Welcome to the Leadership Essentials course! By the end of this course, you will develop a good understanding of the leadership phenomenon. The course develops the concept of leadership as a process involving the interaction among leaders, followers, and situations. It focuses on the nature of the leadership process itself as well as how a person becomes a better leader. The course delves into a deeper understanding of the three factors: attributes of the leader, the followers, and the situation. It also addresses the essential leadership competencies appropriate to each of these broad areas. The course highlights the concept of follower motivation, satisfaction, engagement, and performance. The course also uncovers the dark sides of leadership and highlights the causes of managerial incompetence.

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What you'll learn
Explain leadership as a process involving the interaction among leaders, followers, and situations.
Analyze the role of followers, situations, and environments in the leadership process.
Examine various theories of leadership and followership.
Identify attributes of a good and bad leader.
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March 2025
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There are 18 modules in this course
In this module, you will learn about what is meant by when we use the term leadership. The module analyzes the myths of leadership. You will gain insights into the interactional framework for leadership, which includes the leader, the followers, and the situation. The module also discusses women in leadership roles.
What's included
7 videos5 readings4 assignments
In this module, you will learn about leadership development, that is, how to become a better leader. The module analyzes the action-observation-reflection model. You will learn the key role of perception in the spiral of experience. The module also discusses the importance of reflection in leadership through single and double-loop learning. You will also gain insights into how coaching and mentoring are tools for leadership development.
What's included
6 videos4 readings4 assignments
This assessment is a graded quiz based on the modules covered in this week.
What's included
1 assignment
In this module, you will learn about leaders and their personality attributes. The module analyzes the triarchic theory of intelligence in the context of leadership. You will gain insights into why studying leadership is important. The module also discusses the early studies of leadership.
What's included
4 videos4 readings4 assignments
In this module, you will learn about leadership behavior through the leadership grid. The module analyzes competency models of leadership. You will gain insights into the leadership pipeline. The module also discusses the concept of community leadership.
What's included
4 videos5 readings4 assignments
This assessment is a graded quiz based on the modules covered in this week.
What's included
1 assignment
In this module, you will learn how to develop yourself as a leader. The module analyzes the first days of leadership. You will gain insights into how to learn from experience. The module also discusses how to build technical competence and effective relationships. You will also learn how to plan your leadership development.
What's included
4 videos4 readings4 assignments
In this module, you will learn about how to build personal credibility. The module analyzes the communication and listening skills required for leadership. You will gain insights into how to be assertive and conduct effective meetings. The module also discusses how to manage stress. You will also learn problem-solving and creativity.
What's included
7 videos4 readings4 assignments
This assessment is a graded quiz based on the modules covered in this week.
What's included
1 assignment
In this module, you will learn about the role of followers in the leadership process. Although the importance of a good leader cannot be denied, this module focuses on understanding the research around followers and followership. You will learn different models of followership and understand follower motivation and satisfaction.
What's included
5 videos4 readings4 assignments
In this module, you will learn about what and how follower performance and effectiveness. You will also understand the performance management process for team effectiveness. The module uncovers characteristics of follower potential and centers around promotion determinants.
What's included
6 videos4 readings4 assignments
This assessment is a graded quiz based on the modules covered in this week.
What's included
1 assignment
In this module, you will learn about the implications for leadership arising from the task, the organization, and the environment. The module examines how different task, organizational, and environmental factors affect both leaders’ and followers’ behavior.
What's included
4 videos4 readings4 assignments
In this module, you will learn about the four well-known contingency theories of leadership. You will be able to understand how leadership effectiveness is maximized when leaders correctly make their behaviors contingent on certain situational and follower characteristics.
What's included
4 videos4 readings4 assignments
This assessment is a graded quiz based on the modules covered in this week.
What's included
1 assignment
In this module, you will learn about the various approaches to organizational change. The module covers rational and emotional approaches to change. You learn how the scope of change varies dramatically on the leaders’ ability to recognize the situational and follower factors inhibiting or facilitating change and formulate a compelling vision for the future.
What's included
4 videos4 readings4 assignments
In this module, you will learn about what constitutes bad leadership. The module will review research pertaining to some practical steps for avoiding destructive leadership, managerial incompetence, and managerial derailment. You will also identify a few root causes of managerial incompetence and derailment.
What's included
4 videos4 readings4 assignments
This assessment is a graded quiz based on the modules covered in this week.
What's included
1 video1 assignment
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