Creative Leadership

Program Overview

Shared direction, alignment, and commitment are core drivers of successful teams and successful organizations, and this Program is founded on a framework prioritizing these three elements of effective leadership. What makes direction, alignment, and commitment, the key to success as a creative leader? These three aspects of leadership are fundamental to how we work: everyone on the team needs to understand where they’re going and why. They need to work in sync with each other. And they need a shared sense of commitment to their roles and to each other.

This Program, built in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership, enables everyone on the team to contribute to leadership outcomes of shared direction, alignment, and commitment. As a result, everyone on the team takes responsibility for the team’s overall success, leading to more effective results. Leaders who use this methodology create leadership in others, benefitting the overall organization especially during times of stress or change.

Field Manuals

The Creative Leadership Program is made up of 4 Field Manuals (our version of an online module). Each one contains a variety of types of content and social exercises culminating in a mini-project, reflection, or debate. Each Field Manual will take you between 30-45 minutes to complete but you can jump on and off at your own pace, as often as you’d like. The deeper learning happens in the discussions with your fellow learners so be sure to check in on the conversations regularly.

• The Leadership Context

  This Field Manual starts with a look at the shift from individual-centric leadership to collaborative team-based leadership—and why it matters. It introduces the concepts of Direction, Alignment, and Commitment. And finally, it asks you to begin to assess the presence (and lack) of these outcomes on your own teams.

• Direction

  If it isn’t clear where you’re headed, you won’t get there. This Field Manual talks about what it feels like to have shared direction; how to recognize when your team or organization has veered off course; and what to do to sustain shared direction over time.

• Alignment

  When teams are out of whack, the whole organization gets derailed. This Field Manual discusses what it means to be in alignment and why it matters. It shows what is possible when members seamlessly work together and trust each other immensely—and how to get there.

• Commitment

  Perseverance in the face of adversity takes both grit and grace. This Field Manual looks at what commitment is and why it matters. It looks at key elements that committed teams have in common and offers some tips on how to thrive rather than fall apart in times of adversity.