Overview
In CALS 505, you did a deep dive into what it means to lead change in the context of climate change and other complex and intersecting crises. In this course, we will build on that foundation to explore and further refine your understanding of your own leadership approach and how that might apply to a range of emergent climate issues. We will begin by exploring the concept of resilience and what it means to be a resilient leader.
What is resilient leadership? What is a resilient organization and how might your approach to leadership support that? How do climate action leaders support their own resilience and contribute to the resilience of others in the context of complex crises and uncertainty?
These questions frame this unit’s seminar and activities, which focus on the implications of climate change for mental health and wellness of those leading the work, and the resilience of the organizations, communities, and people with whom they work. Engaging in climate work involves engaging complex challenges, the direct and potentially traumatic consequences of climate impacts, and the anxiety, fear, and distress of facing the ongoing uncertainty and loss that climate change fuels.
Cultivating resilience in yourself and others is an essential and core component of climate action leadership. In this seminar we will engage in learning activities that support your thinking about your own resilience and the role of resilient leadership in climate action leadership.
Activities and Assessment Overview
Please see Schedule for important dates for this Unit.
- Unit 1 Activity 1 – Complete required readings.
- Unit 1 Activity 2 – Attend Synchronous Seminar – see Schedule for date/time
- Unit 1 Activity 3 – Contribute to the MACAL course community through discussion and blogging.
Unit 1 – Activity 1 Required Readings
Cross, R., Dillon, K., & Greenberg, D. (2021). The secret to building resilience. Harvard Business Review, 1-8.
Willis, P., Nadkarny, S. (October 2020) Resilient Leadership: An experiment in reflective learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. Resilience Shift, UK.
Renjen, P. (2021). The Journey of Resilient Leadership: Building Organizational Resilience. Deloitte Global Resilience Report. Forbes. Alternate link to extended version on Deloitte site.
Unit 1 – Activity 2 Seminar (Synchronous)
Please attend the Unit 2 Seminar – see Schedule for dates. This seminar will be an opportunity to connect with each other and explore strategies and approaches to supporting mental health and wellness in the context of leading climate action work. We will discuss what approaches and tools we can use to cultivate our resilience as leaders (emergent or otherwise) and contribute to the resilience of the organizations, communities, and people with whom we work. as a climate action leader.
Unit 1 – Activity 3 Contribute to the MACAL course community
This is a reminder that really is in place for the entire program – to take time to review and comment on the contributions of your peers in their blogs and class discussions.