Course list

Are leaders born, or can they be made? In this course, we'll tackle this classic leadership conundrum, and at its conclusion, you will have developed your own perspective on what makes a leader successful. Using his experience as the former Deputy Secretary of Labor and background as a Cornell Visiting Professor, Professor Seth Harris will explore the skills and traits that make leaders effective in today's public-sector organizations.

With real-world examples combined with scholarly research, you will analyze and reflect on both the personal characteristics and the skills and competencies that define great leadership. You will have the opportunity to assess yourself and other leaders on these critical skills and traits using leadership assessment tools. Because this course focuses on public leadership, Professor Harris will walk you through the key differences between public and private organizations to help you develop a more thorough understanding of the characteristics of your public organization. With this information, you will be able to determine your leadership readiness and create a plan for the areas you want to develop to become a successful leader within your organization.

Are public organizations different from private sector organizations? Do they require different sets of leadership skills or traits? In this course, Professor Seth Harris will provide you with a framework that you can use to better understand your organization. With this understanding, you will be well positioned to determine how you can be a more effective leader in your organization.

There are many elements that affect every organization and dictate the type of leadership skills needed to thrive. You will learn about societal factors that affect all organizations, such as technology, demographics, and cultural conditions, as well as how organizations and leadership are affected by these factors in areas like mission, resource availability, and process. Additionally, public organizations have certain unique external factors that private sector organizations don't need to consider. These systems and structures, public expectations, and external influencers, which can have an enormous impact of the role of the public sector leader.

Lastly, you will explore the specific internal characteristics of public organizations, including factors such as the goods or service it provides and the types of employees who are attracted to public sector organizations.

At the conclusion of the course, you will have a detailed picture of your own public organization and how its defining characteristics influence the leadership skills and traits required for success.

You are required to have completed the following course or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

  • Leadership Skills and Traits in Public Organizations

Part of being a great leader is understanding why your employees want to work in a public sector organization, how you can motivate them individually and as a group, and what incentives and tools are available to do so. In this course, you will explore your own reasons for working in a public organization as well as the motivations of your colleagues using a well-tested survey tool. You will also determine what types of monetary and non-monetary incentives are available to you within your organization so that you can match them to the motivations of the organization's employees.

Professor Harris will also explore how certain leadership behaviors can be a strong motivational force. Many employees will only be motivated by a leader when the leader's style and behaviors meet the employee's needs and those of the organization. In this course, you will explore some of these leadership styles, assess the behaviors of leaders in your organization, and determine which leadership traits are compatible with which public service motivations.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

  • Leadership Skills and Traits in Public Organizations
  • Assessing Your Public Sector Organization

In this course, Secretary Harris will guide you through several leadership models that you can use to identify the most effective leadership strategies for you, your employees, and your organization. You will perform a thorough assessment of the employees to determine their overall level of competence and commitment to the organization's goals. Focusing on the organization, you will examine the degree to which tasks are highly structured, your level of positional power, and the state of the relationship between employees and leaders.

Using your assessment of both your employees and your organization, you will determine which leadership behaviors will be most effective in influencing and motivating your staff to perform at a high level and meet the organization's goals. You will also determine which leadership behaviors will be most effective in overcoming obstacles to achieving critical team and organizational goals.

At the end of this course, you will leave with a set of leadership strategies that are best suited to your organization and its employees.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

  • Leadership Skills and Traits in Public Organizations
  • Assessing Your Public Sector Organization
  • Motivating Public Sector Employees

We all know that setting goals is critical to achieving success in any endeavor. But in order to do this effectively, you need an approach that works. In this course, Professor Harris guides you through the performance pyramid, a system you can use to set challenging goals and then develop operating plans and accountability tools that will enable you to measure and monitor your organization's progress toward those goals.

Mastering a measurable performance framework, navigating challenges, and utilizing goal-setting theory will help galvanize your employees around a specific vision and optimize engagement and accountability.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

  • Leadership Skills and Traits in Public Organizations
  • Assessing Your Public Sector Organization
  • Motivating Public Sector Employees
  • Public Sector Leadership Strategies

In any organization, teams can be an effective way to organize employees, meet critical objectives and move the organization forward. But how do you lead teams in public organizations? Do you need to adjust your approach because of the limits or constraints present in public organizations?

In this course, Professor Harris will present you with proven characteristics of successful teams and help you to determine how your teams measure up. You will examine a model of team leadership that will help you determine when you should intervene and when you should step back and let your team find its way. You will also explore different possible interventions and determine the right circumstances to employ each one. Finally, Professor Harris will discuss the challenges of managing team conflict and provide you with strategies and examples that will enable you to successfully navigate the inevitable issues that occur when groups of people work together.

You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:

  • Leadership Skills and Traits in Public Organizations
  • Assessing Your Public Sector Organization
  • Motivating Public Sector Employees
  • Public Sector Leadership Strategies
  • Goal Setting in Public Sector Organizations

Symposium sessions feature three days of live, highly interactive virtual Zoom sessions that will explore today’s most pressing topics. The Leadership Symposium offers you a unique opportunity to engage in real-time conversations with peers and experts from the Cornell community and beyond. Using the context of your own experiences, you will take part in reflections and small-group discussions to build on the skills and knowledge you have gained from your courses.

Join us for the next Symposium in which we’ll discuss the ways that leaders across industries have continued engaging their teams over the past two years while pivoting in strategic ways. You will support your coursework by applying your knowledge and experiences to relevant topics for leaders. Throughout this Symposium, you will examine different areas of leadership, including innovation, strategy, and engagement. By participating in relevant and engaging discussions, you will discover a variety of perspectives and build connections with your fellow participants from various industries.

Upcoming Symposium: June 4-6, 2024 from 11am – 1pm ET

All sessions are held on Zoom.

Future dates are subject to change. You may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending Symposium sessions is not required to successfully complete any certificate program. Once enrolled in your courses, you will receive information about upcoming events. Accessibility accommodations will be available upon request.

How It Works

Watch the Video

Request Information Now by completing the form below.

Act today—courses are filling fast.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.