COURSE NUMBER: MBA291T.1
COURSE TITLE: Interpersonal Skills and Embodied Leadership
UNITS OF CREDIT: 2
INSTRUCTOR: Erica Peng
E-MAIL ADDRESS: erica_peng@haas.berkeley.edu
MEETING DATES: 1/31, 2/7, 2/14, 2/21, 2/28, 3/7, and
3/14
PREREQUISITE(S): None
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS: Attendance at the first class is
mandatory. In our first meeting, we immediately begin laying a foundation of
skills, shared experience, and safety that we will build upon in subsequent
classes. If you are unable to make the first class on January 31, 2018, you
will need to take the course a different time.
Participation in all seven classes is required; there is a grade
penalty for absences.
CLASS FORMAT: In-class lectures introduce concepts and frameworks.
Experiential exercises, core skills practice facilitates experiential learning
(1:1 and in a small group learning lab called T Group for “training group”).
Weekly written work deepens self-awareness, integrates insights, and captures
learning and developmental progress.
REQUIRED READINGS: Articles and short videos on interpersonal
development topics and research: neuroscience, emotions and emotional
intelligence, cultural differences, interpersonal communication, social
identity and stereotypes, management theory.
BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: Attendance to every class session and T
Group, class participation, Partner Practice, weekly readings and written
assignments, and final self- and peer-assessment. Expect and plan for 6-8 hours
of work outside class each week.
ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:
As you lead organizations, teams, and your own life and career progression,
core self-awareness and interpersonal skills are critical to your effectiveness
and ability to influence individuals who represent many dimensions of diversity
and difference, in a wide range of situations.
In a spirit of fun and discovery, this
class supports your development as you 1) practice and improve
self-awareness and interpersonal skills and behaviors, 2) learn how to manage internal emotional
reactivity, and 3) cultivate safety, trust, rapport, and influence, as
an individual contributor, team member, or leader, during your time at Haas and
beyond. These skills are critical to building
environments where people feel engaged, appreciated, and motivated to
contribute, especially within the complexity of our diverse and dynamic global
context.
Developing and embodying these foundational leadership skills takes concrete
practice over time with supportive coaching and feedback in a safe learning
environment. The cornerstone of this course is building skills through weekly practice – 1:1 “Partner Practice” and a
small group learning lab called T Group, the experiential format used in the
most popular elective leadership course at Stanford Graduate School of
Business. Professional T Group facilitator/coaches support your learning and development through
modeling behaviors, coaching, and giving and receiving feedback.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
·
Learn through risk-taking that
generates learning and growth: personal sharing, empathetic listening, giving
and receiving feedback, etc..
·
Develop self-awareness and
interpersonal skills to align impact with intention, and to build more open and
trusting personal and professional relationships that are successful at
reaching shared goals.
·
Learn how to manage and
“self-regulate” strong emotional triggers that can derail you from being
present and effective.
·
Better understand how social identity,
power, and status impact reactions and behavior, as well as individual,
interpersonal, and team dynamics.
·
”Show up” in your leadership with
greater awareness of interdependency and impact within a global system and
context.
INVENTORY OF SKILLS:
Each class will introduce core interpersonal and leadership skills and
competencies that build upon each other. They include the following:
Self-awareness
Physiological
sensations and emotional reactions
Stories
and assumptions I hold about myself and others
My
strengths
Internal
barriers to growth and development (inner critic, perfectionist, etc.)
How social
context shapes what I’m aware of and what I’m unconscious to
My
interdependency with greater systems, including team, organizational,
ecological systems
Interpersonal Influence
Grounded
presence (being comfortable in my own skin, embodied “Dignity”)
Self-regulation (managing emotional “hot buttons” and “triggers”)
Comfort with discomfort and uncertainty
Personal sharing / building trust and rapport
Empathetic listening
Be willing to be vulnerable and take risks that generate learning
Acknowledge others’ positive influence on me through appreciation and gratitude
Express curiosity, openness, and inquiry (vs. advocacy)
Be willing to be influenced by others, especially those with less status
Learning from Feedback
Give:
Assess how I am impacted by others and communicate that effectively
Receive: Acknowledge and own the impact I have on
others
Request: Proactively seek feedback for learning and growth
CAREER
FIELD: Developing interpersonal skills is foundational to being more effective
and successful in
personal and professional arenas and in all career fields.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:
As a leadership development coach, consultant, and instructor, Erica’s
expertise is supporting others to develop both internal grounded presence, along with external skills and competencies. She incorporates somatic*
awareness and whole body practices that transform internal barriers (i.e.
self-criticism, insecurity, perfectionism, etc.), into embodied interpersonal
and leadership behaviors and presence.
Having lived, worked, and traveled extensively in Asia, Latin
America and Europe, Erica brings nuanced awareness and skill in navigating
leadership and performance issues across language, culture and other dimensions
of difference. Erica also brings sensibility as an award-winning digital
storyteller to support students and clients to convey compelling leadership
with engaging and grounded presence.
Erica facilitates and delivers interpersonal development courses
at Haas School of Business, Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), and coaches senior executives through Stanford GSB Executive
Education Leadership Programs. Through her coaching and consulting practice,
Deep Stream Leadership, Erica partners with teams and emerging leaders to
senior executives and offers high-impact leadership development workshops based
on the most popular interpersonal dynamics "T Group" course at
Stanford GSB, taught for over fifty years. At Haas, Erica also works with
students as a career coach, helping them clarify core skills, purpose, and
values.
*The Greek
root of somatic is “soma” which means body. Somatic refers to the body of an
individual in contrast to the mind and psyche.