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ESLS 669: Strategic Leadership Report a Broken Link

The goal in this course is to develop your strategic leadership potential. Strategic leadership is a learnable set of practices that can be deciphered, reflected upon, understood, and used. Developing leadership potential is about acquiring proficiencies in key areas that leverage pre-existing skills and expertise. It is about raising personal awareness, developing personal understanding, and learning new ways to do things at work.

Lesson 1

Reading 1: Crossan, M. (2025, February 28). Addressing the crisis of leadership character. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/marycrossan/2025/02/28/addressing-the-crisis-of-leadership-character/
Reading 2: Crossan, M., Furlong, W., & Austin, R. D. (2022, October 19). Make leader character your competitive edge. MIT Sloan Review. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/make-leader-character-your-competitive-edge/
Video 1: Transform for Value. (2024, May 12). #104 The character of leadership transformation with Mary Crossan [Video]. Let’s Talk Transformation podcasts. YouTube. https://youtu.be/7B5FJ8rM4Gk?si=2ZRc540Emr-Fc0vs

Lesson 2

Video 2: Simons, D. (2020, March 10). The selective attention test [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo
Video 3: IQ Test Labs. (2022). Practice—Pattern recognition: Easy, set 1. Discover your intellectual strengths. https://intelligencetest.com/questions/pattern-recognition/easy/1/index.html
Video 4: The Science Lens. (2024, April 24). Pattern recognition - why seeing patterns is both a blessing and a curse [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/xRq3r8KIJ38?si=DcXi0gEYL4cuf7HA
Reading 3: Ancona, D. (2011). Sensemaking: framing and acting in the unknown. In S. Snook, N. Nohria, R. Khurana (Eds.), The handbook for teaching leadership: Knowing, doing, and being (pp. 3-20). Sage.
Video 5: The Business Professor. (2023, September 19). Sensemaking theory [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2KeI_QtS9E

Lesson 3

Video 6: Deming Cooperative. (2019, September 2). Ackoff on systems thinking and management [Video]. YouTube. https://deming.org/ackoff-on-systems-thinking-and-management/
Video 7: Genius of Outliers. (2019, April 12). Systems thinking, learning, and problem solving by Russell L. Ackoff [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/O9TE9HWFo6U?si=IZeFssIn2keXWvxX
Video 8: Aalto University. (2014, December 15). Peter Senge: "Systems thinking for a better world" - Aalto Systems Forum 2014 [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/0QtQqZ6Q5-o?si=ggr4hhBF9uiPqjyr
Video 9: Stafford, C. (Host). (2024, October 28). Unlock the power of systems thinking: Deirdre Cerminaro [Audio podcast episode]. In the Creative Confidence Podcast. IDEO U. https://www.ideou.com/blogs/inspiration/beginners-guide-systems-thinking-core-mindsets.  

Note: May require creation of free account to access.

Lesson 4

Video 10: SXSW EDU. (2020, May 6). Carol Dweck, David Yeager, & Mary Murphy on science of human motivation for the next decade [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Y_0L15AgtkI?si=opljF8jrCv4mtffX
Reading 4: Open Colleges. (2017, April 10). 7 ways to develop cognitive flexibility. https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/blogs/articles/7-ways-to-develop-cognitive-flexibility?_pos=1&_sid=26abed0dd&_ss=r
Reading 5: Dajani, D. R., & Uddin, L. Q. (2015). Demystifying cognitive flexibility: Implications for clinical and developmental neuroscience. Trends in neurosciences, 38(9), 571–578. https://0-doi-org.aupac.lib.athabascau.ca/10.1016/j.tins.2015.07.003
Reading 6: Williams, J.S. & Nowack, K.M. (2022). Neuroscience hacks to enhance learning agility in leaders. Consulting Psychology Journal, 7(3), 291-310. https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2023-09910-006.html

Lesson 5

Video 11: TEDxTalks. (2018, January 23). Games our brains play - Matthew May [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/ifwyqdjVxeY?si=mxt9eGDMugfxcTYq
Reading 7: Binder, J. & Watkins, M. D. (2024, January-February). "To solve a tough problem, reframe it." Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2024/01/to-solve-a-tough-problem-reframe-it
Video 12: Harvard Business Impact Enterprise. (2012, February 7). The 5 whys [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/dkuNImX8Jdo?si=VOmOGySjUppRY6ht

Lesson 6

Reading 8: Senge, P. M. (2006). Chapter 10: Shared vision. In The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization (2nd ed., pp. 191-215). Crown
Video 13: MIT Teaching Systems Lab. (2018, May 16). Shared vision [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/IyESvprvRbI?si=RCg_lBuTBFGagH45
Video 14: Clos Pegase. (2012, February 2). The story of Mitsuko's vineyard [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/y93H-gbo6Mk?si=rZzIyx6_cmJZUSDe
Video 15: Thinking Digital Conference. (2023, November 15). Screenwriting legend Robert McKee on great storytelling [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/vGPPc9Zfly0?si=cIsT5vQ2OigM1UaT

Note: Video contains some coarse language.

Lesson 7

Video 16: Ted. (2009, October 21). Italy Talgam: Lead like the great conductors [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/R9g3Q-qvtss?si=-dCr3jcSMS1MSMfU

Note: This video is optional.
Video 17: Family Action Network. (2016, May 23). Dacher Keltner, Ph.D.: The power paradox: How we gain and lose influence. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/HS9VHBlYklc?si=Q349M796xPOY8Bfn
Reading 9: Keltner, D. (2016). Don’t let power corrupt you: how to rise to the top without losing the virtues got you there. Harvard Business Review, 94(10), 112-115. 
Video 18: World of DaaS with Auren Hoffman (2024, July 9). Robert Cialdini: 7 principles of influence explained [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/cDREln_LrME?si=1rXOurrU7e7Kv9pF
Reading 10: Ferris, G.R. (2005). The development and validation of the political skill inventory. Journal of Management, 31(1), 126 - 152. 
Reading 11: Ferris, G. R., Perrewe, P. L., Ellen, B. P., III, McAlister, C. P., & Treadway, D. C. (2020). Political skill inventory. Political Skill at Work. https://www.politicalskillatwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/PoliticalSKill-Inventory.pdf

Lesson 8

Reading 12: Schoemaker, P. J. H., Krupp, S., & Howland, S. (2013). Strategic leadership: The essential skills. Harvard Business Review, 91(102), 131. 
Reading 13: IMD. (2025, August). The 6 most common leadership styles & how to find yours. https://www.imd.org/blog/leadership/leadership-styles/
Reading 14: Balakrishnam, R., Young S., Leslie, J., McCauley, C., Ruderman, M., Deal, J., & McCoy, K. (2025, June 5). The top 20 leadership challenges. Centre for Creative Leadership. https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/top-leadership-challenges/
Video 19: Sinek, S. (2024, January 10). Simon Sinek on why leadership matters [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/xhUt35Wo0WY?si=RLd8K2H_RH3ktjk5