Write about things which you feel you can’t afford to forget

1000 words (+/-50 words). The word range frees you from worrying about wordsmithing to meet the specified length. However, if you go beyond the range, you will be penalized.

This assignment is designed to make you think about what you learnt.

Here’s the topic:
Tell me 1 OR MAXIMUM 2 thing(s) you learned during this course that added meaningfully to your perspective about leading change.
This essay is in lieu of an exam; instead of my telling you what I think is important, I’m asking you to decide what is important to you and write thoughtfully about that. Rather than assess where you are weak, I will assess where you think you are the best.
Do not write about more than two issues. If you do, I will not read beyond the first two and will grade you accordingly. It is easy to create a laundry list without thinking; it is hard to identify the few things which are truly important.

I will provide more guidance on selecting ideas to write about in Class 1. For now:

Focus on ideas (mindsets, behaviors) YOU need to internalize. If these lessons learnt are not from this course, you are likely to do very poorly. For example

don’t write about “growth mindset” as that was a topic in an earlier leadership course. Write about things which you feel you can’t afford to forget. That’s because knowledge atrophies from non-use and as such, in the first few years after you finish your education, you’ll forget much that you have learnt.
Do NOT write about actions that are narrowly tailored to your immediate conditions (e.g., “I will hire …”). Say why this/these idea(s) is/are important. Bring in other ideas to support your argument.

Discuss how you will apply these once you graduate. You do not have to do any external research. However, you MUST cite anything you use that someone else has said, including your classmates.

My best advice for writing this essay well is: Start with 3 short sentences:
These are the three elements of your essay. Write these lessons and you have a focused essay. If you struggle with the 15-word limit, you haven’t got to the heart of the matter and you will have a tough time.
You may need to describe your pre-course experiences (or descriiptions of where you hope to work in the future) to make your case. If so, limit such descriiptions to 100 WORDS. Any more and you will be marked down in accordance with the rubric. I have no means of evaluating your essay in accordance with the rubric if you merely describe your past or actions relevant to a very narrow frame of activity in the future.