CLL0001 - Certificate in Foundational Leadership
Course Description
In this 9-month individual leadership program designed to accelerate your leadership skills through practical learning, mentorship, and assessments. In a small cohort of people from a variety of industries and fields, you'll develop new techniques and knowledge to refresh and enhance how you lead individuals and teams. Many CFL graduates refer to this experience as "transformational."
What You’ll Learn:
- Increase your self-awareness of your leadership strengths and development areas.
- Develop strategies to lead and influence teams, particularly through change.
- Enhance your ability to work effectively with people of diverse identities, personalities, and abilities.
- Improve your interpersonal communication skills, particularly in high-stakes situations.
- Cultivate professional relationships through networking and mentorship.
Practical Learning
CFL engages students in interactive exercises to learn and practice leadership skills. Using facilitators and guest speakers, carefully selected from Gonzaga's network of subject matter experts/practitioners, students have the opportunity to apply leadership concepts to real-life situations. Students are also given opportunities to create and present session material. Class sessions include case studies, scenario practice and strategies in these focus areas:
- Leadership identity and purpose
- Emotional intelligence
- Courageous communication
- Inclusive leadership
- Employee engagement
- Adaptive leadership
- Organizational change management
Assessments: Includes three assessments with debriefs by certified practitioners: 1) a "360 review" which will identify your strengths and growth areas, 2) the ProfileXT Select, which helps you understand how you are "wired", and 3) an Emotional Intelligence profile that highlights your emotional intelligence patterns and strategies during stress. These highly personalized assessments provide you with important insights to increase your self-awareness.
Mentorship: Based on your personality, professional development areas and field, you'll be matched with a seasoned and respected leader whose career has included high-performance expectations. The expectation is that you meet with your mentor once a month for 1-2 hours from November to May.
Assignments: Each month, you'll complete a practical assignment that applies your learning to your work, graded on a Pass/Fail basis. These assignments may require approximately 8-10 hours of work per month, depending on the assignment and the topic.
Format:
CFL is a hybrid program with both in-person and Zoom (virtual) classes, providing students with opportunities for meaningful connection while also providing flexibility and convenience. All in-person classes are mandatory, taking place either in or near Spokane, Washington. The 2023-2024 schedule flows as follows:
- Independent, personalized assessments in September
- An overnight retreat in October (near Spokane)*
- 4-hour Zoom classes two Fridays per month in November, January, February and April
- Full-day, in-person classes in December, March and May (Spokane)*
Credits
- Grading is on a Pass/Fail basis.
- Upon completion, students receive a Certificate from Gonzaga University and 15 Continuing Education credits on a Gonzaga University transcript.
- Students who successfully complete a School of Leadership Studies certificate program have the option of applying a maximum of 3 credits towards completion of a Masters in Organizational Leadership or Masters in Communication and Leadership at Gonzaga, contingent upon admission and within 5 years of certificate completion.
- Students are responsible for confirming whether this course counts towards their organization's tuition reimbursement program (if applicable) or towards professional certification requirements.
Link to the Scholarship Application: Scholarships are available on a case-by-case basis with priority given to scholarship applications submitted by July 1 for fall programs and by November 1 for winter/spring programs. If you are applying for a scholarship, please fill out this application before checking out.