Essential MOOCs In Business for February

Better Leader, Richer Life

School: Wharton

Platform: Coursera

Registration Link: Better Leader, Richer Life

Start Date: February 15, 2015 (10 Weeks)

Workload: 3-6 Hours per Week

Instructor: Stewart D. Friedman 

Credentials: A management professor at Wharton since 1984, Dr. Friedman has been ranked among the top 50 business thinkers by Thinkers50 and recognized by Working Mother as one of America’s 25 most influential men. He founded Wharton’s Leadership program and Work/Life Integration Project. He has consulted for organizations ranging from the United Nations to the White House. He also spent two years at Ford as a senior executive for leadership development, where he instituted a cultural transformation initiative that drew over 2500 managerial participants. A prolific author, Friedman is jokingly referred to as a “rock star” among Wharton professors.

Graded: Students will receive a Statement of Accomplishment for successfully completing the course. That statement will include a “with distinction” if students score highly on the exercises and final exam.

Description: You can’t have it all, they say. ‘Nonsense,” says Dr. Friedman. In this course, Friedman shows students how carving out a more fulfilling personal life can make you a better leader (and vice versa). According to Friedman, you’ll “learn a practical, proven method for how to articulate your core values and vision; build trust with your most important people; and achieve “four-way wins” — improved performance at work or in school, at home with your family, in your community, and for your self (mind, body, spirit).” While the course relies on video lectures, it also includes assignments where students talk to their loved ones, listen to feedback from peers, and develop a plan and monitor their progress. The course concludes with a multiple-choice final exam.

Review: No reviews.

Additional Note: Dr, Friedman recommends that students read the following books to understand his concepts more clearly: Total Leadership: Be a Better Leader, Have a Richer Life and Baby Bust: New Choices for Men and Women in Work and Family.