COURSE NUMBER: MBA296.4A

COURSE TITLE: The Authentic Leader

UNITS OF CREDIT: 1 unit

INSTRUCTOR: Cort Worthington

E-MAIL ADDRESS:  cort@haas.berkeley.edu

CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION: http://bspace.berkeley.edu

MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Wednesday, 2:00-4:00PM during Spring A (1/22-3/12, skipping 3/5)

PREREQUISITE(S): None

CLASS FORMAT: We will utilize lecture, discussion, and exercises in each class.

REQUIRED READINGS: assorted books, cases, and articles.

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: a combination of class participation, written work, presentations, and possible exam.

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:

The Authentic Leader: an Exploration asks questions relevant to MBA students as they continue to re-frame their personal identity as emerging leaders. What does it mean to lead? What does it mean to be real? What forces have shaped me, and how can I continue my growth as a leader with more clarity and intentionality?

This course will explore themes of personal character, values, mindfulness, improvisation, and the art of mentoring / coaching. Assigned cases will ground us in business and leadership frameworks.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:

Cort Worthington teaches leadership courses in Haas graduate and undergraduate programs. A leadership consultant, his organizational client list includes Exxon Mobil, Sumitomo Bank, Oracle, Square, the US Army, Kaiser, McKesson, and Stanford University.

Prior to teaching at Berkeley, Cort was co-founder of toy company Primordial, LLC, where he raised capital and served as Director of Operations. He also worked for many years as a film producer, directing documentary crews around the world.

Other relevant experiences include fourteen seasons leading elite teams as a forest fire fighter and parachuting U.S. Forest Smokejumper, which piqued his interest in emergent strategies and improvisational principles as applied to leading within complex, dynamic systems. He has been actively utilizing improvisation as a methodology for enhancing personal communication and leadership skills since 1997.

Cort holds an MA in Communication from Stanford University, an MBA from Columbia University Business School, and an MBA from U.C. Berkeley.