The Leadership Studio is an innovative and first-of-its-kind course that helps students learn, practice, and unleash leadership agility throughout their careers. Having a large inventory of leadership qualities is not sufficient to prepare leaders to meet the demands they face in their various roles. They must also learn to choose the right qualities to bring forth in different contexts and even at different moments within the same context to move toward their chosen goals.
Leaders engage with others on a daily or weekly basis around issues that can seem quite antithetical—e.g., explore new opportunities/exploit existing business models with unerring precision; cut costs/grow revenue; or celebrate accomplishments/make difficult personnel changes. The need to adapt one’s leadership style also emerges throughout a leader’s professional journey when moving into new and different roles within the same company, transitioning from one company to another, or when working in different countries.
This unique and innovative studio experience will help students recognize, harness, and deploy many of their leadership qualities that they keep hidden. It will offer opportunities to learn and apply new leadership knowledge in three interwoven tracks: exposure to research and new knowledge in a Classroom Track, applying knowledge and leadership approaches in a Rehearsal Hall Track, and experimenting with leadership skills in a Fieldwork Track. The Leadership Studio experience begins in a Classroom with content via readings, videos and lectures/discussions , then guided-practice with this content in a Rehearsal Hall, followed by experimentation and practice in the Field through interactions with others. The three tracks continue to intertwine throughout the quarter. Students will learn to play their leadership roles in a manner that aligns with their values, is authentic for them, and because of that, more impactful with others.
Additionally, students will receive 1-on-1 leadership coaching from a Booth Leadership coach. [The Classroom portion of the class will convene in a traditional classroom venue, while the Rehearsal Hall portion will convene in an innovative Studio space .] In keeping with our belief that leadership is performance art, The Rehearsal Hall will be led by Guest Instructors from the performing arts.
Attention! This is not a class in which faculty and students play traditional, well-defined roles. They will instead be co-creating the experience. Students should sign up for the Studio if they are committed to their own personal development with learning tailored to each person. Four comments from students who were enrolled in the first offering (Winter, 2020) may be instructive:
“The Studio will teach you two things, which can have a lasting impact in your life: a) A framework for self-improvement based on trying new things, collecting data and reflecting; and b) The notion that you can be flexible on the personal qualities you will draw on for each situation.”“This is a class that goes beyond business. It impacts every aspect of life. It is an essential course to take to be an effective leader and learn how to become one.”“It is what you put into it. This can be a profound experience for some, and useless for others who do not take it seriously.”“Unlike any Booth class I’ve taken, you must be ready to be fully present and ready to make a real change in your behavior.”View recording of Spring 2021 Info Session