Inclusive Leadership Certificate Program: Build Your Skills and Self-Awareness

Commit to your growth as a more inclusive leader.

Choose from 2 cohorts:

Starting January 27, 2025

Starting June 2, 2025

Overview

Effective leadership is inclusive leadership. When our colleagues feel they can show up authentically in all aspects of their identities and contribute without fear of repercussion, we’re building stronger teams and stronger organizations. But this doesn’t happen automatically—it takes time, intention, and continuous learning and growth.

Our Inclusive Leadership Certificate Program: Build Your Skills and Self-Awareness is designed as a first step on that journey. Academic Impressions’ leadership model takes a holistic approach to leadership across four key dimensions: self-awareness and personal development, interpersonal leadership skills, team development, and leading at the organizational level. This program takes you on a deep dive into self-awareness and personal development to help you to become a more inclusive leader. You can participate individually or with your team in this 4-week program, which explores four key questions:

How do you lead?
What has shaped your approach to leadership?
What makes leading inclusively difficult?
How will you lead going forward?

Each week includes resources and practical strategies to help you to lead more inclusively. The course culminates in a draft of your inclusive leadership philosophy which you can use as a guide in the future---because this work does not end with the conclusion of the program.

Who Will Benefit

This program is designed for anyone looking to engage in self-reflection to grow as a more inclusive leader.

How it Works

Complete our inclusive leadership certificate program for building self-awareness over 4 weeks by engaging with both asynchronous and synchronous content. Each week, you’ll have an average of 2½ hours of asynchronous work that can be completed on-demand to fit your schedule. To successfully complete the certificate program, attend live sessions to help you apply your learning—one to kick off the program and one at the end of week 4 to draft your inclusive leadership philosophy. Then you’ll:

Get a weekly email with on-demand videos and activities that can be completed on your lunch break or over the course of the week.

Attend two live sessions to apply your learning and engage in dialogue with peers from around the country. These sessions will be recorded and available on-demand for those who can’t attend live.

Earn an Academic Impressions Digital Badge.*

*Digital badges will be made available to people who complete all of the requirements before November 15th, 2024. People who complete the requirements after that date will earn a certificate of completion.

To learn more about our digital badges, click here.

Hurry! The Next Cohort Starts January 27, 2025.

Certificate Program Curriculum

Week 1: How do you lead? Reflecting on how you show up as a leader.

Format: On-Demand and Live

In this opening session, we’ll take a deep dive into how you currently show up as a leader. You will have the opportunity to examine and analyze the results from The Five Paths to Leadership℠ Self-Assessment to identify your unique leadership strengths under normal circumstances, as well as under stress. Using this framework, we’ll discuss a variety of ways you can be inclusive of those who lead differently from you.

Recommended Schedule

Before Friday - 20 minutes

Complete:

The Five Paths to Leadership℠ Self-Assessment

Friday - 90 minutes

Attend:

Live Session

Week 2: What has shaped your approach to leadership? Unpacking your experience.

Format: On-Demand

As a leader, it’s important to understand how your identities and experiences can shape your world view and, in turn, shape your approach to leadership. This week, you’ll explore concepts related to your social identities and lived experiences that can help you to unpack why you see the world the way you do—and apply this knowledge to be a more inclusive leader.

Recommended Schedule

Monday - 20 minutes

Watch:

Welcome to Week 2
An Introduction to Unpacking Your Intersectional Identities
Key Words & Terminology
Defining and Applying Intersectionality
Examine Your Social Identities
Take Action

Complete Activities

Wednesday - 20 minutes

Watch:

An Introduction to Privilege and Its Role in Enhancing Equity
Ground Rules
Social Conditioning
Privilege and Marginalization
The Desire to Distance Ourselves from Privilege

Complete Activities

Friday - 15 minutes

Watch:

Introduction to Bias
Defining Implicit Bias
Brain Science of Implicit Bias
Ways to Reflect on, Interrupt, and Address Bias
Week 2 Reflection

Complete Activities

Week 3: What makes leading inclusively difficult? Taking stock of your inclusive leadership skills, managing internal discomfort, and developing cultural humility.

Format: On-Demand

Being a leader takes work. Being an inclusive leader takes work and a commitment to continuous learning, improvement, and growth. Last week, you reflected on your social identities and experiences that impact how you understand yourself and others. This week, we’ll focus on the self-work required to be a more inclusive leader.

Recommended Schedule

Monday - 10 minutes

Watch:

Welcome to Week 3
“You Want to Be My Ally” Spoken Word
“You Want to Be My Ally” Reflection Questions

Complete Activities

Wednesday - 30 minutes

Watch:

Introduction to Uncomfortable Conversations are Necessary, Not Unkind
Why Uncomfortable Conversations are Necessary
Communication, Vulnerability, & Trust
Intent vs. Impact
Cultural Humility

Complete Activities

Friday - 15 minutes

Watch:

Performative vs. Authentic Allyship
Accepting the Reality of Privilege
Allyship Considerations when Taking Action
Allyship Reflection Questions
Barriers
Week 3 Reflection

Complete Activities

Week 4: How will you lead going forward? Drafting your inclusive leadership philosophy.

Format: On-Demand and Live

How can you use your privilege to be a more inclusive leader? How might you practice authentic allyship and engage in cultural humility as a leader? We’ll continue to reflect on these themes during our final week, when we meet to create our personal inclusive leadership philosophies.