Leader Development: Enable Change In Self&oth

MOB7570 Leader Development: Enabling Transformational Change in Yourself and Others

(Formerly Leadership)
3 Credits

The focus of this course will be on leader development. This course is appropriate for those who are or want to become leaders, and for students who want to understand leadership whether they aspire to a leadership role or not. The course assumes from the start the following. (1) Leaders develop themselves and do so primarily through and within their life experiences. Therefore, much of leader development is also personal development. (2) Learning to be a leader is an iterative process of reflection, assessment, planning, experimentation and practice, application of what we know, and developing supportive relationships. (3) Knowing (from theory and research) what other leaders have done, how they did it, and why, greatly informs the process of developing leader capacity. (4) You learn best when you understand and build on your current capability. (5) Openness to and wise use of feedback is essential as a basis for growth and development and ultimately effective leadership. With these assumptions, the course has the following objectives to help students develop as a leader: (1) explore the nature of leadership theory, principles, and practice and apply them to improve thinking, problem solving, and decision making; (2) better understand what constitutes effective leadership and what does not; (3) appreciate why leaders are needed at all levels in organizations and how they effectively influence, regardless of their position in the organization; (4) create a plan for your personal leader development as an initial step in developing your own leader capability; (5) increase your confidence and your impact and influence as a leader in whatever you decide to pursue. These objectives are achieved through readings, cases, experiential activities, practice in developmental coaching, receiving feedback, and putting into practice a model for sustainable leader development and change.

Prerequisites: None