Transformative leadership sessions begin Sept. 14, Oct. 5

By Richard H. Miller, Academic Outreach and Innovation

tidal-leadershipPULLMAN, Wash. – You don’t have to make a big splash to be a great leader. Tidal Leadership, an online Washington State University certificate program, helps participants develop the calm awareness that leads to powerful action.

“Participants experience this program as transformative because it intentionally embraces the whole of who a person is,” said Denise Yost, WSU clinical assistant professor and a program facilitator.

The next Tidal Leadership sessions, open to those outside WSU as well as students and employees, are Tidal for Women, Sept. 14-Dec. 31, and Tidal for Working Professionals, Oct. 5- Jan. 25. For more information, visit the Tidal Leadership website at http://cahnrs.wsu.edu/tidal/.

Credit or noncredit options

Tidal Leadership consists of 12 online modules offered over 16 weeks. Videos, online discussions and group activities help participants discover their unique leadership styles.

“Participants are supported by one another and their facilitators, leading to a quality of engagement that brings the content to life,” Yost said.

The program, launched in spring 2015, has both credit and noncredit options offered through WSU Global Campus. Participants receive leadership certification and a customized portfolio of their work.

New tracks this fall

New this fall are separate tracks that let participants choose the program that best fits their needs.

“Based on feedback from participants, we created separate cohorts for women, working professionals and graduate students so we could align the content with specific issues or challenges,” said Kim Kidwell, acting dean of the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences and creator of the Tidal Leadership program.

There is also a track for teachers and educators that includes continuing education credits.

“The course enhanced my ability to lead effectively through realizing what is important to me, such as compassion and respect,” said Nicole Martini who leads more than 3,500 volunteers for the Master Gardener program in Washington state. “It also reaffirmed the importance of living my life from a place that honors my values.”

‘Burgeoning sense of possibility’

Unlike other leadership programs, Kidwell said, Tidal Leadership emphasizes immediate application and integration of the lessons.

“Participants are encouraged to apply the tools they are learning to real life scenarios and are supported in assessing the outcomes,” she said.

One key tool, she said, is mindfulness. The program teaches participants to step back from situations, assess options, clarify goals and then choose the best response.

Yost spoke of the “burgeoning sense of possibility” that comes from slowing down and stepping back: “If I’m constantly operating at the speed of light, I’m not aware of the fact that there is a true north for me personally – a direction that I value and a place from which I can operate with intention and purpose.”

 

Contact:
Richard H. Miller, WSU Academic Outreach and Innovation, 509-335-5711, millerr@wsu.edu