Applied Leadership Capstone

Page Type
Professor instructing a student on their laptop

Course Features

Practice solution-oriented approaches and skillsets and prepare to lead change

As the concluding course of the Executive Certificate in Organizational Leadership, the Applied Leadership Capstone will challenge you to apply your new skills to complex, real-world organizational challenges. This course brings you together with other capstone participants work in teams, sharing knowledge in collaborative, creative environments facilitated and guided by expert faculty.

Primed with principles and frameworks for leading organizational change in targeted areas like inclusive leadership, you will put concepts into practice and generate actionable solutions and design pragmatic, deliverable steps to success.

You will develop the confidence to bring solutions to life in complex organizational settings, lead change, and advance your career. The capstone includes a reflective leadership and management portfolio, supporting your new goals and providing a personal leadership plan for the future.

All courses include:

  • Industry-leading faculty
  • Real-world scenarios
  • Practical applications
  • Custom solutions
  • Research-driven results
  • Collaborative learning

Program Details

What you will learn:

  • How to synthesize, apply, and expand on principles and best practices garnered through your prior certificate coursework
  • How to apply new knowledge and mindsets to real world organizational challenges
  • How to leverage the power of diverse work teams
  • How to collaborate in project teams, activate skills, and navigate team dynamics to generate practical plans for organizational change and growth.

Who should attend:

  • Participants who have already completed Foundations of Leadership and Management and one course from within the Manager’s Toolkit
  • Managers seeking flexibility, choice, and practical application
  • Managers looking to rise to the next level or improve their effectiveness as a leader in a functional area
  • Managers seeking the skills and experience to lead change in their organizations

Faculty

Erik Helzer

Erik Helzer, PhD

Executive Education faculty, Carey Business School

Erik Helzer, PhD, develops and applies psychological, organizational, and behavioral science insights to understand the cultivation of practical wisdom for leading in organizations. His research focuses on three facets of practical wisdom: ethical behavior and moral judgment, self-knowledge, and personal agency and adjustment. He is an associate professor of management and organizations at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.


 Adriano Pianesi

Adriano Pianesi, MBA

Adjunct Professor, Carey Business School

Adriano Pianesi has 20 years of leadership development, team coaching, and change experience built on capacity development, possibility thinking, and sound strategy. A member of the Society for Organizational Learning, Pianesi holds an MBA in Communication and Group Dynamics from the University of Milan. Pianesi trained at Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School, and the Art of Hosting, where he refined his repertoire of experiential and innovative teaching practices. His consulting practice has helped leaders work for change by harnessing the powers of conflict, diversity, and complexity. Among his clients are Microsoft, Philip Morris International, the World Bank Group, Rotary International, Pan-American Health Organization, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, U.S. Marine Corps.


Erin Watley portrait

Erin Watley, PhD

Executive Education faculty, Carey Business School

Associate Professor of Communication & Cinema and an Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Faculty Fellow at McDaniel College

Dr. Erin Watley is a teacher and facilitator whose work focuses on accessible ways to disrupt systems of oppression, encourage intercultural dialogue, and practice community building. She is an Associate Professor of Communication & Cinema and an Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Faculty Fellow at McDaniel College. Dr. Watley is also the owner of Intersect Consulting LLC, a DEIJ consulting company and is a lover of Black pop culture. Ask her to describe the perfect sandwich, the brilliance of her favorite author N.K. Jemisin, or the problem with panda bears if you want to quickly lure her into a deep and intense conversation.