The Persuasive Leader

This aims primarily at post-baccalaureate students interested in leadership theory. The course has four modules. Module 1 introduces students to agile leadership as (a) a logical sequel to adaptive and team leadership, and (b) the foundation of contemporary persuasive leadership. Topics include a working definition of agile leadership, the need for agile leadership, and characteristics of the agile leader. Module 2 answers the question, What is persuasive leadership? Topics include persuasive vs. coercive leadership, conversation as essential to persuasive leadership, types of persuasion, elements of persuasion, and principles of persuasion.

Module 3 answers the question, Why persuasive leadership? Topics include setting the question, benefits to the organization, benefits, to the team, and benefits to the leader. Module 4 answers the question, Persuasive leadership: How? Topics include preparing the leader, preparing the team, engaging the team in a plan, executing the plan, and assessing and improving. To complete this course successfully students should be able to analyze college-level readings and audio/visual presentations into understandable parts, including premises and conclusions; synthesize the results of the analysis into coherent and accurate summaries; and evaluate the results for accuracy and practical applicability. This is one course in the Coursera specialization, Leadership: An Introduction. It examines current trends in leadership theory invoking several disciplines, including business, sociology, philosophy, history, and psychology. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to Define persuasive leadership Explain how adaptive leadership, team leadership, and agile leadership underlie persuasive leadership Assess the value of persuasive leadership to contemporary organizational leadership Apply techniques of persuasive leadership to organizational challenges