I love the Phillies...but I HATE busy work.

I missed class last night because of my game in Scranton. No big deal- they understand. I woke up to an email this morning from one of my classmates giving me the lowdown on what happened. We did introductions (for the eighth time- the class has had the SAME people in it since we began...this is even a repeat teacher) talked about what we've gotten out of the courses in the last year and then watched a brief movie.

The title of this course is Social and Ethical Responsibility and it's the last installation of my coursework in my master's degree in Strategic Leadership (MBA minus all of the finance.) I was happy to hear that the prof let us out early to watch the Phils game...until I saw this from the classmate:

"we got to leave a little early with a “special project”. so we could see the game. Here’s our topic…ready..ready…wait for it…….Write a short (1or 2 pages) informal paper on the leadership qualities of Charley Manuel. Seriously..true."

SO. I emailed th prof to mention my absence and inquired about the paper to which he replied:

"Yes, I also asked the class to write a very brief paper – about 2 pages or so – on Charlie Manuel’s leadership style, based on what you’ve learned about the principles of strategic leadership and your observations of how he manages his players, and the strategy he uses based on the dynamics of the game. Thinking of Manuel in the role of a leader, does he respect his players (his “staff”), does he trust them, does he have faith in their skills, does he allow them to take ownership of the process, is he clear in his expectations, do they share his vision, is he enlightened and proactive, is he a rigid or a flexible leader, etc. Students can focus on that, or compare Manuel’s style with Andy Reid’s. Does that make sense? I just thought it would be a fun exercise, but one that is timely and can be addressed in terms of our leadership studies."

I'm kind of alright with the topic- as a coach, I'll get to look at things I'm interested in...but as a student and former teacher...I HATE busy work.

Anyone have any suggestions? Kelly? Tursi? Todd? Go.