How to Become a More Effective Leaders is a Harvard Business School online textbook. It is divided into four parts: Leadership vs. Management: What’s the Difference?, Essential Leadership Skills and Qualities, Identifying Your Leadership Style, Developing as a Leader, and Your Leadership Journey. Each chapter begins by citing research studies to support its assertions and the need for action. Business insights offering how to implement concepts are also included.
Type of Material:
Open (Access) Textbook
Recommended Uses:
Independent study for professional development.
Leadership training program with instructor provided exercises to enforce the concepts. For example, one of the Business Insight sections lists Undergo a 360-Degree Assessment to develop emotional intelligence skills. An instructor could present or have students find examples of 360-Degree Assessments and then develop one to fit their needs.
Another Business Insights section lists Leverage Professional Associations, Conferences, and Events to develop your professional network.
Instructor could have students develop strategies for effectively meeting people in those environments.
Technical Requirements:
PDF reader, Internet browser such as Firefox or Mozilla
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Explain the difference between leaders and managers
List leadership skills and qualities
Identify their leadership style
Hone their leadership skills to meet the growing demand in career advance.
To differentiate between leadership and management, uncover the qualities and skills that characterize an effective leader, gain an understanding of common leadership styles.
Target Student Population:
College Upper Division students
Business, Management, Organizational Behavior and Development programs
Professionals
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Ability to understand and apply the basic role and function of leadership skills
Able to access and utilize online text-based reading and noting
Being familiar with leadership styles when to apply them would also be useful.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
Concept of leadership, its function and dynamics are comprehensive.
The content approach/format is appropriate to the type of item.
Clearly written with the major concepts listed in bold.
Topics are presented in a logical order and built upon each other.
Explanations are grounded in research.
Links are embedded within the textbook for more information about the research that is cited.
Concerns:
Issues on cultural diversity and leadership styles/approach
Situational and contextual leadership skills
The Business Insights section would need to be further elaborated upon with more examples and assignments for skill development.
The section on leadership styles could include common leadership styles.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
The teaching-learning goals and application are easy to identify and apply.
The item increases the potential for student learning and promotes conceptual understanding.
The item can be used in a variety of ways to achieve teaching and learning goals.
The book could be used in different leadership curriculums within an outside of the school of business such as education leadership.
Concerns:
Prerequisite knowledge is not highlighted.
Measurable student learning outcomes are inadequate.
Some of the concepts need to be explained in more detail such as Hone Your Soft Skills which defines and lists soft skills but does not provide details or resources on how to do things such as how to create and evaluate authentic change.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The online pdf text has a clear and consistent layout and is in working order.
The online pdf text is easy to navigate and is robust.
Easy to utilize with very clear instructions, and is engaging.
If able to access, meets accessibility requirements
The Business Insight section gives ways to engage with the material. There are links to related courses for more information.
Concerns:
Visuals need further improvising
AI visual technology can utilized to further enhance visual understanding.
Creative Commons:
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