Issue Leadership: Navigating Complex Challenges in Teams, Organizations, and Communities
ALDR 3000
3 hours
Issue Leadership: Navigating Complex Challenges in Teams, Organizations, and Communities
Course Description
Groups and teams are everywhere. In this course, we will focus on
communication and leadership within groups and teams, including
what makes an effective team, communication strategies, team
processes, analyzing problems, working with difficult team
members, and evaluating team performance.
Athena Title
Issue Leadership
Prerequisite
Students must have previous leadership experience or deep commitment to personal leadership development to enroll in the course
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
Students will be able to describe effective leadership and membership in teams, organizations, and communities.
Students will be able to define the concept of critical issues.
Students will be able to identify Issue Leadership core competencies - strategic planning, communication, change, supporting, relationships and character, coordinating, and action.
Students will be able to assess personal Issue Leadership skills.
Students will be able to assess Issue Leadership skills of others.
Students will be able to design a personalized plan to develop individual Issue Leadership skills.
Students will be able to evaluate leadership performance and effectiveness.
Topical Outline
Overview
Defining Issue Leadership - connections to teams, organizations, and communities
Personality assessment
Strategic planning. Topics will focus on: critical thinking, decision making, global and systems thinking, goal setting and visioning, problem solving, and stakeholder assessment
Communication as a leader. Topics will focus on: listening, persuasive speaking, effective written and oral communication, and media relations
Leading change. Topics will focus on: acting as a change agent, innovation, risk-taking, and self-efficacy
Supporting others as a leader. Topics will focus on: conflict management, fostering and enabling others, issue awareness, political process awareness, and recognizing values
Relationships and character. Topics will focus on: individual confidence, empathy, ethics, initiative, integrity, life-long learning, motivation, self-awareness, as well as understanding and appreciating diversity
Coordinating efforts as a leader. Topics will focus on: collaboration, group and team dynamics, policy influence, and trust building
Implementing action as a leader. Topics will focus on: advocacy, assuming leadership roles and increasing involvement, mentoring, networking, expanding issue engagement, and serving as a resource
Applying Issue Leadership theory through service projects
Synthesizing Issue Leadership theory and application
