Leadership Development
MIT's seminar course on developing leadership capabilities, offered through the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. The course opens with an Outward Bound Leadership Laboratory experience designed to build trust, teamwork and communication skills among participants. Readings and assignments focus on the characteristics of effective leadership, while a recurring "Leadership Lunch" story-telling series brings in distinguished leaders to share personal experiences and practical recommendations. Seminar discussions let students probe and debate what makes leadership work in practice. The course culminates in each student producing a personal leadership plan, translating readings, discussions and guest talks into concrete goals. Materials are available through MIT OpenCourseWare under a Creative Commons license, free to access with no certificate attached.