Extension Tier 1: Leadership Excellence
Extension Tier 1: Leadership Excellence
8-Week Deep Dive into Advanced Leadership Skills
This tier focuses on the “soft skills” that differentiate good leaders from great ones. Complete after the core curriculum.
Overview
| Module | Duration | Primary Book | Supporting Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coaching & Mentoring | 2 weeks | The Coaching Habit | Co-Active Coaching |
| Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | 2 weeks | Blindspot | Inclusion Revolution |
| Change Management | 2 weeks | Leading Change | Switch |
| Emotional Agility | 2 weeks | Emotional Agility | Permission to Feel |
Daily Time: 30-45 minutes
Weeks 1-2: Coaching & Mentoring
Goal: Master the art of asking instead of telling
Week 1: The Seven Questions
Day 1 (Monday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read The Coaching Habit Intro + Ch. 1 | 30 min | “The Kickstart Question” |
| Practice | 10 min | Use “What’s on your mind?” in a conversation today |
Key insight: Great coaches ask questions rather than give advice.
Day 2 (Tuesday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read Ch. 2-3 | 30 min | The AWQ and Focus Questions |
| Practice | Throughout day | Ask “And what else?” at least 3 times |
Key insight: “And What Else?” (AWQ) is the best coaching question. First answers are rarely best.
Day 3 (Wednesday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read Ch. 4-5 | 30 min | Foundation and Lazy Questions |
| Reflect | 10 min | When do you jump to advice-giving? |
Day 4 (Thursday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read Ch. 6-7 | 30 min | Strategic and Learning Questions |
| Practice | 15 min | Role-play a coaching conversation |
Day 5 (Friday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AI Tutor Session | 20 min | Practice coaching scenarios |
| Review | 10 min | Create flashcards for 7 questions |
Week 2: Deeper Coaching Skills
Day 6-7
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Complete The Coaching Habit | 45 min |
| Start Co-Active Coaching (selected chapters) | 30 min |
Day 8-10
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Practice coaching conversations | 30 min daily |
| Complete quiz | 15 min |
| Complete case study | 30 min |
Weeks 3-4: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Goal: Understand bias and build inclusive leadership skills
Week 3: Understanding Bias
Day 1 (Monday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read Blindspot Ch. 1-2 | 40 min | Introduction to implicit bias |
| Take the IAT | 15 min | https://implicit.harvard.edu |
Key insight: We all have blindspots - unconscious biases that contradict our stated values.
Day 2-5
Continue reading Blindspot chapters 3-7, one chapter per day with reflection.
Week 4: Inclusive Leadership
Day 6-10
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Read Inclusion Revolution (selected chapters) | 30 min daily |
| Conduct a personal bias audit | 20 min |
| Complete quiz and case study | 45 min |
Weeks 5-6: Change Management
Goal: Learn to lead change effectively
Week 5: Kotter’s 8 Steps
Day 1 (Monday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read Leading Change Ch. 1-3 | 40 min | Why change efforts fail |
| Reflect | 10 min | Think of a failed change you’ve seen |
Key insight: Most change fails because of insufficient urgency or lack of coalition.
Day 2-5
Continue through Leading Change, one stage per day.
Week 6: Making Change Stick
Day 6-10
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Read Switch | 30-45 min daily |
| Apply Elephant/Rider framework | Throughout |
| Complete quiz and case study | 45 min |
Key framework: Direct the Rider (rational mind), Motivate the Elephant (emotional mind), Shape the Path (environment).
Weeks 7-8: Emotional Agility
Goal: Develop emotional intelligence and resilience
Week 7: Understanding Emotional Agility
Day 1 (Monday)
| Activity | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read Emotional Agility Ch. 1-3 | 45 min | Showing up and stepping out |
| Practice | 10 min | Notice and name emotions today |
Key insight: Emotional agility is about being flexible with thoughts and feelings, not controlling them.
Day 2-5
Continue through Emotional Agility, practicing each concept.
Week 8: Integration & Practice
Day 6-10
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Read Permission to Feel (selected chapters) | 30 min daily |
| Practice RULER framework | Throughout |
| Complete all assessments | 60 min |
| Tier 1 review and integration | 30 min |
Completion Checklist
- Read The Coaching Habit
- Read Blindspot
- Read Leading Change
- Read Switch
- Read Emotional Agility
- Complete all 4 quizzes
- Complete all 4 case studies
- Review flashcards for all modules
- Practice coaching in real conversations