: Speaker Prep
6

11/15

Reading: HBR Bennis & Thomas; George

Lecture: Resilience
Speaker: Jacqueline Terrassa Art Institute of Chicago
Lab: Case Study The Price of An Education
Assignments Due: Speaker Prep
Case Study Prep

11/21

Group Assignment written deliverables due @ 9am (to be turned in to your discussion
group leader).

11/22

Thanksgiving No Class

11/28

Deadline for Strengths Assessment Exercise (Assessment, Write-Up, Meeting)

11/29

Group Assignment Presentations and Lab Group Meetings with Instructor

12/2

Final version of group assignment written deliverables due at 5pm (to be turned in to
your discussion group leader).

12/5

Final Exam Essay due @ 9am (Turn in to your Discussion Group Leader)

Note: The instructor reserves the right to make changes in this syllabus, course schedule, and assignments.