Instructor Resource
Neck, Self-Leadership 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
Case Notes
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Self-Leadership: The Journey Begins
J. K. Rowling
Learning Objectives
1. Provide a basic definition of leadership.
2. Contrast the three primary sources of leadership: external leadership, participative leadership,
and self-leadership.
Case Summary
J. K. Rowling was born and raised in England. She studied French at University, but did not
enjoy her work as a bilingual secretary, as she struggled with staying organized and became
routinely distracted by her story writing ideas. After moving to Portugal to teach English, she got
married and gave birth to a daughter. Her marriage was short-lived, and she soon moved to
Case Analysis
J. K. Rowling was not born into fame or riches. She did, however, possess a talent to write, as
well as a dogged determination to work hard to develop her talent and complete her first book,
which would become the first book in the world-famous Harry Potter series. Despite a lack of
external benefits and benefactors, Rowling possessed a tremendous degree of intrinsic
motivation. By harnessing this inner fire, she was able to effectively lead herself to think about
(cognitive strategies) and do (behavioral strategies) whatever was required to develop her writing
Instructor Resource
Neck, Self-Leadership 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2020
Sample Answers to Case Questions
Question 1. Do you consider J. K. Rowling to be a leader? In what ways?
Sample Answer: J. K. Rowling may not be considered a leader in the traditional sense of
possessing a title, with authority to supervise a team or organization. She has, however, been
Question 2. What source of leadership did Rowling use to accomplish her goal of writing a
novel and getting it published?
Sample Answer: She exercised effective self-leadership by successfully harnessing her internal
Question 3. What types of external influences and obstacles did Rowling have to overcome?
Sample Answer: A failed marriage, lack of funding, and initial rejections from book publishers.
Question 4. In what ways is Rowling an effective self-leader?
Sample Answer: First, she was able to effectively visualize what she wanted for herself
(cognitive S-L strategy). Second, she was able to successfully confront whatever adversity arose