Fluent Essays

4.1 Devotion. Elijah and Elisha Getting Started Mentoring has long been recognized as a way to build into the next generation of leaders. Mentoring fosters a transfer of knowledge, is key to leadership succession, and provides a built-in support system for tough times. When leaders intentionally develop others, they sharpen their own skills, reflect on what they have learned, and pass on their wisdom to others. But mentoring is not always easy. The Bible mentions a number of mentoring relationships – Moses mentored Joshua. Eli mentored Samuel, who later mentored King Saul and King David. King David went on to become the greatest king and mentored wise King Solomon. Mordecai mentored Esther, who mentored King Artaxerxes (who funded Nehemiah’s project for the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem). And the prophet Elijah mentored Elisha, who later succeeded him. The story of Elijah and Elisha is chronicled in 1 Kings 19 ( Read(new tab)  or  Listen(new tab) ). You may want to read this chapter as a backdrop. In 1 Kings 19, one learns that Elijah spent time resting and being alone with God. During that time, God spoke to Elijah and told him he was to install two kings and his successor, Elisha. When Elijah approached Elisha, Elisha was farming, and Elijah placed his mantle around Elisha (1 Kings 19:19). A mantle was a loose shawl or cloak. By placing his mantle over Elisha, Elijah was symbolically asking him to follow him as his protégé. Elisha responded by saying goodbye to his parents and burning his farming equipment as a symbol that he was going to serve as Elijah’s assistant (1 Kings 19:21). It must have been exciting and scary for Elijah to mentor Elisha. On one hand, Elijah shared his experience and wisdom with him so that Elisha could learn the history and context of the people of Israel. On the other hand, Elijah was preparing Elisha to take over his ministry and he would no longer be the primary voice to the Jewish people. As the two grew in their relationship, Elijah invested himself in Elisha’s future success, and Elisha honored his mentor’s approach while continuing to lead with his strengths. Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to: · Integrate faith perspectives with personal development and professional practice as a leader. Instructions 1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade. 2. Review the information in the Getting Started section. 3. You may want to refer to your personal Bible for a preferred translation. 4. Write a half-page reflection paper (Word document) that shares your thoughts on the mentoring relationship between Elijah and Elisha. What strikes you about their story recorded in 1 Kings 19? Do you have (or have you had) an Elijah or an Elisha in your life – someone who is building into you or someone who you are mentoring? Briefly share what you value most about that relationship. 5. Reflection papers are to be written in accordance with 4.2 Discussion. Coaching and Mentoring Getting Started Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to: · Discuss the importance of coaching and mentoring in leadership development. Background Information In preparation for this assignment, read the articles “ The Leader as Coach(new tab) ” and “ Cultivate Collective Leadership(new tab) ”. You may also want to review the APA’s (2021) guide  “Introduction to mentoring: A guide for mentors and mentees.”(new tab) You may want to skim the following source for additional information: “ Coaching for Emotional Intelligence : The Secret to Developing the Star Potential in Your Employees.(new tab) ” Instructions 1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade. 2. Review the information in the Getting Started and Background Information sections. 3. In your initial discussion post (250-300 words), based upon your reading and review, discuss the importance of coaching and mentoring in leadership development. As a person grows in their leadership, they may be asked to speak into the direction of development of others (e.g., as a coach or mentor). How do coaching and mentoring impact leadership development? What are the similarities and differences between coaching and mentoring? In what ways do coaching and mentoring future development? How does this role of a coach /mentor differ from the roles of a consultant or counselor? What type of relationship is needed for coaching and mentoring to be effective? How does trust impact coaching and mentoring?4.3 Assignment. Leader2Leader Dialogue Insights Paper Getting Started This assignment represents the culmination of work you began in the third week of this course.  In that workshop, you submitted a set of conversation questions for your Leader2Leader dialogue. If you have not already conducted that conversation, you will need to do so during this week so that you may submit your report by Day 7 of the workshop. As a reminder, for this assignment, you will engage a leader of your choosing as you conduct a Leader2Leader dialogue. Taking into consideration what you have studied thus far about leading, you will use your list of conversation questions to gain new insights and perspectives on how someone else practices leadership. You’ve read from textbooks and articles. You’ve discussed this with your peers. Now, further insights might be gained by dialogues with key leaders in your life. Do they agree with some of the frameworks, principles, and practices you’ve been studying? Disagree? Have additional insights they might offer? What have they learned from their experiences in the areas you have been studying? For a reminder on the interview guidelines, refer back to the instructions in  3.3 Leader2Leader Dialogue Question Prep(new tab)  activity. Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to: · Identify how a specific leader develops and grows others. · Ask another leader about the processes and practices they use. · Reflect on another leader’s experience as to their coaching and mentoring of others. · Draw wisdom from another leader’s experience to apply to your own leadership. Background Information An important part of leadership development is acquiring perspectives outside of a textbook. Throughout your program, you have been encouraged to glean insights or perspectives from a variety of external leaders. You should not just use the same leader for each course, but you should consider a variety of individuals from whom you might learn during the program (e.g., direct supervisor, other level leaders in your organization (or other organizations with which you are familiar), a pastor/religious leader, head of a charity, local business person) in order to generate a variety of perspectives. Select one of those leaders in your life for your Leader2Leader dialogue in this course. Consider which one might have the most relevant insights for the topics you have been studying. Instructions 1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade. 2. Write a two to three-page executive summary, including your approved questions from Assignment 3.3, that contains the following: a. Name and title of the interviewee (who you will have your Leader2Leader dialogue with). Explain why you chose this particular leader. b. Date, time, and method (phone, Zoom, Skype, FaceTime…) when the interview was conducted c. Questions and summaries of interviewee responses, along with your reflections on thos