Lessons in Leadership
By Professor Matthew Brandstetter
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged society in many ways, creating anxiety around health, finances, and the future. As we navigate these challenges we seek guidance and reassurance from our leaders. Also, leaders bring to their roles a variety of leadership strategies and styles. Some leaders are robust, and others are so quiet and unassuming that we may overlook their impact. Even a quick glance at history reveals strong leaders who have helped us navigate periods of significant change, such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Angela Merkel, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks, to mention a few.
Leaders appear on the national stage, at state levels, and within private and non-profit organizations. There are also quiet warrior “leaders” in health care and food service, who day in and day out muster the courage to march into battle against the coronavirus, sacrificing themselves for the sake of others.
With each world emergency, individuals come to the forefront to offer direction, empathy, and support. Also, these individuals draw on specific leadership competencies to achieve their goals. What are these competencies, and how do leaders develop them? What attributes accompany effective leadership and how does an aspiring leader acquire them? Where can people who aspire to offer their own gifts of leadership learn about paradigms worthy of replication?
Leadership at McGeorge School of Law
At McGeorge School of Law, the online Leadership in Organizations course (Law 217) explores leadership styles and strategies in the context of COVID-19 and similar challenges. This provides students with an unparalleled opportunity to understand theory in the context of the real world. Students explore leadership theories, focusing on approaches, and applied leadership competencies.
In a series of weekly modules, students synthesize the principles associated with leadership strategies and then apply recognizable leadership competencies in case studies. The process culminates with the creation of “leadership potential inventories,” where students reflect upon their leadership potential and how to further develop it. Students emerge from this course able to articulate and demonstrate their own authentic leadership strategies within their organizations.
At McGeorge, we know there is no neat recipe for leadership. We know that developing as a leader is not an easy process and that effective leaders are constantly working at improving their craft. In our Master’s of Science in Law (MSL) in Government Law and Policy program you’ll find support cultivating your own leadership style and gaining the skills that let you contribute to the public welfare on issues that matter. Also, learn more about the courses in this program by reviewing our course details. Apply today. Lastly, begin developing the knowledge and skills to become a leader in your organization.