Module 1 – Purpose

Before you can lead other people, you must first learn how to lead yourself. This session on purpose helps students answer three important questions. 1) Where am I now? 2) Where do I want to go? and 3) How am I going to get there?

Learning Objectives

Recognize the first step in leadership is Self-Leadership
Identify their personal strengths and challenges
Perform a personal evaluation
Develop a personal vision
Set at least 1 SMART Goal to help them achieve their vision

Workforce Application

Before someone can lead others, they first must learn how to lead themselves. Only when someone can lead themselves can they be productive employees.
Understanding personal strengths and challenges helps when a prospective employee is interviewed, allows employees to utilize their strengths for their team, and promotes confidence to ask for help to overcome their challenges.
The Start Stop Continue evaluation tool helps employees think in terms of action steps to improve themselves, their team, and/or their situation.
A team works best when they understand the common vision and mission of an organization and can work toward that vision collaboratively.
Employees who understand SMART Goals can better measure their success and outcomes due to the improved specificity and detail of their objectives outlined in a SMART Goal.

Module 2 – Communication

Leaders must be able to communicate well. This session involves developing proper communication skills as well as listening skills. Students engage in a public speaking activity to help them develop confidence and better communication skills.

Learning Objectives

Understand the three parts to communication
Understand public speaking fundamentals
Participate in a public speaking activity
Analyze the message motivations
Identify listening barriers
Discuss listening tips

Workforce Application

Employees must be able to speak up regarding ideas, challenges, problem solving, and other work-related tasks. Employees in career fields who deal with the public must be able to communicate effectively with customers as the employee is directly providing customer experience.
Employees must learn how to overcome listening barriers to better understand what a manager, a customer, or other co-workers are saying. Many employees are responsible for addressing problems within the organization or helping a customer, in which active listening is imperative.
Employees who wish to move up in the company someday will need to demonstrate an ability to articulate a message effectively.

Module 3 – Emotional Intelligence Part 1 The Basics

Emotional Intelligence helps students develop the four components of Emotional Intelligence. Those components are 1) Self-Awareness, 2) Self-Management, 3) Social Awareness, and 4) Relationship Management.

Learning Objectives

Identify the basic brain anatomy in decision making
Participate in a values exercise
Understand the four components of emotional intelligence

Workforce Application

Emotional Intelligence is a core component for an employee’s ability to understand themselves and understand other people.
Self-awareness helps employees manage their own emotions and not let their emotions turn into negative behaviors. Being more self-aware, employees have better knowledge of themselves and can use that knowledge to be a better team member.
Self-management helps employees take responsibility for their behaviors with an internal locus of control. Concepts like adaptability, optimism, initiative, time management, mindfulness, and many more are the difference between an employee who just shows up and an employee who is ready to excel.
Social awareness improves employee perception of how other people are thinking, feeling, and behaving. People are very different. Understanding how to work with other people, to demonstrate empathy, and to pick up on social cues can lead to fewer misunderstandings between managers, co-workers, and/or customers. This allows for a positive company culture where greater awareness can lead to a greater understanding.
Relationship Management helps employees understand power dynamics in teams and groups as well as tips on conflict management, collaboration, a shared vision, and developing strengths in other people.

Module 4 – Emotional Intelligence Part 2 Deeper Dive

An important factor when developing someone’s self-management and relationship management skills is to understand the concept of engagement. Engagement in a job or task is much different than simply being satisfied in a job or task. This session focuses on engagement through three psychological factors. In addition, there are numerous ways to lead and various theories and styles to understand. Students will take a self-assessment about which leadership approach they prefer and participate in a game to help better understand the concepts.

Learning Objectives

Understand engagement components
Participate in the Cornell Engagement vs Satisfaction Assessment
Identify Leadership Styles
Play leadership styles game

Workforce Application

Engagement vs Satisfaction takes a greater look into whether an employee is truly passionate and focused about their work or if they are just going through the motions. Companies want employees who give their all, not just the satisfactory minimum. An engaged employee has greater growth potential than one who is simply satisfied.
Understanding the engagement components helps the employee understand why they may or may not be fully engaged due to psychological factors often not discussed.
Managers have different leadership styles or approaches. Employees who understand different leadership styles can adapt their followership to better work with their managers. This understanding influences employee retention.
Employees who become managers can reflect on the kind of leadership they wish to demonstrate with others.

Module 5 – Finding Solutions / Conflict Management

This session on finding solutions involves learning what is a problem and the steps to solving a problem as a team. Students engage in idea generating activities and acquire tips for managing interpersonal conflicts.

Learning Objectives

Understand John Dewey’s Problem-Solving Steps
Participate in a brainstorm/small group idea generating activity
Discuss conflict management basics
Identify the 5 Strategies to conflict management

Workforce Application

Employees who understand the strategy of problem solving can alleviate managers and team members by addressing those problems properly and ethically.
Employees who know how to participate in group problem solving tactics can help managers who are open-minded to ideas and suggestions. This promotes teamwork and improves productivity.
Employees who know why conflict exists and who develop strategies to address conflict can do a better job of navigating conflict in their own personal challenges with co-workers as well as provide guidance to others as to the best way to manage conflict and promote collaboration.

Module 6 – Ethics

Students work on understanding the theories of ethics. The session is not to tell students what to think but instead learn the various ethical theories that exist and how people who follow those theories will likely make decisions in leadership.

Learning Objectives

Identify ethical theories
Understand the Ethical-Effective Leadership Model
Engage in “ethical scenarios” and discuss how to lead in those scenarios and how might someone with a specific ethical theory lead

Workforce Application

Many people are effective, but without ethics, a company’s integrity and reputation could be tarnished due to unethical behavior by managers or employees. Employees who understand ethics and the ethics of others will likely lead themselves with a personal code of ethics and be a responsible employee.
Employees and managers alike make decisions for the organization. When making decisions, managing conflict, or solving problems, it is best to have employees who consider the ethical ramifications of the result.

Module 7 – Team Development

The most expected concept for leaders to understand is how to positively lead others in a team. This team development session informs students of the various aspects of a team’s progress and how to properly adjust their leadership approach to the unique needs of their team. Students also are exposed to the concept of what it means to be a good follower.

Learning Objectives

Identify Bruce Tuckman’s 5 Stages of Team Development
Discuss how to lead in each stage of development through the 5Es
Understand to followership basics

Workforce Application

Most organizations function with other people. Knowing team dynamics and how to be a good team member is essential to developing and sustaining a positive corporate culture.
Learning the life cycle of a team shows the ups and downs of working in groups. Knowing why a team is thriving or struggling is the first step in being able to adapt our behaviors to help keep the team moving in a positive direction whether we are the leader or a follower.

Module 8 – Followership

Leadership and Followership are equally important. Although leadership is often more emphasized, no team can be successful if it does not contain good followers. What is the difference between a good follower and a blind follower? What types of followers are there?

Learning Objectives

Understand the difference of good followership and blind followership
Participate in the follower qualities exercise
Identify and participate in the Assessment of Team Roles
Understand Kellerman’s Followership Types

Workforce Application

Followership is just as – if not more important – than leadership. Employees who are good followers and not blind followers drive the organization.
Good Followers (good employees) demonstrate a commitment to the team’s success and engagement in their role. They proactively offer their strengths and talents for the benefit of the team. Followers create within the boundaries established by the leader.
No organization can function without good followers. Removing the stigma that followers are “bad” and instead are essential to a team changes the perspective toward a positive of what it means to be an astounding employee.

Module 9 – DiSC Behavioral Styles

Understanding differences are essential components for any team and leader’s success. This session focuses on students identifying their personal values as well as learning about behavioral differences. This session shares knowledge from William Moulton Marston’s DiSC Assessment.

Learning Objectives

Identify the DiSC Styles
Discuss how to work with different DiSC Styles

Workforce Application

Employees who understand what motivates, stresses, interests, or drains their energy can better lead themselves and work to be in situations where they are more comfortable and can perform better. This improves communication, collaboration, and productivity due to the social awareness created through this model.
Employees and managers who can identify a co-worker’s, manager’s, or customer’s behavioral style can approach them with better tact and consideration for how they prefer to receive information.

Module 10 - Creative Thinking

Students work on understanding appreciative inquiry and envisioning the best possible version of their school.

Learning Objectives

Understand Appreciative Inquiry
Identify the 4-D Cycle
Participate in the Envisioning the Possible Exercise

Workforce Application

Employees who understand the strategy behind creative thinking can help organizations think outside of the box and solve problems with innovation.
Employees who see the opportunity in a problem instead of a problem in every opportunity brings a positive outlook within an organization’s culture.

Final Exam

Students must complete a final exam with a 70% success.

Final Project

Students work on one of various potential leadership projects to demonstrate or explore learned leadership skills. A project guide will be included to help students with project ideas, planning, and execution.

Potential Project Concepts

Organize a service project for your school or community

Instruction: Student must organize an act of service with at least one other student, to help their school or community by volunteering, raising awareness on a topic important to them, or communicating a positive message.

Interview a leader in your community

Instruction: Student must identify a leader they look up to and interview them on the topic of leadership. Student will prepare interview questions and collect the responses from the community/school leader. Interviews can be conducted in-person, virtually, or on the phone.

Relate course content to a leader of choice in writing.

Instruction: Student must write a one-page paper about a leader they look up to and why. Choose any concepts learned from one or more of the course modules that apply to this leader.

Create a 1-2 minute video about a leadership concept on social media

Instruction: Student must identify a leadership topic discussed in the program and create a video to share on social media to help increase awareness of that leadership topic.

Everything Leadership

Leadership Applications in the Workforce

Module 1 – Purpose

Before you can lead other people, you must first learn how to lead yourself. This session on purpose helps students answer three important questions. 1) Where am I now? 2) Where do I want to go? and 3) How am I going to get there?

Learning Objectives

Recognize the first step in leadership is Self-Leadership

Identify their personal strengths and challenges

Perform a personal evaluation

Develop a personal vision

Set at least 1 SMART Goal to help them achieve their vision

Workforce Application

Before someone can lead others, they first must learn how to lead themselves. Only when someone can lead themselves can they be productive employees.

Understanding personal strengths and challenges helps when a prospective employee is interviewed, allows employees to utilize their strengths for their team, and promotes confidence to ask for help to overcome their challenges.

The Start Stop Continue evaluation tool helps employees think in terms of action steps to improve themselves, their team, and/or their situation.

A team works best when they understand the common vision and mission of an organization and can work toward that vision collaboratively.

Employees who understand SMART Goals can better measure their success and outcomes due to the improved specificity and detail of their objectives outlined in a SMART Goal.

Module 2 – Communication

Leaders must be able to communicate well. This session involves developing proper communication skills as well as listening skills. Students engage in a public speaking activity to help them develop confidence and better communication skills.

Learning Objectives

Understand the three parts to communication

Understand public speaking fundamentals

Participate in a public speaking activity

Analyze the message motivations

Identify listening barriers

Discuss listening tips

Workforce Application

Employees must be able to speak up regarding ideas, challenges, problem solving, and other work-related tasks. Employees in career fields who deal with the public must be able to communicate effectively with customers as the employee is directly providing customer experience.

Employees must learn how to overcome listening barriers to better understand what a manager, a customer, or other co-workers are saying. Many employees are responsible for addressing problems within the organization or helping a customer, in which active listening is imperative.

Employees who wish to move up in the company someday will need to demonstrate an ability to articulate a message effectively.

Module 3 – Emotional Intelligence Part 1 The Basics

Emotional Intelligence helps students develop the four components of Emotional Intelligence. Those components are 1) Self-Awareness, 2) Self-Management, 3) Social Awareness, and 4) Relationship Management.

Learning Objectives

Identify the basic brain anatomy in decision making

Participate in a values exercise

Understand the four components of emotional intelligence

Workforce Application

Emotional Intelligence is a core component for an employee’s ability to understand themselves and understand other people.

Self-awareness helps employees manage their own emotions and not let their emotions turn into negative behaviors. Being more self-aware, employees have better knowledge of themselves and can use that knowledge to be a better team member.

Self-management helps employees take responsibility for their behaviors with an internal locus of control. Concepts like adaptability, optimism, initiative, time management, mindfulness, and many more are the difference between an employee who just shows up and an employee who is ready to excel.

Relationship Management helps employees understand power dynamics in teams and groups as well as tips on conflict management, collaboration, a shared vision, and developing strengths in other people.

Module 4 – Emotional Intelligence Part 2 Deeper Dive

Learning Objectives

Understand engagement components

Participate in the Cornell Engagement vs Satisfaction Assessment

Identify Leadership Styles

Play leadership styles game

Workforce Application

Understanding the engagement components helps the employee understand why they may or may not be fully engaged due to psychological factors often not discussed.

Managers have different leadership styles or approaches. Employees who understand different leadership styles can adapt their followership to better work with their managers. This understanding influences employee retention.

Employees who become managers can reflect on the kind of leadership they wish to demonstrate with others.

Module 5 – Finding Solutions / Conflict Management

This session on finding solutions involves learning what is a problem and the steps to solving a problem as a team. Students engage in idea generating activities and acquire tips for managing interpersonal conflicts.

Learning Objectives

Understand John Dewey’s Problem-Solving Steps

Participate in a brainstorm/small group idea generating activity

Discuss conflict management basics

Identify the 5 Strategies to conflict management

Workforce Application

Employees who understand the strategy of problem solving can alleviate managers and team members by addressing those problems properly and ethically.

Employees who know how to participate in group problem solving tactics can help managers who are open-minded to ideas and suggestions. This promotes teamwork and improves productivity.

Employees who know why conflict exists and who develop strategies to address conflict can do a better job of navigating conflict in their own personal challenges with co-workers as well as provide guidance to others as to the best way to manage conflict and promote collaboration.

Module 6 – Ethics

Students work on understanding the theories of ethics. The session is not to tell students what to think but instead learn the various ethical theories that exist and how people who follow those theories will likely make decisions in leadership.

Learning Objectives

Identify ethical theories

Understand the Ethical-Effective Leadership Model

Engage in “ethical scenarios” and discuss how to lead in those scenarios and how might someone with a specific ethical theory lead

Workforce Application

Employees and managers alike make decisions for the organization. When making decisions, managing conflict, or solving problems, it is best to have employees who consider the ethical ramifications of the result.

Module 7 – Team Development

Learning Objectives

Identify Bruce Tuckman’s 5 Stages of Team Development

Discuss how to lead in each stage of development through the 5Es

Understand to followership basics

Workforce Application

Most organizations function with other people. Knowing team dynamics and how to be a good team member is essential to developing and sustaining a positive corporate culture.

Learning the life cycle of a team shows the ups and downs of working in groups. Knowing why a team is thriving or struggling is the first step in being able to adapt our behaviors to help keep the team moving in a positive direction whether we are the leader or a follower.

Module 8 – Followership

Leadership and Followership are equally important. Although leadership is often more emphasized, no team can be successful if it does not contain good followers. What is the difference between a good follower and a blind follower? What types of followers are there?

Learning Objectives