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MLD 325: BECOMING A LEADER
SPRING 2012
(Syllabus Subject to Change)
Course Instructor:
Faculty Assistants:
Research Assistant:
Course Assistants:
David Gergen, 617-496-1982, David_Gergen@harvard.edu
Nancy Howley, 617-496-0556, Nancy_Howley@hks.harvard.edu
Lisa Eschenbach, 617-496-3744, Lisa_Eschenbach@hks.harvard.edu
Mike Zuckerman, 617-384-8719, Michael_Zuckerman@hks.harvard.edu
Julia Groeblacher, Julia_Groeblacher@hks12.harvard.edu
Haney Hong, Haney_Hong@hks12.harvard.edu
Radu Tatucu, Radu_Tatucu@hks12.harvard.edu
CLASS MEETINGS
Class sessions are scheduled on Monday and Wednesday, from 1:10 to 2:30 PM in Starr
Auditorium. Class attendance is expected. There will be occasional meetings in the late
afternoon/early evening.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
No course could plausibly claim to create a leader on its own – and MLD 325 is no exception.
The purpose of this course is to help you advance in your own leadership journey. Through
lectures, readings, occasional film screenings, and outside speakers, the course is intended to
illuminate the paths that others have taken by men and women in the past and to provide a spark
for your own leadership development. We will also explore new ways of leading in today’s
younger generation.
COURSE OUTLINE
The course is roughly divided into two sections: a leader’s inner journey and the outer journey,
including the early years of building a successful career. The classes will consist mostly of
lectures with time for discussion. After two introductory sessions, here are the titles for the
classes:
PART I. THE INNER JOURNEY
Traits for 21st Century Leadership
Discovering Your Inner Fire
Forging Your Character
Honing Your Judgment
Journey to Authenticity (Guest: Bill George, Professor of Management Practice, HBS)
Understanding Yourself / Authenticity II
Moving Beyond Natural Ability
Film & Discussion: Amazing Grace
PART II. THE OUTER JOURNEY
Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
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Building Your Career / Mentoring (Guest: Robert Barnett, Partner, Williams & Connolly, LLP)
Taking Early Leadership (Guest: Eric Greitens, Chairman and CEO, The Mission Continues)
Building & Motivating Teams (Guest: Tommy Amaker, Head Coach, Harvard Men’s Basketball)
Finding Your Voice I
Finding Your Voice II (Guest: Harry Rhoads, Co-CEO, Washington Speakers Bureau)
Overcoming Gender Barriers (Guests: Elizabeth Vale, Assistant Director, Consumer Finance
Protection Bureau; Betsy Myers, Founding Director, Bentley Center for Women and Business)
Leadership in Other Cultures (Featuring: international students)
Leading in a Networked World (Guest: Jared Cohen, Director, Google Ideas)
Leading as a Whole Person (Guest: Les Wexner, Chairman and CEO, Limited Brands Corp.)
The Dark Side: Cunning & Intrigue
Dangers of Derailment
Growing From Adversity (Guest: Nancy Koehn, Professor of Business Administration, HBS)
Leading an Integrated Life
Wrap Up
AUDIENCE
This course is intended for students interested in and committed to improving their leadership
capacity. It is designed for a wide array of students – from those with little leadership experience
to those who have led large teams, American to international, inside the Kennedy School and
out.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Please note that enrollment will be limited. In the event that the course is oversubscribed, 90% of
spaces will be reserved for HKS students and other spaces will be reserved for National Security
Fellows and cross-registered students. HKS will conduct and post the results.
Students interested in cross-registering should submit a 2 page application that consists of a one
page cover letter and a one page resume. Please submit together as one word document (please
do not submit pdf’s). In order to make the process of cross registration as quick and painless as
possible, please pay close attention to the following with regard to the submission of your
application.
E-mail to Lisa_Eschenbach@hks.harvard.edu.
As a cross-registrant, you will be sent a confirmation that we have received your application. For
all students, there may be a short wait list. Audits will be permitted as long as there are available
seats.
EXPECTATIONS & ASSIGNMENTS
Please note that readings will be extensive and students will be expected to have read them prior
to class. Students will be required to write individual papers in mid-semester and to join with 2-3
other members of the class to write a final paper. Students will also be encouraged to speak up
in class.
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GRADING
Assignments will be allocated as follows:
Mid-term paper 45%
End paper 45%
Class participation 10%
In assigning a final grade, the instructor will be mindful of HKS grading guidelines.
OFFICE HOURS
Professor Gergen is periodically available for office appointments by contacting his assistant,
Lisa Eschenbach, at Lisa_Eschenbach@hks.harvard.edu.
COURSE MATERIALS
Course packets will be distributed through the CMO. Required books will be available at The
Coop. Readings should be completed prior to the class under which they are listed. Copies of all
readings will be placed on reserve in the HKS library.
REQUIRED BOOKS
Aurelius, Marcus. Meditations.
Belmonte, Kevin. William Wilberforce: A Hero for Humanity.
Bennis, Warren. On Becoming a Leader.
Champy & Nohria, The Arc of Ambition.
Colvin, Geoff. Talent Is Overrated.
Gardner, John. On Leadership.
George, Bill. True North.
Gergen, David. Eyewitness to Power.
Greitens, Eric. The Heart and the Fist.
McPhee, John. A Sense of Where You Are.
Noonan, Peggy. On Speaking Well.
RECOMMENDED READING
Collins, Jim. Good to Great.
Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
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JANUARY
Mon, 1/23: Introduction to Leadership
Arthur Schlesinger Jr., The Cycles of American History, “Democracy and Leadership”, pp. 419 –
436.
Garry Wills, Certain Trumpets: The Nature of Leadership, “Introduction”, pp. 11-22.
John Gardner, On Leadership, “The Nature of Leadership”, pp. 1-10, “The Tasks of Leadership”,
pp. 11-22.
Abraham Zaleznik, ‘Managers and Leaders: Are They Different?” Harvard Business Review On
Leadership, Harvard Business School Press, 1998
Wed, 1/25: Traits for 21st Century Leadership
John Gardner, On Leadership, Chapter 5, “Attributes”; Chapter 14, Leadership Development:
The Early Years.
Roselinde Torres, “New Leadership Rules”, Boston Consulting Group.
Michael Useem, “Four Lessons in Adaptive Leadership,” Harvard Business Review, November
2010.
John Coleman, Passion & Purpose: Stories from the Best and Brightest Young Business Leaders,
Harvard Business Review Press, 2011, “Convergence,” pp. 11-16.
Mon, 1/30: Discovering Your Inner Fire
Warren Bennis, On Becoming a Leader, Chapter 2, “Understanding the Basics”; Chapter 3,
“Knowing Yourself”.
James Champy & Nitin Nohria, The Arc of Ambition, “Ambition Is the Root of All
Achievement,” pp. 3-22; “See What Others Don’t,” pp. 25-49.
Albert Schweitzer, Out of My Life and Thought, “I Resolve to Become a Jungle Doctor”, pp. 8195.
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FEBRUARY
Wed, 2/1: Forging Your Character
John Gardner, On Leadership, “The Moral Dimension”, pp. 67-80.
Kathleen A. Reardon, Harvard Business Review, Tests of a Leader, “Courage as a Skill”, pp. 23
38.
Champy and Nohria, The Arc of Ambition, “Never Violate Values”, pp. 143-162.
James O’Toole, Leading Change, “The Rushmoreans,” pp. 19-36.
Mon, 2/6: Honing Your Judgment
Barbara Leaming, Jack Kennedy: The Education of a Statesman, pp. 9-38, 195-214.
Sorensen, Theodore C. 2001. “Judgment and Responsibility: John F. Kennedy and the Cuban
Missile Crisis.” In Presidential Judgment: Foreign Policy Decision Making in the White House.
ed. Aaron Lobel. Hollis: Hollis Publishing Company, pp. 21-40.
Howard Gardner, Five Minds for the Future, “The Synthesizing Mind”, pp. 45-76.
Warren Bennis & Noel Tichy, Making Judgment Calls, Harvard Business Review, October 1,
2007.
Max Weber, “Politics as a Vocation” (excerpts), From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology, Oxford
University Press, 1946, pp. 114-128.
Jack Valenti, Speech to the Federal Communications Bar Association, January 31, 1996,
anthologized in William Safire, Lend Me Your Ears, W.W. Norton & Company, pp. 634-638.
*** Mon, 2/6: Film Screening – “Amazing Grace” (7 pm – makeup class, dinner provided)
Kevin Belmonte, William Wilberforce: A Hero for Humanity, pp. 15 – 151
Wed, 2/8: Journey to Authenticity (Guest: Bill George)
Bill George, True North, Introduction; Chapter 1, “The Journey to Authentic Leadership”, pp.3-
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26; Chapter 4, “Knowing Your Authentic Self”, pp. 67-83; Chapter 5, “Practicing Your Values
and Principles”, pp. 85-102.
Mon, 2/13: No class
Wed, 2/15: Understanding Yourself / Authenticity II
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Penguin Books, 2005, Books II-VI, VIII, IX (pp. 11-74, 91-121).
David Brooks, “The Social Animal: How the new sciences of human nature can help make sense
of a life,” The New Yorker, January 17, 2011.
James M. Citrin and Richard A. Smith, The Five Patterns of Extraordinary Careers: The Guide
for Achieving Success and Satisfaction, (New York: Three Rivers Press © 2003), “Pattern 1:
Understand the Value of You”, pp. 14-46.
William Deresiewicz, “Solitude and Leadership,” The American Scholar, Spring 2010.
Peter Drucker, Management Challenges for the 21st Century, “Managing Oneself”, 1999, Harper
Collins.
Daniel Kahneman, “Don’t Blink! The Hazards of Confidence,” New York Times Magazine,
October 19, 2011.
Mon, 2/20: No class (HKS Holiday)
Wed, 2/22: No class
Mon, 2/27: Moving Beyond Natural Ability
Greg Bishop, “The Education of a Quarterback,” The New York Times, December 2, 2011.
Geoff Colvin, Talent Is Overrated, 2008, Penguin Group, pp. 1-16, 52-104.
Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success, 2008, Little, Brown & Company, Chapter 2,
“The 10,000-Hour Rule”, pp. 35-50.
John McPhee, A Sense of Where You Are, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999, “Profile,” pp. 11-89.
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Dan Pink, Drive, Riverhead Books, 2009, “Mastery,” pp. 106-128.
Paul Tough, “The Character Test,” New York Times Magazine, Sept. 18, 2011.
Wed, 2/29: Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
Warren Bennis, On Becoming a Leader, Chapter 4, “Knowing the World”; Chapter 8, “Getting
People On Your Side”.
Daniel Goleman, “What Makes a Leader,” Harvard Business Review, November-December,
1998.
Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee, “Primal Leadership: The Hidden Driver
of Great Performance,” Harvard Business Review. December 1, 2001.
Daniel Goleman, Social Intelligence, Chapter 19 “Sweet Spot of Achievement”, pp 267-284.
MARCH
Mon, 3/5: Building Your Career (Guest: Robert Barnett)
Doris Kearns Goodwin, Lyndon Johnson & The American Dream, 1976, Harper & Row, pp. 72117
Saslow, Eli, “Rising Political Star Adopts Low Key Strategy” October 17, 2008, The Washington
Post (Senator Barack Obama)
Jack Welch, Jack: Straight From the Gut, 2001, Warner Business Books, pp. 3-61.
Citrin, James M. and Richard A. Smith, The Five Patterns of Extraordinary Careers: The Guide
for Achieving Success and Satisfaction, (New York: Three Rivers Press 2003), “Introduction:
The Five Patterns of Extraordinary Careers,” pp. 1-13.
Gabarro, John J., and John P. Kotter. “Managing Your Boss.” HBR Classic. Harvard Business
Review 83, no. 1 (January 2005).
DeLong, Thomas J., John J. Gabarro, and Robert Lees. “Why Mentoring Matters in a
Hypercompetitive World.” Special Issue on HBS Centennial. Harvard Business Review 86, no. 1
(January 2008).
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Wed, 3/7: Finding Your Voice I (Guest: Harry Rhoads)
Garry Wills, Certain Trumpets, “The Rhetorical Leader: Martin Luther King, Jr.,” pp. 211-224.
Peggy Noonan, On Speaking Well, Harper Collins, 1998, “Introduction” and pp. 3-98.
Mon, 3/19: Finding Your Voice II
Jack Valenti, Speak Up With Confidence, “Introduction” and “The Beginning,” pp. 1-15.
William Safire, Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History, W.W. Norton & Co., 2004, “An
Introductory Address,” pp. 29-37, “Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,” pp. 59-61, “Lincoln’s
Second Inaugural,” pp. 493-496.
David Gergen, Eyewitness to Power, “Reagan: Secrets of the Great Communicator”, pp. 210247.
Ted Sorensen, Counselor, Chapter 12, “Speechwriting”, pp 130-142 and Chapter 18, “The
President's Speeches”, pp 215-227.
Wed, 3/21: Taking Early Leadership (Guest: Eric Greitens)
Eric Greitens, The Heart and the Fist, Houghton Mifflin, 2011.
Linda A. Hill, “Becoming the Boss,” Harvard Business Review on Tests of a Leader, 2007,
Harvard Business School Press.
Mon, 3/26: Overcoming Gender Barriers (Guests: Elizabeth Vale and Betsy Myers)
David Gergen, Foreword to Enlightened Power: How Women Are Transforming the Practice of
Leadership, pp. xv –xxix.
Nannerl Keohane, “Crossing the Bridge: Reflections on Women and Leadership”, in Women and
Leadership, Kellerman and Rhode ed. pp. 65-92. 2007.
Hewlett & Luce, “Off-Ramps and On-Ramps: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to
Success”, Harvard Business Review on Women in Business, 2005, Harvard Business School
Press.
Betsy Myers, Take the Lead, Atria Books, 2011, “Respect,” pp. 71-87.
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Sheryl Sandberg, “Why We have Too Few Women Leaders,” TED Talk, December 2010,
http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders.html
Wed, 3/28: Leadership Styles in Other Cultures (Featuring: international students)
D. Quinn Mills, “Asian and American Leadership Styles: How Are They Unique?”, Harvard
Business School Working Knowledge, 2005.
“How Cultural Factors Affect Leadership”, Knowledge@Wharton, 1999.
P. Christopher Earley and Elaine Mosakowski, “Cultural Intelligence”, Harvard Business
Review, 2004.
Robin J. Ely et al., “Rethinking Political Correctness”, Harvard Business Review, 2006.
John Coleman et al., Passion & Purpose, Harvard Business Review Press, 2011, “Globalization”
and “Bridging Two Worlds,” pp. 55-66.
APRIL
Mon, 4/2: Leading in a Networked World (Guest: Jared Cohen)
Steve Coll, “The Internet: For Better or for Worse,” The New York Review of Books, April 7,
2011.
Malcolm Gladwell, “Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted,” The New Yorker,
October 4, 2010.
Alexis Madrigal, “The Inside Story of How Facebook Responded to Tunisian Hacks,” The
Atlantic, January 24, 2011.
Evgeny Morozov, “Think Again: The Internet”, Foreign Policy, May/June 2010.
Clay Shirky, “The Political Power of Social Media: Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political
Change,” Foreign Affairs, January/February 2011.
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Wed, 4/4: The Dark Side: Cunning & Intrigue
Richard Nixon, Leaders, “In The Arena: Reflections on Leadership”, 1982, pp. 320-345.
David Gergen, Eyewitness to Power, Nixon, “Why He Fell”, pp. 65-104.
Rod Kramer, “The Great Intimidators”, Harvard Business Review, February, 2006.
Mon, 4/9: Building and Motivating Teams (Guest: Tommy Amaker)
Sim B. Sitkin and J. Richard Hackman, “Developing Team Leadership: An Interview with Coach
Mike Krzyzewski,” Academy of Management Learning & Education, 2011, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp.
494-501.
Ruth Wageman and Debra A. Nunes, et al., Senior Leadership Teams: What It Takes to Make
Them Great, (Watertown: Harvard Business School Press © 2008), “Preface”, pp. xi-xix., “The
Fall of the Heroic CEO and the Rise of the Leadership Team”, pp. 1-23.
Dan Pink, Drive, Riverhead Books, 2009, “Introduction” and “Chapter 1,” pp. 1-31.
Mike Krzyzewski, Leading with the Heart, Hachette Book Group, 2000, pp. 19-34.
Wed, 4/11: Leading as a Whole Person (Guest: Les Wexner)
No readings assigned.
Mon, 4/16: Dangers of Derailment
Bill George, True North, Chapter 2, “Why Leaders Lose Their Way”.
Champy & Nohria, The Arc of Ambition, “Temper Ambition,” pp. 99-114.
Michael Maccoby, “Narcissistic Leaders: The Incredible Pros, “The Inevitable Cons,” Harvard
Business Review on Leadership at the Top, 2003, Harvard Business School Press.
Wed, 4/18: Growing from Adversity (Guest: Nancy Koehn)
Sampson, Anthony, Mandela (New York: Random House, 1999), pp. 179-242.
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Warren Bennis, Geeks & Geezers. Foreword by David Gergen; Chapter 1, “Leading and
Learning for Lifetime”, pp. 1-21.
Diane L. Coutu, “How Resilience Works,” Harvard Business Review on Leading in Turbulent
Times, 2003, Harvard Business School Press.
Nancy Koehn, “Leadership in Crisis: Ernest Shackleton and the Epic Voyage of the Endurance,”
HBS Case No. 803-127.
Mon, 4/23: Leading an Integrated Life I
John Gardner, On Leadership, “Renewing”, pp. 121-137.
Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw”, pp.
287-307.
Wed, 4/25: Leading and Integrated Life II & Wrap Up
Bill George, True North, Chapter 8, “Staying Grounded: Integrating Your Life”.
“Confessions of a CEO”, Fortune Magazine, November 2, 2007.
Laura Nash and Howard Stevenson, Just Enough: Tools for Creating Success in Your Work and
Life, Harvard Business School, 2004.
Milhaly Csikszenthmihalyi, Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement With Everyday Life,
Basic Books, 1997, p. 17-34.
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