How Great Leaders Inspire Action Intro to Leadership CS 307 Lesson

Entry Task 2018 Learning Target: I will understand how the golden circle works in the context of leadership and know the “why” of your teacher. Warm-UP What is the hardest part about being honest? Why do you think some people seem to have trouble being honest? Who is the most honest person you know?

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The Golden Circle

What to be thinking about: The speaker’s thesis or main point was… In 20 words or less, the Golden Circle is… What are the pros and cons of the speaker’s Golden Circle idea?

What to be thinking about: The speaker’s thesis or main point was… In 20 words or less, the Golden Circle is… What are the pros and cons of the speaker’s Golden Circle idea?

WHY? Ask, “Do you think it is a good or bad thing to know your ‘Why?’ Explain your answer.” Ask, “Have you ever known someone whom you feel had a very clear ‘Why’ that drove their daily actions in life? What was it about them that told you they had a clear ‘Why’?” Get 3-5 responses from the class. Say, “If the everyone’s ‘Why’ in our school was simply because they have to show up each day, we might easily miss the bigger picture like being described in this letter I am going to read you, which was written by a high school student to those students in his/her school that were identified as ‘leaders’.”

Dear future leaders…. In pairs, small groups OR as a class: What does the author of this letter believe? Do you believe the same thing as the author? Why or Why not? Do you think there are people even in our class that are made to feel this way? Why or Why not? What changes to how people interact with others in our school would you change for people to not feel the way this author feels? What would happen in our school if everyone made sure that nobody felt like a “nobody”? Dear future leaders….

Why? I want to use my influence to __________________ because I believe ______________________. Have students get into groups of three and share their “Why” statements. Ask if any student would be willing to share their “Why” statement with the class. For any student that volunteers, ask them to stand and deliver their statement. Make sure to applaud any student who has the courage to stand up and share Why they do what they do. Note that it takes vulnerability to share a statement about your “Why” and it also adds accountability in that once other people hear your “Why,” it is more obvious when you are not living your “Why.”

My WHY Take the remaining amount of time to share your “Why” with the class. Why do you do what you do? Why did you get into teaching? • Why are you excited to teach this class? If you need help getting started use the same prompt that the students used to share: I want to use my influence to __________________ because I believe ________________________. Teacher Note: If you have any personal stories from your past, when you were their age, share as it helps them connect with you. Show any objects that have meaning in connection with your “Why” as well. Example: A letter from a student, a picture from the past, an object that somebody gave you, etc.

Final Thoughts The American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, ‘The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well. ’ To reference Emerson, what would it mean for you to be useful? Honorable? Compassionate? Why do you want to make a difference in the world and ‘live well?’