Strategic Leadership
Build practical skills in diagnosis, strategy, influence, and transformation. Explore new frameworks and ways of working to apply immediately.
From reading the context to leading change.
Each course adds a capability you can use in the next.
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01 · Read the Context
Adaptive Strategic Leadership
Diagnose the challenge and choose a leadership response that fits.
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02 · Shape Strategy
The Strategic Shift
Connect activity to value, make tradeoffs, and frame a clear recommendation.
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03 · Build Influence
Leading Without Authority
Build alignment through stakeholder insight, ethical influence, and practical conversations.
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04 · Lead Transformation
Leading Through AI & Transformation
Lead adoption with readiness diagnosis, communication, experiments, and sustainment.
Same fundamentals. Different labs.
All four courses run in each cycle. Choose an offering that fits your year; return to a new lab to explore another application.
Diagnose and frame
Adapt and stress-test
Decide and sustain
Read across a row to follow one course theme through the year. Select a lab to see its activities, frameworks, and takeaways.
Something you can use immediately.
- Apply a method
Start with a leadership case and a prepared template.
- Make choices visible
Create a diagnosis, decision map, or action plan.
- Test and improve
Use critique, rehearsal, or a changed condition.
- Use immediately
Leave with your artifact and a clear next application.
Choose your way in
Guided
Use a supplied case and structured template.
Applied
Work on an anonymized situation from your role.
Stretch
Test competing assumptions and difficult constraints.
The same learning objective and useful output, with room for different levels of experience.
Practice the decision, not just the concept.
Choose a cycle, then expand a lab for activities, frameworks, and takeaways. Each live virtual lab is 90 minutes, 6:00–7:30 p.m. ET, $99.
January–April4 labs · Diagnose and frame
Diagnose Before You Intervene
Aligns with Adaptive Strategic Leadership
Work out what kind of leadership challenge you face before choosing a response. Separate technical fixes from changes that require people to learn or adapt, then create a practical intervention plan.
Tools and frameworks: Adaptive Leadership
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You’ll learn: Diagnose a leadership challenge and choose a response that fits.
You’ll apply: Sort evidence in a sample case, compare diagnoses, and test your intervention choice.
You’ll build: A challenge diagnosis and matched intervention choice.
You’ll leave with: A diagnosis canvas, evidence and assumption notes, intervention rationale, and a first-action plan.
Tools and frameworks: Adaptive Leadership; Technical vs. adaptive challenge diagnosis.
Ways to participate: Guided / Applied / Stretch.
Frame the Executive Decision
Aligns with The Strategic Shift
Turn an ambiguous issue into a clear decision. Define the choices, assumptions, and criteria so a decision-maker can see what is being asked and what evidence still matters.
Tools and frameworks: Decision framing
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You’ll learn: Frame a decision with clear alternatives, assumptions, and criteria.
You’ll apply: Restructure a sample executive decision and challenge the evidence behind its options.
You’ll build: An executive decision frame with explicit assumptions and criteria.
You’ll leave with: A one-page decision frame, options and criteria table, prioritized assumptions, and an evidence-gathering next step.
Tools and frameworks: Decision framing; Assumption mapping and decision criteria.
Ways to participate: Guided / Applied / Stretch.
Build Influence Without Authority
Aligns with Leading Without Authority
Build support for a decision without relying on a management title. Map influence, trust, and competing interests, then rehearse a request that gives others a clear reason to engage.
Tools and frameworks: Influence mapping
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You’ll learn: Design an ethical influence strategy without formal authority.
You’ll apply: Map stakeholders in a sample cross-functional case and rehearse a first request.
You’ll build: An influence and coalition strategy map.
You’ll leave with: A stakeholder and coalition map, evidence notes, a conversation sequence, and a rehearsed first request.
Tools and frameworks: Influence mapping; Power, trust, incentives, and coalition analysis.
Ways to participate: Guided / Applied / Stretch.
Diagnose Transformation Readiness
Aligns with Leading Through AI & Transformation
Identify why a change is not being adopted. Use readiness evidence to distinguish understanding, motivation, knowledge, practical ability, and ongoing support needs, then design a targeted intervention.
Tools and frameworks: ADKAR and change-readiness diagnosis
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You’ll learn: Diagnose adoption barriers and match support to the evidence.
You’ll apply: Map readiness in a sample rollout and test whether your intervention addresses the gap.
You’ll build: A readiness map and targeted adoption intervention plan.
You’ll leave with: A readiness map with evidence, a focused adoption action, an owner, and a follow-up measure.
Tools and frameworks: ADKAR and change-readiness diagnosis; Resistance and readiness mapping.
Ways to participate: Guided / Applied / Stretch.
May–August4 labs · Adapt and stress-test
Expand Your Leadership Range
Aligns with Adaptive Strategic Leadership
Expand the ways you respond as a leader. Compare directing, coaching, facilitating, and delegating, then choose the support and ownership a particular task requires.
Tools and frameworks: Situational Leadership and leadership range
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You’ll learn: Match your leadership response to the task, capability, confidence, commitment, urgency, and ownership.
You’ll apply: Compare sample tasks, rehearse a response, and revise it when the situation changes.
You’ll build: A leadership-response matrix and next-action plan.
You’ll leave with: A response matrix, a rehearsed opening conversation, ownership boundaries, and a review trigger.
Tools and frameworks: Situational Leadership and leadership range; Direct, coach, facilitate, and delegate matrix.
Ways to participate: Guided / Applied / Stretch.
Stress-Test Strategy with Scenarios
Aligns with The Strategic Shift
Test a strategy against more than one plausible future. Build a scenario matrix, examine the consequences, and identify actions to take now or when specific conditions change.
Tools and frameworks: Scenario planning
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You’ll learn: Stress-test a strategy under different plausible conditions.
You’ll apply: Build sample scenarios, compare implications, and define contingent actions and signals.
You’ll build: A scenario matrix with strategic implications and contingent actions.
You’ll leave with: Four bounded scenario sketches, an implications table, no-regret and contingent actions, and a signpost list.
Tools and frameworks: Scenario planning; Two-by-two scenario matrix and implications analysis.
Ways to participate: Guided / Applied / Stretch. Optional configured spreadsheet.
Negotiate Across Boundaries
Aligns with Leading Without Authority
Prepare for cross-functional disagreement with a clear view of interests, options, and boundaries. Rehearse the conversation and know your alternative if agreement is not reached.
Tools and frameworks: Principled negotiation
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You’ll learn: Prepare a principled negotiation with clear options and authority limits.
You’ll apply: Build and rehearse a sample negotiation plan, then revise it after new information.
You’ll build: A negotiation plan with interests, options, BATNA, and boundaries.
You’ll leave with: A preparation canvas, option packages, an alternative-to-agreement assessment, and a rehearsed opening and follow-up.
Tools and frameworks: Principled negotiation; Interests, options, BATNA (your best alternative if agreement is not reached), and boundaries.
Ways to participate: Guided / Applied / Stretch.
See the System Before You Transform It
Aligns with Leading Through AI & Transformation
Trace how a transformation decision could ripple through the organization. Map feedback and delays, then identify a leverage point and risks an isolated improvement might miss.
Tools and frameworks: Systems thinking
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You’ll learn: Map feedback and unintended consequences before choosing a transformation intervention.
You’ll apply: Build and critique a small causal-loop map using a sample transformation case.
You’ll build: A causal-loop map with leverage points and second-order risks.
You’ll leave with: An editable causal-loop map, a causal-assumption log, and a bounded intervention and observation plan.
Tools and frameworks: Systems thinking; Causal-loop mapping and second-order effects.
Ways to participate: Guided / Applied / Stretch.
September–December4 labs · Decide and sustain
Lead in Complexity
Aligns with Adaptive Strategic Leadership
Choose how to act when the situation is uncertain. Use a complexity lens to decide when to standardize, analyze, experiment, or respond immediately, then design a bounded learning experiment.
Tools and frameworks: Cynefin and complexity sensemaking
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You’ll learn: Match your response to the context and design a safe-to-fail learning experiment.
You’ll apply: Compare sample contexts and test the boundaries, signals, and stop rules of a proposed experiment.
You’ll build: A context diagnosis and safe-to-fail experiment design.
You’ll leave with: A context rationale, experiment card, observation criteria, and stop or amplification rules.
Tools and frameworks: Cynefin and complexity sensemaking; Context classification and safe-to-fail experiment design.
Ways to participate: Guided / Applied / Stretch.
Make Portfolio Tradeoffs
Aligns with The Strategic Shift
Decide what to stop, defer, and protect when resources are limited. Compare priorities, test assumptions, and make the opportunity cost of your choices clear.
Tools and frameworks: Portfolio prioritization
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You’ll learn: Make and defend portfolio tradeoffs using criteria, capacity, and opportunity cost.
You’ll apply: Compare a sample portfolio and test how changed assumptions affect your choices.
You’ll build: A defensible portfolio decision with explicit stop, defer, and protect choices.
You’ll leave with: A prioritization model, sensitivity notes, opportunity-cost explanation, and a decision record with review triggers.
Tools and frameworks: Portfolio prioritization; Weighted criteria, opportunity cost, and stop/defer/protect choices.
Ways to participate: Guided / Applied / Stretch. Optional spreadsheet sensitivity check.
Design Decision Rights
Aligns with Leading Without Authority
Clarify who shapes a decision, who makes it, and who carries it through. Compare decision-rights frameworks, then test your map against delays and conflicting expectations.
Tools and frameworks: RAPID and DACI decision-rights design
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You’ll learn: Design clear decision rights and accountable follow-through.
You’ll apply: Compare RAPID and DACI in a sample case, select one, and test its exception paths.
You’ll build: A decision-rights map with named accountability and follow-through.
You’ll leave with: A selected-framework role map, decision record template, escalation rules, and follow-through checklist.
Tools and frameworks: RAPID and DACI decision-rights design; Decision-rights and accountability mapping.
Ways to participate: Guided / Applied / Stretch.
Build the Operating Model for Change
Aligns with Leading Through AI & Transformation
Design what keeps a change working after launch. Connect capabilities, ownership, governance, and adoption support, then build a practical 30/60/90-day sustainment plan.
Tools and frameworks: Operating-model design
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You’ll learn: Connect transformation goals to an operating model and sustainment plan.
You’ll apply: Map a sample change, define review routines, and test an ownership or quality setback.
You’ll build: An operating-model blueprint and 30/60/90-day sustainment plan.
You’ll leave with: A capability and ownership map, governance and support routines, a sustainment plan, and an exception-response note.
Tools and frameworks: Operating-model design; Capability map, governance, and 30/60/90-day sustainment.
Ways to participate: Guided / Applied / Stretch.
Participant questions
Do I need to manage a team?
The activities focus on decisions, influence, and change. Sample cases provide roles and context so you can practice without using confidential workplace information.
Will I practice, or only discuss frameworks?
You create a defined artifact and challenge it through evidence, peer feedback, a rehearsal, or a changed condition. Each description identifies the work and the takeaway.
What if I do not want to role-play?
Where an activity includes rehearsal, you can use a written response or observe and critique a sample exchange. You still complete your own decision artifact and use the feedback to improve it.
What are the tools?
Leadership tools include diagnosis canvases, scenario matrices, negotiation plans, decision-rights maps, and operating-model templates. Digital platforms support organizing or testing the work; they are not the learning objective.
Do the lab platforms and tools have free tiers?
Many do. ChatGPT and Make, for example, offer free plans. Other tools may offer a free community edition or a time-limited trial. Features and usage limits vary by provider. The lab details identify the tools and participation routes so you can choose an option that fits your access.
Are paid tool subscriptions required to participate?
No paid subscriptions are required for standard lab participation. Use the free-tier participation route or provided examples when a paid feature is demonstrated. You may need a free account for hands-on activities. Optional API usage, advanced features, or hosting outside class can incur charges; these extensions are optional.
Choose your next course and Lab.
See all 2027 dates and build the leadership progression your organization needs.