As a leader there are few things more vital to your success and fulfillment than the ability to grow as you encounter new challenges or become aware of outdated patterns of behaviors.
The principal goal of this course is to learn how to guide your own development and make personal change. This ability is a form of self-leadership and is one of the foundations of a rewarding career and a meaningful life. The benefits of this class are twofold.
The first benefit is that you will define and make progress on a personal development goal of your choosing.
Most of us harbor a list of things we would like to work on and change about ourselves. We often carry these desires for years without making much progress. This class creates a space in which you can finally realize your desires for growth and change. A sample of development goals Booth students’ have identified includes:
- Leaning into disagreements and conflict with others rather than avoiding
- Developing a stronger, more self-assured interpersonal presence
- Reworking interpersonal habits that derail interactions with others
- Developing habits and skills that enable more easily and comfortably connecting with others
- Managing one’s reactions and frustrations that get in the way of working effectively with others
The second benefit is that you will learn a set of ideas and tactics for guiding your development in the future.
As you work on your own development goal, you will apply approaches introduced in class. These approaches are designed to help you make progress on their current development goals; and, these same approaches are portable so that you can also apply them to future development goals, long after the course is over. Some of the approaches covered in class include:
- Taking stock of your most pressing development needs
- Engaging your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to create actionable development goals
- Reworking ineffective patterns of behavior
- Dealing with your own resistance to making desired change
- Initiating and sustaining action over time to make progress
It is important to note that Leadership Lab requires a deeper level of engagement than many classes.
Broadly speaking, the focus of the course concerns human development and introduces a valuable set of ideas on this topic. Yet, the heart of the class concerns the ways in which you apply these ideas to yourself. The class consists of activities, assignments, and interactions that involve analyzing your desires for yourself, better understanding what others need from you, learning to work with your own thoughts and emotions, generating meaningful goals for yourself, on-going effort to make desired changes, and supporting your fellow classmates as they engage in the same kind of work. The personal nature of the work we do in this class relies on a willingness to try difficult things, to be vulnerable, and to take responsibility for your own development.
Curriculum Video
View video for more details about the course. Note: CNet credentials required to view.
Enrollment in the course is by application
Apply online here. The application period open is now open. Please submit your application by end of day on Sunday, February 19. You will be notified of your enrollment status on Tuesday, February 21st.
Format
The format of the class will include in-class discussion, experiential exercises, and short lectures. One of the most important parts of class are the assignments in between classes which involve experimenting with new behaviors in ways that may feel unfamiliar and/or challenging. Both are considered essential parts of the class experience.
