Managing and leading both require a shift in mindset, responsibility, and influence. In this competency, you will assess your strengths and opportunities for growth through a leadership gap analysis, apply emotional intelligence to make ethical decisions that balance immediate needs with long-term values, and use change management strategies to guide teams through transitions with clarity, adaptability, and shared commitment.

By the end of this competency, you will be able to:

• Distinguish between managing and leading, identifying the shifts in mindset, responsibility, and influence.
• Conduct a leadership gap analysis to identify your current strengths and opportunities for growth and navigate the transition from effective manager to impactful leader.
• Use emotional intelligence to make ethical decisions that balance operational demands with long-term vision and institutional values.
• Apply change management strategies to lead teams through organizational transitions, innovations, and evolving priorities with clarity, adaptability, and shared commitment.

Management depends on adapting communication strategies to build trust, foster accountability, and align teams with institutional goals. In this competency, you will strengthen your ability to navigate conflict and competing priorities, use high-impact presentations to engage diverse audiences, and apply conflict resolution frameworks to address tensions constructively, maintain momentum, and support collaboration.

By the end of this competency, you will be able to:

• Adapt communication strategies to navigate complex dynamics, support accountability and teamwork, build trust, and align with institutional goals.
• Navigate organizational conflict by aligning communication strategies with institutional goals, maintaining momentum during periods of change, and balancing competing priorities.
• Use communication techniques, including high-impact presentations and briefings, to engage diverse audiences, align with institutional goals, and influence, persuade, and negotiate in situations involving competing priorities or limited resources.
• Apply conflict resolution frameworks to address tensions constructively, support accountability, foster constructive dialogue, and support trust.

Successful management requires developing teams through intentional delegation, coaching, and feedback. In this competency, you will empower team members through shared ownership, apply mentoring strategies to strengthen performance, and practice giving and receiving feedback that is timely and actionable. You will also build development plans that align expectations, support growth, and recognize strengths.

By the end of this competency, you will be able to:

• Delegate with intention to empower team members, grow capacity, and foster shared ownership.
• Use coaching and mentoring strategies to support individual growth, drive accountability, and strengthen team performance.
• Give and receive feedback that is timely, actionable, and aligned with shared goals.
• Build a team development plan that integrates performance expectations, ongoing support, continuous improvement, and recognition of strengths.

Strategic management requires using financial data and institutional priorities to align budgets with mission-critical outcomes. In this competency, you will interpret your unit’s financial approach, make informed resource decisions, and balance fiscal constraints with long-term goals. You will also identify opportunities for efficiency and innovation to stretch limited resources and increase impact.

By the end of this competency, you will be able to:

• Use financial data and institutional priorities to align budgets with mission-critical outcomes and institutional financial goals.
• Interpret your unit’s financial approach and apply it to make informed, strategic resource decisions.
• Examine the impact of budget allocations and fiscal constraints on services and resources and learn to prioritize effectively through a future-focused lens.
• Identify opportunities for operational efficiency and innovation to stretch limited resources and increase impact.

Strong management requires building stakeholder alignment through proactive engagement, clear expectations, and shared ownership. In this competency, you will apply prioritization techniques to manage competing demands, lead teams through ongoing change to build agility, and leverage data to monitor progress, allocate resources, and inform timely decisions.

By the end of this competency, you will be able to:

• Build stakeholder alignment through proactive engagement, clear expectations, and shared ownership.
• Apply prioritization techniques to manage competing demands, resource constraints, and shifting institutional priorities.
• Lead teams through continuous change and shifting priorities to drive organizational agility and strategic impact.
• Identify and leverage data to monitor project progress, manage people and resources, and inform timely decisions.