To assess your understanding of the readings, you are to respond to the following reflection questions.

Part III

Levin begins chapter 8 with the following observation: "Our souls and our institutions shape each other in an ongoing way" (p.163), and the chapter is devoted to unpacking how that mutually reinforcing relationship works along with his thoughts about how we can turn our current vicious cycle into a virtuous cycle. He summarizes that explanation by reminding us that the characteristic social problem of our day is not an excess, but a lack, and one of the things we lack is legitimacy. While recovering what is good and possible is a task shared by everyone, it is not surprising that leaders bear a particular responsibility in this regard. "The solution to our loss of faith is not to make people trust the institutions we have as they are. It is to make those institutions more trustworthy. That, in turn, requires a transformation of attitudes among the people within them and especially the people who lead them" (p.179), he explains. [emphasis added] That, obviously, means you. With that in mind, please complete the following:

1. Take this opportunity to formulate your own thoughts about this. In what ways has your attitude toward organizational leadership been transformed through your engagement with this book? Through this class? Through the M.A. program as a whole? As you formulate your answer, be sure to cite Levin, at least one other source from this course, and at least one other source from a prior course in the program. You may integrate the ideas or compare and contrast them. What are the interesting points of agreement and disagreement among the readings you've been exposed to? (Don't lose sight of the power of a well-constructed table!)

Levin's discussion in chapter 9 may be one of the stranger things you've read. His premise is that for all the good egalitarian sentiments are, at the end of the day, every society creates some kind of hierarchy. It's simply unavoidable. The question then becomes who is at the top of the hierarchy and what obligations do the elite in that society bear? In plain English, all he's saying is that leadership exists in every society. In our society, we tend to worry a lot about who is in leadership and how they get there. He agrees those questions are important, but what has been forgotten, in his opinion, is the question of what leaders do with the power and authority they have. (p.192). He is concerned that our current so-called meritocracy "implicitly substitutes intellect for character and efficiency for integrity" (p.193). All of that points to the conclusion of the book: "Indeed, we must all accept the responsibilities that come with the positions we hold. [...] We need to inhabit these institutions, love them, and reform them to help make them more lovely to others as well." (p.200). And finally the question. This might seem strange in an academic course on leadership, but I want you to consider the following:

2. How can you better love the most important institutions in your life, especially the ones where you occupy a leadership position? What are some small things you can do to reform them? What is one thing you could do to make your organization more lovely to others as well?