Immersive for Seasoned Professionals

Executive Meta-Leadership: Leading through Crisis and Change

Our signature NPLI residential executive education program re-imagined for an online environment.

This comprehensive learning experience is built around case discussions, collaborative projects, and prominent, insightful guest speakers in addition to the renowned program faculty. Participants will engage with leaders from some of the most significant crises of recent years and build a robust network of peers who will serve as an enduring resource. Participants will leave with a better sense of themselves as leaders and team builders, as well as how to take decisive action when it matters most.

Designed for senior policy makers and operational leaders in federal, state, and local governments, elected officials, non-profit organizations, and the private sector in fields of emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation roles as well as security, business continuity, and crisis management. These individuals must have strategic planning or operational leadership responsibility or be on a career track leading to such a position.

This is a competitive selection process. Applications will be reviewed and you will be notified by email on status of admission into the program. Only 60 seats are available.

Program Dates:

2020-2021: Cohort 1 is in session
2021 – 2022: Cohort 2 to be announced.

Tuition Fee: $6,995.00

Program Structure:

Pre-Course

Two 90-minute orientation and project development sessions two weeks prior to the program. You will be introduced to your fellow classmates and NPLI faculty in order to begin building relationships. You will participate in an asynchronous assignment between the two sessions for project teams to meet and begin to define their project deliverable.

Participants will work together to build project teams in advance of the opening session and we will assign NPLI faculty to teams to aide in the project process.

December Session

The December program session will consist of 10 (ten) two-hour sessions offered over five days beginning on Monday and concluding on Friday. You will have a one-hour break between the two sessions. We will also conduct two 60-minute social sessions on Tuesday evening and one on Thursday morning that all students will participate in.

Class 1 Monday: Introductions, tech intro, and set up on complexity

Learning objective: Understand complexity and the essential role the leader plays to help navigate these situations to reach the best possible outcome.

Class 2 Monday: The Meta-Leader in Action. Guest speaker with participant one discussion.

Learning objective: Understand Meta-leadership in practice and grasp the pragmatic use of the concepts and tools.

Class 3 Tuesday: Uniting Stakeholders in Complex Problem Solving (TSA case)

Learning objective: Explore the practical, integrated application of the three dimensions of Meta-Leadership. Discern the perspectives and interests of divergent stakeholders and how to integrate them into a viable path toward a mutually acceptable solution.

Class 4 Tuesday: Project Team Working Session

Learning objective: Move from forming to norming as a team through team-specific breakout sessions. Achieve alignment. We will discuss the project objectives and tangible deliverables with NPLI Faculty mentors in attendance.

Class 5 Wednesday: Mastering Transformation and Time (Coronavirus case)

Learning objective: Understand how crises unfold over a series of phases—arcs of time—that leaders help shape in terms of severity, duration, and velocity. Grasp the transformation life cycle as a guide as you distinguish between transactional, transformational, and transitional activities across multiple arcs from the initial incident through the conclusion of the event.

Class 6 Wednesday: Who Are You? Becoming Your Best Leader Self (Dana Born)

Learning objective: Explore your “dual narratives” to better understand your authentic self as well as how to use the assets of both positive and negative experiences to inform your meta-leadership practice.

Class 7 Thursday: Project Team Working Session

Learning objective: Continue honing the project in team-specific breakout rooms. Prepare for the Friday presentation. Faculty mentor in attendance.

Class 8 Thursday: Innovating in Crisis (Super Storm Sandy case)

Learning objective: Know how to “not let a crisis go to waste” in terms of engaging non-traditional stakeholders, rapidly reengineering processes, and stimulating fresh approaches to mission-critical challenges

Class 9 Friday: Building Actionable Situational Insight (Case TBD)

Learning objective: Recognize the challenges of knowledge acquisition in a complex event and develop proficiency in systematically “driving to the knowns” as you employ the Situation Connectivity Map and POP-DOC Loop.

Class 10 Friday: Project team presentations and Conclusion by NPLI faculty.

JANUARY through APRIL Sessions

Students will participate in 2 (two), two-hour sessions per month for a total of 8 sessions. One session will be held on a Current Challenge Discussion and the other session a Team Project check-in. There will also be a monthly individual reflective exercise.

Current Challenge Discussion: Held once a month, this session will be based on our Guest Speaker’s topic for one hour followed by an “open mike” discussion of leadership issues.

Learning objective: Build cohesion within the cohort and address current challenges.

Project Check-in: Each team will present current project status, what challenge is next, and receive input from faculty and/or other participants. NPLI Faculty will serve as a panel for all teams.

Learning objective: Ensure that all project teams are on track and applying the meta-leadership concepts and tools. This will be an opportunity for classmates and NPLI faculty to provide support to ensure each team is guiding the development of the Meta-leadership Team Projects that could have significant impact in the nation’s preparedness and response efforts.

Individual Reflective Exercise: A short exercise based on a provided question by the NPLI faculty to be completed on the course website. The sum of these exercises will become your personal report that you will summarize in a final document to be submitted at the end of the concluding session in June.

Learning objective: Encourage a growth mindset and foster ongoing self-development through reflective practice while continuously strengthening your Meta-leadership skill set.

June Session

Ten, two-hour sessions beginning Monday and ending Friday.

Class 1 Monday: Your Leadership Journey

Learning Objective: Reflect upon and share how they have grown as meta-leaders over the past six months

Class 2 Monday: Navigating with Your Moral Compass

Learning Objective: Understand the moral dimensions of leadership decisions and actions

Class 3 Tuesday: Negotiating as a Meta-Leader

Learning objective: Explore the Conflict Mode Index and Walk in the Woods as tools for negotiation, conflict resolution, and complex problem solving [Potential guest speaker, Peter Gaultier]

Class 4 Tuesday: Project Team Presentations I

Class 5 Wednesday: Project Team Presentations II

Class 6 Wednesday: The Politics of Homeland Security

Learning Objective: Grasp the political dimensions of leadership and how to navigate them without compromising personal or professional principles.

Class 7 Thursday: Swarm: The Outcome of Effective Meta-Leadership (Panel discussion)

Learning Objective: Investigate the behavior principles of Swarm Leadership through the Boston Marathon Bombings case study and a discussion with several people who led during that event.

Class 8 Thursday: Project Team Presentations III

Class 9 Friday: The Meta-Leader in Action: Guest speaker

Learning Objective: Understand Meta-leadership in practice and grasp the pragmatic use of the concepts and tools.

Class 10 Friday: Conclusion: Principled Meta-Leadership and Graduation

Learning Objective: Delve into the 15 principles of meta-leadership as guide for future practice and development.