LEAD Higher

Since the environment and the organization a leader is charged with leading are always changing, change management becomes a fundamental skill for leaders. Leaders must understand the impetus for and the dynamics around change, resistance and success.

Leaders must anticipate, respond to, and recover from high-stakes situations that threaten an organization. Participants will learn how to identify and prevent potential crises, plan and make decisions under pressure, effectively communicate with stakeholders and the public, and coordinate teams during uncertainty. This session also emphasizes real-time crisis response, managing stress and ambiguity, and post-crisis recovery through evaluation, learning, and strengthening organizational resilience.

Effective leadership and career progression require an ability to engage with others and develop networks of long-term professional relationships.  This session will examine tactics for effective networking and engaging professionally with others in the US and while working with other cultures.

Effective leaders understand the value, importance, and contributions of those in a follower role. Those in a follower role also recognize the incredible duty they have to ensure their leader(s) remain in control of the situation to ensure effectiveness and efficiency.

Strong leaders are acutely aware of what they bring to a team and know when to maximize their own efforts or activate the specific skills of others. Furthermore, those in leadership roles are responsible and should be held accountable for their decisions and the decisions of their team. Therefore, leaders must act in a way that aligns with appropriate values and principles. LEAD Higher encourages participants to commit to the process of lifelong learning, invites them to regularly reflect on their values and beliefs, and challenges them to identify areas for continued growth.

Leaders must understand that the system is the context that enables and shapes their leadership. They must understand systems dynamics and the powerful effect systems have on both the leader and followers. This module will equip them to understand the nature of systems, systems dynamics, classic systems archetypes and their role as the systems architect. Additionally, as governance is the function that grants leaders agency, this module will cover the basics of Governance.

Emotionally intelligent leaders have the understanding and awareness to manage themselves, others, and the context in which they are working. LEAD Higher will motivate and empower participants to help others as well as equip them with the skills necessary to build productive relationships.

Effective leaders must be able to engage and connect with colleagues every sort of background. It is no longer uncommon for someone with a leader role to supervise/manage someone different than themselves. Therefore, a leader must be able to adapt their leadership style appropriately. As a result of participating in LEAD Higher, participants will understand how values and priorities differ across different populations and will be able to adjust their leadership style accordingly.

Strong leaders understand how to effectively unite a group, synthesize ideas, and utilize the strengths of followers. LEAD Higher will equip / strengthen participants' ability to commit to the collective process of leadership, working collaboratively with others to achieve shared goals.

Effective leadership requires an ability to discern, articulate, and implement long-term personal and organizational mission and goals. Leaders must have the capacity and competence to assess situational context, recognize potential for growth and/or threats that challenge the organization, and apply strategies for success.