Leadership from the Inside Out: The Capacity to Lead and Stay Alive–Self, Identity, and Freedom

MLD 202 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

To lead is to live with danger. Although it may be exciting to think of leadership as inspiration, decisive action, and powerful rewards, leading can require taking risks that can jeopardize your career and your personal life. It can require putting yourself on the line, disturbing the status quo, and working with organizational and political conflicts. Those who dare to practice leadership – or even to sit in positions of authority – need to be prepared for how rough it can get, and for what it takes personally to reflect and stay mindful in the midst of action. 

The world desperately needs trustworthy leadership and authority, and trustworthiness depends on three forms of integrity -- diagnostic, strategic, and personal. These forms of integrity are not simply virtues. They are ongoing practices. And because these practices need to hold fast under the tremendous emotional pressures of both leading and holding positions of authority, they demand the extraordinary inner work of weaving together contextual awareness with self-awareness and self-discipline.

In this course, we explore how self-knowledge and self-discipline form the foundation for staying alive in leadership. The course has three parts: (1) an exploration of identity as a profound resource and constraint in the practice of leadership; (2) the freedom of mind to assess situations, manage one’s vulnerability to dangers, and see more options for action; and (3) ongoing practices of self-management to maintain effectiveness and stay alive in the heart and spirit of one’s work. 

The course is designed to be a transformative personal experience – to anchor oneself and generate the freedom and power to work with the plurality of one’s identities in the daily professional practice of leadership. The conceptual framework for the course draws on multiple disciplines and areas of study, and complements the systems framework developed in MLD-201. Structured into large class, sections, small group, and pod discussions, the course draws primarily on student cases, reflection exercises, and, to a minor extent, case-in-point teaching – using student case analysis and classroom dynamics to understand self, identity, and the dynamics of cultural (social, political, organizational, and economic) change. 

Interested students should note that the reflective practices in this course may surface painful emotions or a sense of disorientation, which some students experience directly or vicariously through the struggles of other students in their cases. Of course, students can choose how deeply they explore any difficult experiences, and no one will be pushed to discuss more than they wish. Before enrolling in the course, consider whether this type of leadership development is appealing or in your best interest at this time. If not, the teaching team or other faculty advisers can recommend a wealth of other leadership development experiences at HKS. 

Students in this course should schedule themselves in the days following the course with time to reflect and begin to internalize all that they have discovered and learned.

Course Notes

Attendance at the first class is required. Please note, MLD-202 uses a Pass/Low-Pass/Fail grading system.

Recommended Prep

MLD-202 (January) has the prerequisite of MLD-201.