The overarching goal of this course is to help students understand their own potential to become the leader they would like to be and their own responsibilities in achieving this goal. The course emphasises personal development with the development of leadership capabilities as the vehicle to do so. This course has two primary content areas. A key focus is on making life choices i.e. what work excites learners, as well as understanding one's passions and responsibilities. The emphasis is less about being entitled to be a leader and more about how participants can become leaders that they themselves would like to be. This is a challenging question and gets to the heart of one's major life decisions. The second element supports the first and relates to the development of practical life skills e.g. managing stress, building positivity, mindsets and setting life goals.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Identify their leadership character strengths (Ask & Remember);
2. Recognise personal motivations and how they influence life decisions (Acquire & Understand);
3. Apply emotional intelligence to leadership (Appraise & Apply);
4. Ascertain how their own mindset influences their leadership (Appraise & Analyse);
5. Summarise how personal physiology affects personal leadership (Aggregate & Analyse);
6. Critique arguments related to the use of pro-social behaviour in personal leadership and developing others (Apply & Evaluate);
7. Evaluate different approaches to dealing with stress and building resilience (Assess & Evaluate); and
8. Design an action plan that builds personal leadership capacity (Assess & Create).

Research-Led Teaching

The course content will be a blend of research and practice and will include the Lecturer’s research as well as material from peer-reviewed academic journals. In addition, key concepts, cases, and practical experiences will be presented in the class that are not covered in the course readings. Classes are supplemented with structured learning exercises and activities that have well-defined objectives and replicate the real-world context

Field Trips

Not relevant

Additional Course Costs

There are no additional class costs

Examination Material or equipment

There is no examination in this course.

Required Resources

All required resources will be provided on the course Canvas site or in classes.

Recommended Resources

Journals:

• Academy of Management Journal
• Academy of Management Review
• Administrative Science Quarterly
• Harvard Business Review
• The Leadership Quarterly
• Human Resource Management
• Journal of Applied Psychology
• Journal of Management
• Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology
• Journal of Organisational Behaviour
• Journal of Vocational Behaviour
• Management and Organisation Review
• Organisational Behaviour & Human Decision Processes
• Organization Science
• Personnel Psychology
• Leadership & Organisation Development Journal

Note: most of these journals are available in full text through the ANU Library on-line site.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

Support for Students

The University offers a number of support services for students. Information on these is available online from http://students.anu.edu.au/studentlife/

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	What Leadership is really about	Introduction to the course. Understanding leadership as a personal and developmental practice.
2	Personal Leadership Development	Values, strengths, identity, and leadership self-assessment. Weekly quiz 1.
3	Motivation and Leadership Life Choices	Purpose, intrinsic motivation and aligning leadership with life and career goals. Weekly quiz 2.
4	Mindset and Leadership Growth	Growth mindset, assumptions and self-regulation for leadership effectiveness. Weekly quiz 3.
5	Guest lecture: Leadership Pipeline	How will you plan to keep learning and engaged through your career? Weekly quiz 4.
6	Good Friday public holiday: No seminar on Friday, 03 April 2026. Team discussion.	Personal Leadership Video due by 11:59 pm Tuesday, 31 March 2026.Weekly quiz 5.
7	Positive Leadership and Well-Being	Resilience, well-being and sustaining leadership performance over time. Weekly quiz 6.
8	Emotional Intelligence in Leadership	Understanding and managing emotions in self and others.Team paper due by 11:59 pm on Tuesday, 28 April 2026.Weekly quiz 7.
9	Behavioural Leadership	How leader behaviours shape relationships and performance. Weekly quiz 8.
10	Leadership Influence and Ethics	Moral reasoning, values-based leadership and responsible influence. Weekly quiz 9.
11	Team Oral Presentation	Team presentation in the seminar. Peer evaluation due by 11:59 pm on Friday, 22 May 2026.
12	Personal Leadership Reflection	Reflection of students’ changes in understanding throughout the course. Weekly quiz 10.

Tutorial Registration

There are no tutorials for this course

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Weekly Quiz (Individual and Team - 20%)	20 %	*	*	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
Personal Leadership Video (Individual - 25%)	25 %	31/03/2026	14/04/2026	1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Team Paper (Team - 10%)	10 %	28/04/2026	12/05/2026	1,2,3,4,5,6
Team Oral Presentation (Team - 20%)	20 %	22/05/2026	29/05/2026	1,2,3,4,5,6
Leader Interview Report & Reflective Essay (Individual - 25%)	25 %	04/06/2026	02/07/2026	1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Students are expected to attend all classes. Seminars will be recorded and made available on Echo360.

Examination(s)

There is no examination in this course.

Assessment Task 1

Weekly Quiz (Individual and Team - 20%)

Learning outcomes: 1,2,3,4,5, 6,7,8.

Instruction: During each seminar, students will be taking an assessment quiz (30 mins) based on the learning materials and activities for that week.

A student has an option to replace TWO quizzes with the lowest score with 4 hours of SONA experiment participation credits. Note, however, that the SONA experiment participation must be concluded by the end of Week 12. The SONA experiment gives students opportunities to engage in the actual research process from a participant's point of view. SONA participation offers students opportunities to gain insight into the application of experimental research methods for understanding and addressing issues in leadership and management. 

Assessment type: 5 individual-based quizzes and 5 team-based quizzes - equally weighted.

Suggested length: Up to 300 words (±10%). Any portion above the word limit will not be read and marked.

Formatting style: APA 7th edition. Font size 12, Times New Roman, double-spaced. References, tables, figures, and appendices are not counted in the word count.

Marking criteria: Detailed marking criteria will be posted on Canvas in Week 1.

Form of submission: Via the course Canvas site.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): In this assignment, students may choose to use or not use AI tools. In any case where AI tools are used, the student must do so in a way consistent with the ANU Academic Integrity principles for the use of GenAI, as well as accurately cite and reference what tools were used, and advise in an appendix how they used the tool. Guidance on how to do this appropriately is provided in the assessment requirements on the course Canvas page, and the ANU provides further broad guidance in the ANU Gen AI LibGuide. As part of handling a potential breach of academic integrity, students are reminded that they may be requested to meet with the Lecturer/Convenor to discuss any assessment submission, including responding to questions on the content of submissions and their understanding of the course concepts assessed by the submission. 

Due date: Due by 4:00 pm on Friday, Weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12; 4:00 pm on Thursday, Week 6.

Return of assessment: Within 2 weeks of submission.

Late submissions will not be accepted unless supported by documented evidence of extenuating circumstances.

Assessment Task 2

Personal Leadership Video (Individual - 25%)

Learning outcomes: 1,2,3,4,5, 6, and 7.

Instructions: Imagine you create a YouTube channel and the first video you make is an introduction to your leader identity. What would you introduce? In this assessment, you will create a 6-minute video reflecting on how your leader identity and personal leadership capacity have evolved over time. This assessment is designed to support the overarching goal of the course: helping you understand your own potential to become the leader you would like to be and your personal responsibility in achieving that goal.

Your reflection should be introspective, integrative, and forward-looking, focusing on how your values, motivations, physiology and lived experiences shape your leadership development and major life choices. Your reflection should integrate ideas, concepts and theories from the course content covered from Week 1 to Week 5. 

Assessment type: Individual.

Suggested length: 6 minutes (±10%). Any portion above the time limit will not be watched and marked.

Format, Visuals, and Audio: You may choose from a range of formats, such as a vlog-style video, documentary-style video, animation, or a narrated presentation with visuals. You are encouraged to enhance your narrative with relevant images, animations, or supplementary video clips that support your message. You can include captions or subtitles to support accessibility. You must narrate the entire video in your own voice; the use of AI-generated voiceovers is strictly prohibited. Your audio should be clear, at an appropriate volume, and free from excessive background noise.

Marking criteria: Details on marking criteria, including a rubric, will be available in Week 1 on Canvas.

Form of submission: Video and reference list on the course Canvas site.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Students are welcome to use generative AI tools (e.g. GPT-4, DALL-E, Copilot) and other tools (e.g. Grammarly) to support their learning in a way that is consistent with the ANU Academic Integrity principles for use of GenAI. As such, please be aware of the following additional conditions for this assessment task:

• Clearly acknowledge the use of Artificial Intelligence in the relevant parts of the assessment task
• The use of AI voice generators is prohibited for this task. 
• As part of handling a potential breach of academic integrity, students are reminded that they may be requested to meet with the Lecturer/Convenor to discuss any assessment submission, including responding to questions on the content of submissions and their understanding of the course concepts assessed by the submission. 

Due dates: Due by 11:59 pm Tuesday, 31 March 2026 (Week 6).

Return of assessment: Within 2 weeks of submission.

Late submission without an extension is penalised at the rate of 5% per working day.

Assessment Task 3

Team Paper (Team - 10%)

The overarching goal of this assignment is to integrate relevant leadership concepts and apply them to a real problem faced by a leader or an organisation. This assignment has 3 components – two team-based assignments (Assessment Task 3 & Assessment Task 4) and one peer evaluation (Assessment Task 4). Teams of 3–4 students will be randomly assigned in Week 2 of the semester. Teams will work together in the team formulation activities in Week 2 to facilitate effective teamwork.

PART I: Identification of Leadership Problem and Synthesis of Research Evidence (team-based)

Learning outcomes: 1,2,3,4,5, and 6.

Instructions: Each team will be responsible for finding an organisation to study for this project. The organisation can be either for-profit or not-for-profit and can operate in any sector or industry. The task of your team is to use appropriate methodology, such as interviews, observations and/or surveys, to identify ONE current leadership problem faced by this organisation. The final product of this component of the assignment is a team-based report that:

1. Provides a brief overview of the organisation and the leaders;
2. Discusses the nature of ONE leadership problem faced by this organisation;
3. Provides evidence that the problem exists and summarises the methodology your team used to search and obtain this evidence;
4. Review and synthesise relevant leadership concepts and research to analyse the likely causes of this problem.

Assessment type: Team Paper.

Suggested length: Up to 1,500 words (±10%). Any portion above the word limit will not be read and marked.

Formatting style: APA 7th edition. Font size 12, Times New Roman, double-spaced. References, tables, figures and appendices are not counted in the word count.

Marking criteria: Detailed marking criteria will be posted on Canvas in Week 1.

Form of submission: Via the course Canvas site.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): In this assignment, students may choose to use or not use AI tools. In any case where AI tools are used, the student must do so in a way consistent with the ANU Academic Integrity principles for use of GenAI, as well as accurately cite and reference what tools were used, and advise in an appendix how they used the tool. Guidance on how to do this appropriately is provided in the assessment requirements on the course Canvas page, and the ANU provides further broad guidance in the ANU Gen AI LibGuide. As part of handling a potential breach of academic integrity, students are reminded that they may be requested to meet with the Lecturer/Convenor to discuss any assessment submission, including responding to questions on the content of submissions and their understanding of the course concepts assessed by the submission. 

Due date: Due by 11:59 pm on Tuesday, 28 April 2026 (Week 8).

Return of Assessment Date: Two weeks after submission.

Late submission without an extension is penalised at the rate of 5% per working day.

Assessment Task 4

Team Oral Presentation (Team - 20%)

PART 2: Team Oral Presentation (15%)

Learning outcomes: 1,2,3,4,5, and 6

Instructions: Your team will present your research and findings in Part 1 to the class. The Oral presentation should include:

1. A brief overview of the organisation, its leader(s) and the problem;
2. The causes of the problem;
3. Specific recommendations and the evidence used to support your recommendations;
4. Elaborate on multi-perspective implications (i.e., multiple stakeholders) of the devised recommendations.

The presentation should critically analyse and synthesise relevant concepts learned from this class using the case.

Each team has 10 minutes for its presentation. All members of a team should present, but they may take different roles. You should use PowerPoint slides for your presentation.

Before class, a soft copy of the PowerPoint should be submitted via Turnitin. Presentations will be video recorded, which will enable later validation and verification of the assessment if required.

Marking criteria: Will be made available on the course Canvas site at least two weeks before the due date.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): In this assignment, students may choose to use or not use AI tools. In any case where AI tools are used, the student must do so in a way consistent with the ANU Academic Integrity principles for use of GenAI, as well as accurately cite and reference what tools were used, and advise in an appendix how they used the tool. Guidance on how to do this appropriately is provided in the assessment requirements on the course Canvas page, and the ANU provides further broad guidance in the ANU Gen AI LibGuide. As part of handling a potential breach of academic integrity, students are reminded that they may be requested to meet with the Lecturer/Convenor to discuss any assessment submission, including responding to questions on the content of submissions and their understanding of the course concepts assessed by the submission. 

Due date: Presentation will be delivered in the seminar on Friday, 22 May 2026 (Week 11).

Return of Assessment Date: One week after presentation.

Late submissions will not be accepted unless supported by documented evidence of extenuating circumstances.

PART 3: Peer evaluation (5%)

Instruction: Teams are required to complete the Teamwork Contribution Form. Each team member must also complete a peer evaluation after the presentation (further details will be provided on the Canvas site). You will evaluate the contribution of each team member to the teamwork project. Each member’s grade will be calculated by averaging the peer evaluations provided by the other team members. Students will lose this mark if they do not complete the peer evaluation for their team members.

Due date: By 11:59 pm on Friday, 22 May 2026 (Week 11).

Late submissions will not be accepted unless supported by documented evidence of extenuating circumstances.

Assessment Task 5

Leader Interview Report & Reflective Essay (Individual - 25%)

Learning outcomes: 1, 2,3,4,5, 6, 7 and 8.

Instructions: In this assessment, you will interview a leader and produce a combined short analytical report and reflective essay. This task is designed to help you connect course concepts to real-world leadership practice while deepening your understanding of your own leadership identity and development.

You may interview a leader from any sector (e.g., business, non-profit, government, education, community, or student leadership). The leader may be someone you know personally or professionally, provided they currently hold a leadership role involving responsibility for others.

Report structures:

Part A: Leader Interview Report (Up to 700 words, ±10%. Any portion above the word limit will not be read and marked).

You will conduct a 30–45 minute semi-structured interview with your chosen leader and prepare a short analytical report that includes:

1. Leader Background and Context

• Brief profile of the leader (role, organisation, leadership scope).
• Description of the organisational or situational context in which they lead.

2. Leadership Approach and Practices

• Key leadership values, motivations and goals are described by the leader.
• How they approach decision-making, communication and influence.

When analysing leadership approach and practices, you are required to apply at least 2 relevant course theories or concepts and critically evaluate how well these concepts explain the leader’s behaviour and effectiveness.

You should have at least 3 appendices:

• Appendix 1 - List of interview questions
• Appendix B - Transcript of the interview (with a link to the audio/video recording)
• Appendix C - A thematic analysis of the interview to support your report.

Part B: Reflective Essay (Up to 700 words, ±10%. Any portion above the word limit will not be read and marked).

You will write a personal reflective essay examining how the interview experience shaped your own leadership understanding and development. Your reflection should address:

1. Personal leadership insights reflecting metacognitive and critical thinking

• What did you learn about leadership from the interview?
• What surprised or challenged your existing beliefs about leadership?
• How did this experience reshape your leadership approach?

These insights should be connected to course learning: Integrate relevant course ideas and theories to interpret your learning.

2. Design a personal action plan outlining:

• At least two leadership skills you aim to develop and why you plan to do so;
• Specific strategies or habits you will adopt;
• How you will build your leadership capacity beyond this course.

Formatting style: APA 7th edition. Font size 12, Times New Roman, double-spaced. References, tables, figures and appendices are not counted in the word count.

Marking criteria: Detailed marking criteria will be posted on Canvas in week 1.

Form of submission: Via the course Canvas site.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): In this assignment, students may choose to use or not use AI tools. In any case where AI tools are used, the student must do so in a way consistent with the ANU Academic Integrity principles for use of GenAI, as well as accurately cite and reference what tools were used, and advise in an appendix how they used the tool. Guidance on how to do this appropriately is provided in the assessment requirements on the course Canvas page, and the ANU provides further broad guidance in the ANU Gen AI LibGuide. As part of handling a potential breach of academic integrity, students are reminded that they may be requested to meet with the Lecturer/Convenor to discuss any assessment submission, including responding to questions on the content of submissions and their understanding of the course concepts assessed by the submission. 

Due dates: Due by 11:59 pm on Thursday, 04 June 2026.

Return of Assessment Date: On the date of grade release.

Late submission without an extension is penalised at the rate of 5% per working day.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Refer to the details for each assessment item. Policy regarding late submission (where applicable) is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

All requests for Assessment Adjustment (including Requests for Extension and for Consideration of Extenuating Circumstances) should be submitted via ANUHub.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Please see the relevant assessment task details above.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Resubmissions are permitted up until the due date and time, but not allowed afterwards. Any file uploaded into the system on the due date and time will be taken as the final submission.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students