Leadership

Lesson 1

Leadership Qualities and Models

Do you think you know what leadership is? In your first lesson, you will see how many ways there are to answer that question. And you will start to get a sense of what leaders really do.

Leadership Responsibilities

This lesson introduces the responsibilities that leaders hold to organizations and to other individuals. And you will begin to look at some of the leadership tools used in this course—readings, ideas from great leaders, and your journal—to get you thinking about what you can do to behave like a leader.

Value-Centered Leadership

This lesson looks at two important aspects of leadership: its relationship with principles and its relationship with emotional intelligence. If you have ever known someone whose behavior seemed out of touch, you will find out why in this lesson.

Leadership Self-Assessment

Leaders know themselves well. This lesson introduces methods you can use to get to know yourself better. This study will be particularly fun and will have an impact on your behavior in all aspects of your life.

Leadership Skills: Team Building

You probably already know that successful leaders are team builders, but do you know what types of teams are possible or how to build them? This lesson will focus on team types. Every person has been on some kind of a team, so this lesson has guidance and insights for everyone.

Leadership Skills: Communication

Leaders are often differentiated from others by the power of their communication skills. This lesson will guide you through some simple but insightful methods you can use to improve your communication skills.

Leadership Skills: Coaching or Mentoring

This lesson explores the types of behavior that successful leaders portray—leaders guide and support others by asking questions, providing advice and feedback, supporting others, and building morale.

Leadership Application (Personal): Behavioral Styles

If you're wondering how leaders can balance being themselves and being a public figure, this lesson will help. You will learn about Situational Leadership and how leaders relate to their organizations.

Leadership Application (Personal): Influence and Collaboration

Ready to learn more about your own behavior? This lesson examines how leaders make decisions and influence others without forcing them. You will learn how to answer challenging questions with some practical guidelines.

Leadership Application (Professional): Providing Strategic Vision

Everyone turns to a leader for strategic vision, but do you know how to think strategically? This is an important lesson because it takes some of the mystery out of the terms "strategy" and "vision".

Leadership Application (Professional): Creating/Changing Culture

This lesson introduces another big topic: how leaders effect change. You will learn some very specific things that leaders—and you—can do to effect change. As with all your lessons, you will read quotes from famous writers about change and leadership that will help stimulate your own ideas.

Leadership Application (Professional): Facilitating Creative Thinking

Leaders are not the only ones who have great new ideas, and so your course will end with a look at how leaders inspire creative thinking in others. It's a logical and fun way to end—pointing you in the direction of your own new ideas.