Organizational Leadership (OL-C) (C007)

Leadership Development Certification
Organizational Leadership
Dr. Jacques Thigpen
j-thigpen@pathsuafrica.education

Leadership Development Overview Course:
A concise, practical introduction to leadership principles, skills, and strategies to elevate individual and team performance.

Course Objectives:

1. Understand core leadership theories and models.
2. Develop self-awareness and emotional intelligence.
3. Improve communication, influence, and motivation.
4. Enhance team leadership, collaboration, and conflict resolution.
5. Create personal development plans and measurable goals.
6. Apply ethical leadership and inclusive practices.

Target Audience:

• Aspiring leaders and first-time managers
• Team leads seeking structured development
• Professionals transitioning to leadership roles
• HR and L&D practitioners designing leadership programs

Course Structure (Suggested Outline):

Welcome & Foundations:

• Definition of leadership vs. management
• Leadership competencies and success factors
• Personal leadership philosophy

Self-Awareness & Emotional Intelligence:

• Myers-Briggs, Big Five, or VIA strengths (optional)
• Self-assessment tools (e.g., EQ-i 2.0, Daniel Goleman framework)
• Reflective journaling and feedback loops

Communication & Influence:

• Active listening, clarity, and storytelling
• Persuasion vs. manipulation
• Influence tactics and stakeholder management

Decision Making & Problem Solving:

• Decision styles, biases, and bias mitigation
• Structured problem-solving (PDCA, DMAIC-lite)
• Risk assessment and ethical considerations

Team Leadership & Collaboration:

• Building high-performing teams
• Delegation, empowerment, and accountability
• Psychological safety and inclusive leadership

Motivation & Engagement:

• Motivation theories (Maslow, Herzberg, Self-Determination)
• Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation
• Recognition and rewards that work

Change Leadership & Adaptability:

• Change models (Kotter, ADKAR)
• Leading through ambiguity
• Resilience and stress management

Conflict Resolution & Negotiation:

• Conflict styles and resolution techniques
• Constructive feedback and difficult conversations
• Negotiation basics and win-win outcomes

Ethics, Integrity & Values:

• Ethical decision-making frameworks
• Leading with integrity and social responsibility
• Inclusive and diverse leadership

Personal Development Planning:

• 30-60-90 day action plan
• SMART goals and KPIs
• Creating a continuous learning habit

Learning Methods:

• Short video lectures or slides
• Key model summaries and frameworks
• Self-assessments and reflection prompts
• Case studies and real-world scenarios
• Group discussions and peer feedback
• Hands-on projects and leadership simulations
• Action planning and progress tracking

Assessment & Certification:

• Quizzes after modules to check understanding
• Practical leadership projects (e.g., lead a simulated initiative)
• 360-degree feedback or structured peer review (optional)
• Final reflection and personal development plan

Certificate of Completion

Duration & Delivery:

• Format: Online self-paced or instructor-led
• Suggested length: 4–6 weeks, 2–4 hours per week
• Delivery platforms: LMS (Moodle, Canvas), corporate Learning Experience
• Platform, or simple webinar series

Key Models & Frameworks (Optional References):

• Leadership vs. Management
• Transformational vs. Servant Leadership
• Situational Leadership (Hersey & Blanchard)
• Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence
• Tuckman’s Team Development
• Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model
• ADKAR Change Model
• DISC or Big Five for self-awareness

SMART Goals

Materials & Resources:

• Recommended readings (books, articles)
• Templates: 1-page leadership philosophy, meeting agenda, feedback form, action plan
• Case study library (industry-agnostic)

Example Syllabus Table:
| Week | Topic | Key Activities | Deliverables |

| 1 | Foundations & Self-Awareness | Self-assessment, reflect-and-share | Personal leadership philosophy (1-page) |
| 2 | Communication & Influence | Roles-play, feedback practice | Elevator pitch, feedback log |
| 3 | Team Leadership | Team charter, psychological safety exercise | Team charter & action plan |
| 4 | Decision Making & Change | Case study analysis | Decision memo, change plan|
| 5 | Ethics & Inclusion | Scenario simulations | Ethics case write-up |
| 6 | Personal Development | 30-60-90 plan | Final PDP & progress metrics |

How to Adapt for Your Organization:

1. Align with core values and strategic goals.
2. Incorporate role-specific competencies.
3. Integrate with performance management and coaching.
4. Provide ongoing coaching, mentoring, and communities of practice.
5. Measure impact: performance metrics, turnover, engagement, and leadership pipeline strength.

Suggested Books

Suggested Books for Leadership Development:
A curated mix of classic classics, contemporary insights, and practical guides to strengthen leadership knowledge and skills.

Core Classics (Foundational Concepts):

• “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” ** by Stephen R. Covey
• “Good to Great” ** by Jim Collins
• “Leading Change” ** by John P. Kotter
• “First, Break All the Rules” ** by Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
• “The Effective Executive” ** by Peter F. Drucker
• “Leadership and Self-Deception” ** by The Arbinger Institute

Emotional Intelligence, Communication & Influence:

• “Emotional Intelligence 2.0” ** by Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves
• “Primal Leadership” ** by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, Annie McKee
• “Crucial Conversations” ** by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler
• “How to Win Friends & Influence People” ** by Dale Carnegie

Modern Leadership &  Strategy:

• “Leaders Eat Last” ** by Simon Sinek
• “Dare to Lead” ** by Brené Brown
• “ Radical Candor” ** by Kim Scott
• “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World” ** by David Epplt
• “The Advantage” ** by Patrick Lencioni

Teams, Culture & Execution:

• “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” ** by Patrick Lencioni
• “Team of Teams” ** by General Stanley McChrystal
• “Work Rules!” ** by Laszlo Bock
• “Measure What Matters” ** by John Doerr
• “Atomic Habits” ** by James Clear (practical personal productivity and habit formation)

Change Management & Adaptability:

• “Who Moved My Cheese?” ** by Spencer Johnson
• “Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard” ** by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
• “ADKAR: A Model for Change Management” ** by Jeff Hiatt (authoritative overview)
• “Leading Change in Healthcare” ** by Anthony Kezar & Dana Goldner (industry-focused)

Ethics, Inclusion & Responsible Leadership:

• “Moral Leadership: The Theory and Practice” ** by Deborah Ancona et al.
• “Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People” ** by Mahzarin R. Banaji & Anthony G. Greenwald
• “How to Be an Inclusive Leader” ** by Jennifer Brown

Personal Development for Leaders:

• “The Leadership Challenge” ** by James Kouzes & Barry Posner
• “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success”** by Carol S. Dweck
• “The One-Minute Manager” ** by Kenneth Blanchard & Spencer Johnson
• “Mindful Leadership”** by Sophia D. Johnson (varies by edition)

Industry and Role-Specific Reads (optional):

Leadership in Tech, Startups, or HR

• “The Lean Startup” ** by Eric Ries
• “The Innovator’s Dilemma” ** by Clayton M. Christensen
• “Radical Candor in Tech” ** by Kim Scott (tech-focused variants)

Quick-Start Reading Plan (optional):

• Week 1: Core foundational book (e.g., The 7 Habits) + Emotional intelligence primer (EI 2.0)
• Week 2: Change and execution (Leading Change + The Five Dysfunctions)
• Week 3: People and teams (Dare to Lead or Radical Candor)
• Week 4: Strategy, metrics, and culture (Good to Great + Measure What Matters)

How to Choose Titles:

1. Your current gaps: self-awareness, communication, change management, or team leadership.
2. Industry and context: corporate, non-profit, healthcare, tech.
3. Desired tone: practical how-to vs. theory-driven.