Project: Leiden Leadership Program
Master Honours Project — 2023
The Leiden Leadership Program (LLP) at Leiden University's Honours Academy empowers participants with cross-disciplinary leadership knowledge and practical skills. Through seminars, training, and real-world projects, it emphasises informed decision-making, effective communication, and personal growth in leadership, fostering societal impact.
Leadership theories, transformational leadership, public leadership, inclusive leadership, Motivating Language Theory, decision making, communication skills, self-reflection, conflict resolution
The Leiden Leadership Program (LLP) is an initiative offered by Leiden University’s Honours Academy. During the program, participants are equipped with necessary cross-disciplinary knowledge, insights, and skills in the field of leadership through seminars, skills training, and a practical assignment. The program is designed to empower individuals to enhance their societal impact.
Throughout the LLP journey, we learned about established leadership theories, including change leadership, transformational leadership, and meaning-based leadership, and more. In addition to the general seminars about leadership methods, I specifically focussed on public and inclusive leadership during the electives. This theoretical foundation was then transformed into practical skills acquired during the training sessions. The emphasis is on cultivating the ability to make well-informed decisions when facing leadership challenges, while considering the broader societal, scientific, and ethical responsibilities inherent to one’s professional and societal role. This approach allows for a significant self-reflection, enabling participants to align their leadership style and behaviour to the learned theories.
In addition to the acquired knowledge, the LLP offers a unique opportunity to apply these insights in a practical project related to leadership with a real-world company or organisation. In my specific project, our team focussed on addressing the challenge of enhancing influence in a professional setting. Our partner organisation was an information management consultancy firm seeking to improve leadership qualities of its consultants. Our research concentrated on the theory of Motivating Language, which we proposed to be implemented in the written advice rapports provided to clients. An anonymous preview of the advice rapport in Dutch can be dowloaded using the button below.
Throughout the Leiden Leadership Program, I developed a set of skills valuable for my future professional journey. These skills include the effective application of leadership theories, adaptability, the improvement of emotional intelligence, and a commitment to self-reflection. Additionally, the program has equipped me with the essential tools for stimulating clear and impactful communication within diverse team environments, allowing me to convey ideas clearly and actively listen to others.
Proficient communication is a crucial skill to improve conflict resolution within teams, enabling team member to find common ground and persevere team cohesion. My belief is that leadership transcends mere authority and task delegation; it entails stimulating uniqueness and belongingness within a team to ensure cohesion. Such teams will evolve into high performance teams, where innovation and creativity can grow.
Moreover, the practical project experience has significantly enriched my understanding of leadership in a pragmatic context, providing a platform for actively pursuing and refining personal leadership goals within a professional environment.