Course Detail

Leadership Studio (31403)

Course Description by Faculty

  • Davis, Harry Tennant, Nancy
  • Content
    The Leadership Studio is an innovative and first-of-its-kind course that to 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 goals in a Rehearsal Hall Track, and experimenting with leadership skills in a Fieldwork Study Track. The Leadership Studio experience begins in a Classroom with content via readings 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 ten-week 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. The Rehearsal Hall will include Guest Instructors from various disciplines, including 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.”

    Spring 2020 Information Sessions:
    Harper: Monday 2/3, 11:45 to 12:45, Harper C04
    Gleacher: Monday 2/3, 4:45 to 5:45, Gleacher 100

    View recording of Spring 2020 Info Session
  • Prerequisites
    LEAD (31001)
    Restrictions
    • No non-Booth Students

  • Materials
    Assigned articles, book chapters, and online tutorial, from diverse disciplines including Business, Government, Theater/Improv, Psychology, Leadership, and Science.
  • Grades
    Note: Class attendance is very important given the design of this learning experience. Attendance at the first class is mandatory. The studio focuses on a student’s behavior in translating conceptual knowledge into action. Given the experiential nature of the studio, considerable weight will be placed on work in the rehearsal hall and in their personal field work. There are no exams. Students will prepare several written reflection papers based on their experiences in the Rehearsal Hall and in the field.

    - Classroom Participation: 15%
    -Quality of contributions to discussion
    -Support of others in the Rehearsal Hall and in Classroom discussions

    - The Rehearsal Hall: 25%
    -Involvement in working on needed/desired skills
    -Support of others in the Rehearsal Hall

    - Fieldwork: 20%
    -Quantity and quality of personal experiments throughout the quarter
    -Data submitted with written reflections in weeks 3, 5, 7 and 10

    - Personal Reflections: 30%
    -Quality of reflections in three short papers (15%)
    -The final written reflection and plans for the future work (15%)

    - Final Performance: 10%
    -Quality of the insights demonstrated
    -Support of other members of the ensemble
    Restrictions
    • No auditors

    • No pass/fail grades

  • Syllabus
  • Winter 2020Section: 31403-01TH 1:30PM-4:30PMHarper CenterC25New Course
  • Winter 2020Section: 31403-81TH 6:00PM-9:00PMBooth 455 (NBC Tower)132New Course
  • Spring 2020Section: 31403-01T 8:30AM-11:30AMLocation: TBDNew Course
  • Spring 2020Section: 31403-81TH 6:00PM-9:00PMLocation: TBDNew Course
Description and/or course criteria last updated: February 24 2020