You are required to spend time observing and analyzing an organizational leader in action. You will do this by selecting a particular situation in your professional life where you can be the observer of a “real life” leadership in action experience for a total of 3 to 4 hours of observation. As an example, you might ask to shadow your leader at out-of-hours meetings or, if possible, spend a half day shadowing your school district superintendent or college dean. Observe your “leader” in a formal setting (such as a school board or faculty meeting), and use what you have learned in this class to write a 3- to 5-page, 12-point font, double-spaced paper describing important leadership elements you observe, such as:

• The culture & climate of the organization
• Leadership style exhibited
• How decisions are made
• How the leader facilitates the decision-making process
• How the leader handles conflict

Be sure to include the following information in your work:

• Leader’s job title (anonymity is acceptable)
• Date(s) of observation
• Observation setting/situation

Assignment 2

Action Items

1. In the first week of class, you will sign up for a presentation slot that will take place in a future class meeting. Come to that class prepared to present, and come to the other classes prepared to observe and ask questions. There will be no more than 4 presenters per class session.
2. Identify a current issue relating to education. Should you need help locating articles/information to support your presentation, please reach out to your professor.
3. Create an 8-minute presentation, with an additional 2 minutes allotted for questions (10 minutes total) that is focused on applying your key course concepts and personal research to the identified issue and the impact it has on your professional practice.
4. Support your presentation with the following:
   • Graphics/visual aids – good pictures, tables, and/or graphs.
   • References formatted in current APA style, including a reference slide at the end.
5. Before you present, submit a copy of your presentation, alongside a 3- to 4-paragraph summary of your findings for grading purposes.