This course "Becoming a Purpose-Driven Leader" aims to help participants gain a better understanding of the foundations of purpose, and to discover and nurture their "why" as they take on leadership roles in their organizations. This entails developing knowledge and skills to analyze key issues related to purpose on the level of identity, performance, objectives, and organizational change. Written and video cases, experiential exercises and real-life examples from the instructor’s research will demonstrate that effective leadership involves four critical processes: establishing direction, aligning people behind it, setting and maintaining values, and growth of self and others. These leadership tasks require self-awareness and self-management skills, therefore this course will also provide participants with an opportunity to reflect on their development as a future leader. Participants will have an opportunity to analyze organizational, social and individual purpose, and identify opportunities to apply these insights to their future career.

We will approach the subject of purpose from a variety of different angles and draw on insights from diverse disciplines, including sustainability, global strategy and management, organizational behavior, human resource management, and corporate governance. By the end of the course, participants will be well-equipped with a set of management concepts, analytical frameworks and practical tools that can help them deal more effectively with key leadership challenges.

Participants are expected to attend all sessions.

The course is structured around five 5-hour classroom sessions. Each session is a module addressing a particular facet of purpose. Our modus operandi will be dialogue, and the teaching approach varied, with a mix of lecture input, group discussion, case analysis, experiential exercises, and videos.

The course grade will be computed as an average of four elements:

a)      Participation (30%)

b)      Pre-Course Assignment (15%)

c)      In-Class Group Assignment (30%)

d)     Final Individual Assessment (25%)

a) Participation:  Participants are expected to attend all of the sessions. Classroom performance will be evaluated based on atten­d­ance, prepared­ness, and quality of contributions. (Please note the word ‘quality’).

b) Pre-Course Reflection: “What Does Purpose Mean to You?”

Summarize your thoughts and ideas in 400 words or less and submit via Canvas assignment as a text entry by November 16, 2025.

c) In-Class Group Assignment

d) Final Individual Assessment: This will build off the submitted pre-course reflection and will be done in-class.

Please note: This course is limited to 30 participants.

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https://www.wu.ac.at/en/rsgb/about-us/team/nathania-chua