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Leading Oneself with Personal Excellence

Before we can lead others well, we must first learn to lead ourselves well. Knowing personal excellence is the culmination of this journey. In this course, you will describe how and why to set goals and create action plans, increase your focus and reduce distraction, harness motivation and flow state for performance, build self-efficacy and agency, and redefine your relationship with stress, anxiety, fear and adversity.

This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Engineering in Engineering Management (ME-EM) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The ME-EM is designed to help engineers, scientists, and technical professionals move into leadership and management roles in the engineering and technical sectors. With performance-based admissions and no application process, the ME-EM is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience. Learn more about the ME-EM program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/me-engineering-management-boulder.Happiness

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Syllabus

Pursuit of Happiness

Kicking off our first week in this course, we will examine our pursuit of happiness and how it may be a flawed pursuit. Many people, when asked what they want from their life, will state they want to be happy. But are we happy? Unfortunately, statistics show most of us are struggling to find true happiness. We will explore ideas like the paradoxical pursuit of happiness, happiness models and the hedonic treadmill to help us develop a better approach to finding subjective wellbeing.

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Explores how to set meaningful goals and create action plans

Provides strategies to increase focus and enhance productivity

Guides the development of motivation and flow, promoting optimal performance

Builds self-efficacy, leadership, and agency, empowering individuals to navigate challenges

Promotes resilience, grit, and fortitude, fostering mental toughness and a positive mindset

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Reviews summary

Self-leadership for personal and professional growth

According to students, this course offers practical strategies and actionable advice for enhancing self-leadership and personal well-being. Learners highlight its strong relevance for professional development, providing crucial leadership skills applicable in various contexts. The course aims to help individuals cultivate increased focus, improve personal accountability, and develop resilience to better navigate life's challenges. While some material might be foundational for those already versed in personal development, the course generally delivers valuable insights for managing stress and boosting overall effectiveness.

Offers strong fundamentals, but some desire more advanced topics.

"Some parts felt like reinforcement of concepts I already knew, but still presented in a valuable way."

"For those well-versed in personal development, some insights might not be entirely new or groundbreaking."

"I sometimes wished for more advanced strategies and deeper dives into certain areas beyond the foundational knowledge."

Modules are well-structured and presented compellingly.

"The instructor's delivery made complex ideas very accessible and kept me engaged throughout the course."

"I appreciated the clear structure and logical progression of topics each week, making it easy to follow."

"The lectures were captivating and motivated me to complete the assignments and delve deeper into the material."

Helps develop mental toughness to navigate life's challenges.

"Learning about grit and fortitude was a game-changer for how I approach adversity and setbacks."

"The section on navigating storms of life provided very helpful coping mechanisms for difficult situations."

"I feel better equipped to handle stress and anxiety after completing the course, feeling more mentally tough."

Develops crucial self-leadership skills for management roles.

"As an aspiring leader, I found the self-leadership principles invaluable for my career path."

"The course material is highly relevant for anyone looking to step into management roles or improve their current leadership."

"It offers a strong foundation for leading teams by first mastering the art of leading oneself, which is crucial."

Deepens understanding of personal behavior and well-being.

"It really helped me understand the psychology behind procrastination and how to overcome it effectively."

"I gained a new perspective on happiness and learned how to approach subjective well-being more effectively."

"The concepts around personal accountability and agency were particularly insightful for my growth."

Provides immediately applicable tools for self-improvement.

"I found many of the strategies immediately applicable to my daily work and personal life."

"This course gave me concrete tools to improve my focus and decision-making capabilities."

"I gained actionable advice on how to better manage stress and build resilience in real-world scenarios."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Leading Oneself with Personal Excellence with these activities:

Review core concepts in psychology and human behavior

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Build a solid foundation for the course by refreshing your knowledge of key psychological concepts and theories.

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Review your notes from previous psychology courses
Read introductory articles or textbooks on psychology
Attend a workshop or lecture on a specific psychological topic

Review Goal Setting principles

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Ensure you are ready to hit the ground running in this course by refreshing your understanding of the fundamentals of goal setting.

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Review the SMART goal setting framework
Read an article on the psychology of goal setting
Reflect on your own past experiences with goal setting

Organize your course notes and materials

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Stay organized throughout the course by creating a system for managing your notes, assignments, and other materials.

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Create a dedicated folder or notebook for the course
Regularly review your notes and highlight key concepts
Organize assignments and readings by topic or module
Use a note-taking app or software to enhance organization
Periodically purge unnecessary or outdated materials

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Practice focusing techniques

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Develop your ability to focus and minimize distractions, a key skill for excelling in this course and beyond.

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Try the Pomodoro Technique for focused study sessions
Practice mindfulness meditation to improve attention

Create a digital planner

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Enhance your time management skills by creating a digital planner that suits your needs and preferences.

Browse courses on Time Management

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Choose a digital planning tool that fits your workflow
Set up your planner with custom sections and templates
Experiment with different planning methods to find what works best for you
Use your digital planner regularly to stay organized and on track
Refine your planner over time as needed

Read 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People'

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Gain valuable insights into personal leadership and effectiveness by reading this classic book.

View The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: 30th... on Amazon

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Read one chapter per week and reflect on its key principles
Apply the habits in your own life and observe the impact

Contribute to an Open Source project related to personal development

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Gain hands-on experience and make a meaningful contribution to the community while enhancing your skills.

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Identify an Open Source project that aligns with your interests and skills
Join the project community and introduce yourself
Review the project's documentation and codebase
Identify an issue or feature that you can contribute to
Submit a pull request with your proposed changes

Facilitate a peer discussion on goal setting

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Enhance your communication and leadership skills while deepening your understanding of goal setting through peer discussions.

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Prepare discussion questions based on course materials
Lead a group of peers in a discussion on goal setting
Facilitate a productive and engaging discussion
Summarize key points and insights from the discussion
Reflect on your experience as a discussion leader

Develop a personal action plan

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Solidify your learning and take action by creating a comprehensive personal action plan that aligns with your goals.

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Review your goals and identify specific actions to achieve them
Prioritize actions based on importance and urgency
Create a timeline for completing each action
Identify potential obstacles and develop strategies to overcome them
Track your progress and make adjustments as needed

Career center

Learners who complete Leading Oneself with Personal Excellence will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Life Coach

Life coaches help individuals identify and achieve their personal and professional goals. Through this course, learners will develop the skills necessary to set goals, increase focus, build self-efficacy, and navigate challenges. These skills are essential for life coaches to effectively guide their clients towards success.

See salaries and explore the career path for Life Coach

Leadership Coach

Leadership coaches help individuals develop their leadership skills and reach their full potential. This course provides learners with the tools and techniques to increase focus, improve motivation, build self-efficacy, and navigate adversity. These skills are highly valuable for leadership coaches as they help their clients become more effective and successful leaders.

See salaries and explore the career path for Leadership Coach

Organizational Development Consultant

Organizational development consultants help organizations improve their performance and achieve their strategic goals. This course provides learners with the skills necessary to understand the pursuit of happiness, increase focus, improve motivation, build self-efficacy, and navigate adversity. These skills are essential for organizational development consultants to effectively consult with clients and help them achieve their desired outcomes.

See salaries and explore the career path for Organizational Development Consultant

Human Resources Manager

Human resources managers oversee the employee life cycle, from recruitment and hiring to training and development. This course provides learners with the skills to increase focus, improve motivation, build self-efficacy, and navigate challenges. These skills are essential for human resources managers to effectively manage their teams and create a positive and productive work environment.

See salaries and explore the career path for Human Resources Manager

Change Management Consultant

Change management consultants help organizations implement and manage change effectively. This course provides learners with the tools and techniques to increase focus, improve motivation, build self-efficacy, and navigate adversity. These skills are highly valuable for change management consultants as they help their clients navigate the challenges of change and achieve their desired outcomes.

See salaries and explore the career path for Change Management Consultant

Teacher

Teachers help students learn and grow, both academically and personally. This course provides learners with the skills to increase focus, improve motivation, build self-efficacy, and navigate adversity. These skills are essential for teachers to create a positive and engaging learning environment for their students.

See salaries and explore the career path for Teacher

Counselor

Counselors help individuals overcome personal challenges and achieve their goals. This course provides learners with the tools and techniques to increase focus, improve motivation, build self-efficacy, and navigate adversity. These skills are highly valuable for counselors as they help their clients overcome challenges and improve their overall well-being.

See salaries and explore the career path for Counselor

Social Worker

Social workers help individuals and families overcome social and economic challenges. This course provides learners with the skills to increase focus, improve motivation, build self-efficacy, and navigate adversity. These skills are essential for social workers to effectively serve their clients and help them achieve their goals.

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Psychologist

Psychologists help individuals understand and overcome mental health challenges. This course provides learners with the tools and techniques to increase focus, improve motivation, build self-efficacy, and navigate adversity. These skills are highly valuable for psychologists as they help their clients improve their mental health and overall well-being.

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Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs start and run their own businesses. This course provides learners with the skills to set goals, increase focus, improve motivation, build self-efficacy, and navigate adversity. These skills are essential for entrepreneurs to succeed in the competitive business world.

See salaries and explore the career path for Entrepreneur

Manager

Managers oversee teams and projects to achieve organizational goals. This course provides learners with the skills to increase focus, improve motivation, build self-efficacy, and navigate adversity. These skills are essential for managers to effectively lead their teams and achieve their desired outcomes.

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Project Manager

Project managers plan and execute projects to achieve specific goals. This course provides learners with the skills to set goals, increase focus, improve motivation, build self-efficacy, and navigate adversity. These skills are essential for project managers to successfully manage their projects and achieve their desired outcomes.

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Consultant

Consultants provide expert advice and guidance to organizations. This course provides learners with the skills to increase focus, improve motivation, build self-efficacy, and navigate adversity. These skills are essential for consultants to effectively serve their clients and help them achieve their goals.

See salaries and explore the career path for Consultant

Analyst

Analysts gather and interpret data to provide insights and recommendations. This course provides learners with the skills to increase focus, improve motivation, build self-efficacy, and navigate adversity. These skills are essential for analysts to effectively conduct their research and provide valuable insights to their clients.

See salaries and explore the career path for Analyst

Researcher

Researchers conduct studies to advance knowledge and understanding. This course provides learners with the skills to increase focus, improve motivation, build self-efficacy, and navigate adversity. These skills are essential for researchers to successfully conduct their research and make meaningful contributions to their field.

See salaries and explore the career path for Researcher

Reading list

We've selected 15 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Leading Oneself with Personal Excellence.

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Offers a template for understanding the conditions that can help someone achieve a state of optimal enjoyment and engagement in many aspects of life.

Leading Oneself with Personal Excellence

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What's inside

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Self-leadership for personal and professional growth

Activities

Career center

Reading list

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