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Welcome to Leading and Working with People: A Mastery Journey in Human-Centered Leadership
This course is designed to enhance your ability to lead and collaborate effectively with others. Whether you're managing a team or influencing without authority, the interpersonal skills you'll develop here are essential to driving results and building a healthy organizational culture.
Course Structure: This is a skills-based learning journey that progresses through three key phases:
Foundations
Understanding Yourself as a Leader
Application
Working with Others Effectively
Integration
Embedding What You've Learned in Practice
Throughout this journey, you'll engage in up to 10 micro-lessons, each 5–10 minutes long, delivered via interactive exercises, scenarios, and reflections. These focused micro-practices will help you master human-centered leadership skills that can transform your professional relationships and career trajectory.
Let us begin…
We recommend setting aside 30-40 minutes (approximately 30 minutes) for each section ( three in total) of this course. This dedicated time will allow you to fully engage with the material and maximize your learning.
By working through these familiar scenarios, you'll develop practical techniques that can be immediately integrated into your leadership style.
These micro-practices are strategically divided into six progressive sections following Bloom's taxonomy: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create. This structured approach ensures you build leadership competencies methodically, starting with foundational knowledge and advancing to creative application in complex situations.
Remember
Recall facts
Understand
Explain ideas
Apply
Use information
Analyze
Draw connections
Evaluate
Justify decisions
Create
Produce new scenarios
Section 1 (30 minutes)
Foundations: Building Awareness
By the end of these 4 foundational micro-lessons focused on self-awareness and essential leadership mindsets, you will be able to:
Recognize and Apply Active Listening
Implement effective listening techniques that enhance understanding and communication in your daily conversations.
Reflect on Leadership Strengths and Growth Areas
Critically assess your leadership patterns to identify both your natural talents and opportunities for development.
Understand Your Management Style Impact
Recognize how your personal management approach influences team dynamics and collaboration effectiveness.
Build Authentic Internal Relationships
Demonstrate skills for fostering genuine connections and respectful collaboration within your team.
Micro-lesson 1
Active Listening
Active Listening
Giving full attention to employees when they speak
Understanding Needs
Identifying what matters most to your team
Responsive Action
Taking meaningful steps based on employee input
Reflective Feedback
Confirming understanding through thoughtful responses
A micro-practice is a brief 5-10 minute practice exercise that helps you apply this skill in your daily work. After completion, you can review how others handled the same situation to improve your application of this skill.
Micro-lesson 2
Your Management Style

Strategic Planning
Set clear objectives and establish team priorities

Team Development
Nurture skills and empower team members

Performance Monitoring
Track progress and provide timely feedback

Continuous Improvement
Refine processes based on outcomes and feedback
Micro-lesson 3
Internal Relationship Building
Creating strong connections within your team builds trust, enhances collaboration, and establishes a foundation for organizational success.
Trust Development
Consistent, reliable interactions and keeping commitments establish the foundation for meaningful professional relationships.
Authentic Connection
Finding common ground, sharing appropriate personal context, and demonstrating genuine interest in colleagues strengthens team bonds.
Regular Engagement
Scheduled check-ins, collaborative projects, and informal interactions create opportunities for relationship growth over time.
Micro-lesson 4
Strengths and Weaknesses in Leadership
Leadership Strengths
Key qualities that empower effective leaders to inspire and guide their teams
  • Decisive action and strategic thinking
  • Exceptional communication and listening skills
  • Ability to inspire and motivate others
Leadership Weaknesses
Common challenges that can undermine leadership effectiveness
  • Micromanagement and inability to delegate
  • Poor emotional intelligence and self-awareness
  • Resistance to change and feedback
Section 2 (3o minutes)
The Application Phase
You'll explore four micro-lessons that simulate the daily challenges faced by leaders and team players alike. Each is designed to sharpen how you lead through others, not just over them.
🤝 Collaboration with Respect
Learn how to maintain inclusivity and professionalism when working with diverse personalities.
⚖️ Dealing with Complaints Against Team Members
Practice responding to interpersonal conflicts with fairness and clarity.
🧠 Objective and Efficient Judgment
Avoid bias while making people decisions under pressure.
🔗 Interdependence: The Key to Productivity
Shift from siloed execution to collaborative success through shared accountability.
Micro-lesson 5
Collaboration with Respect
Honoring Diverse Perspectives
Valuing and incorporating different viewpoints to enrich team outcomes
  • Actively listening to all voices
  • Acknowledging cultural differences
  • Incorporating varied expertise
Respectful Communication
Engaging in dialogue that upholds dignity and fosters understanding
  • Providing constructive feedback
  • Addressing conflicts directly but kindly
  • Practicing empathetic responses
A micro-practice is a brief 5-10 minute practice exercise that helps you apply this skill in your daily work. After completion, you can review how others handled the same situation to improve your application of this skill.
Micro-lesson 6
Dealing with Complaints Against Team Members
Active Listening
Giving full attention to complaints without judgment and understanding the complete situation
Fair Investigation
Gathering information from all involved parties to ensure balanced understanding
Resolution and Follow-up
Implementing appropriate actions and checking in to ensure the issue has been properly addressed
A micro-practice is a brief 5-10 minute practice exercise that helps you apply this skill in your daily work. After completion, you can review how others handled the same situation to improve your application of this skill.
Micro-lesson 7
Effective and Objective Decision Making
Making balanced decisions requires a structured approach that minimizes bias and maximizes insights from diverse perspectives.
Gather Comprehensive Information
Collect relevant data from multiple sources to ensure a complete understanding of the situation before proceeding.
Evaluate With Neutral Criteria
Apply consistent standards to all options, focusing on predetermined metrics rather than personal preferences.
Consider Multiple Perspectives
Actively seek input from diverse team members to uncover blind spots and enhance decision quality.
Assess Impact Thoroughly
Evaluate potential consequences across various timeframes and stakeholder groups before finalizing decisions.
A micro-practice is a brief 5-10 minute practice exercise that helps you apply this skill in your daily work. After completion, you can review how others handled the same situation to improve your application of this skill.
Micro-lesson 8
Interdependence: The Key to Productivity
Building collaborative connections creates a synergy that drives both individual and team performance to new heights.
Trust Building
Establishing psychological safety and mutual respect as foundation for collaboration
Resource Sharing
Pooling knowledge, skills, and tools to maximize collective capabilities
Collaborative Problem-Solving
Leveraging diverse perspectives to develop innovative solutions
Enhanced Productivity
Achieving greater results together than possible individually
A micro-practice is a brief 5-10 minute practice exercise that helps you apply this skill in your daily work. After completion, you can review how others handled the same situation to improve your application of this skill.
Quick Reflection: Applying your learnings to the Media Industry
Your Role, Your Voice: Reflecting on Leadership in Action
You've now explored your personal leadership style and practiced key interpersonal skills like listening, collaboration, conflict resolution, and judgment. In an industry as fast-paced and people-driven as media, your ability to lead with emotional intelligence is a superpower.
Take a moment to reflect:
  1. What surprised you about your own leadership tendencies? (e.g. Do you tend to take over in a brainstorm? Step back in conflict?)
  1. How has your listening improved the way you interact with creative teams? (e.g. Did slowing down to really hear someone change the outcome of a meeting?)
  1. What's one specific moment recently where collaboration or judgment could've gone better—and how would you handle it now, using what you've learned?
  1. In a high-pressure media environment, where timelines are tight and egos can flare, how will you use these tools to lead with clarity and calm? Use this reflection as a bridge into the final phase: embedding leadership habits that others can see and feel in your daily interactions.
Section 3- Final Phase ( 15 minutes)
Integration: Leading by Example
Embed values-driven leadership into daily practice and culture

Ethical Leadership
Making integrity non-negotiable
Team Scenario Simulation
Choose from 3 workplace conflicts and apply what you've learned
Self-Assessment & Behavioral Shift Plan
Traditional evaluation sheet + skills rubric
Certificate Access
Turn in your Behavioral Shift Plan to request access to your completion certificate
Micro-lesson 9
Ethical Decision Making
Making choices that align with moral principles and organizational values.
Consider All Stakeholders
Evaluate the impact of decisions on employees, customers, communities, and shareholders.
Apply Ethical Frameworks
Use established moral principles to guide complex decisions in challenging situations.
Ensure Transparency
Maintain open communication about the reasoning behind difficult choices.
Team Scenario Simulations
Apply what you've learned to these realistic media industry scenarios. For each one, identify which skill(s) to apply and explain why.
🎬 Scenario 1: The Last-Minute Script Rewrite
Your content lead rushes into the morning meeting with major revisions to a client video script—due in 3 hours. The editorial team is frustrated because they've been working all night on the original version, and tensions rise.
Question: Which skill would be most important to apply first in this moment?
  • A. Listening to Each Other
  • B. Dealing with Complaints Against Team Members
  • C. Objective and Efficient Judgment
  • D. Grit and Humility
🟦 Follow-up Reflection: Why did you choose this skill? How would it shift the tone of the situation?
📰 Scenario 2: Credit Where It's Due
A junior producer feels overlooked after a successful campaign wrap-up. You learn in passing that they were instrumental in pulling off the final product, but no one on the team acknowledged it.
Question: Which skill(s) would best help address this situation?
  • A. Internal Relationship Building
  • B. Ethical Leadership
  • C. Strengths and Weaknesses in Leadership
  • D. Collaboration with Respect
🟦 Follow-up Reflection: How would you approach this without escalating emotions or assigning blame?
📢 Scenario 3: Clashing Creatives
Two senior creatives are at odds about the direction of an ad concept. Each believes their idea is the right one. Their disagreement is now stalling production and affecting morale.
Question: Which skill(s) should you bring into play to help resolve this?
  • A. Interdependence: The Key to Productivity
  • B. Your Management Style
  • C. Collaboration with Respect
  • D. Dealing with Complaints Against Team Members
🟦 Follow-up Reflection: How can you mediate in a way that promotes collaboration without compromising speed?
Self-Assessment Rubric: Your Behavioral Shift Plan
Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 for each skill covered in our micro-lessons. Then create your personal improvement plan to reach your leadership goals.
Remember: Growth in leadership is an ongoing journey. Small, consistent improvements lead to meaningful transformation over time.
Continue Your Leadership Journey with a Community of Practice
A community of practice is a collaborative learning group where professionals with shared interests exchange knowledge, solve problems together, and support each other's growth through regular interaction and shared experiences. By joining this 30-day extension program, you'll deepen your leadership skills through peer mentorship, structured challenges, and expert guidance.
Would you like to receive MASTERY certification on this skill by joining a community of practice with your peers?

This is optional. You have already earned your BEGINNER certification.
Continue working together on these leadership skills with colleagues who share your commitment to growth and excellence.
Congratulations on Completing Your Leadership Journey!
You have successfully completed the course "Leading and Working with People: A Mastery Journey in Human-Centered Leadership." This marks not the end, but the beginning of your leadership transformation.
"Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge." — Narayana Murthy, Founder of Infosys
Apply your new skills with confidence and continue growing as a leader who inspires and empowers others.
Thank you
All micro-practice links provided here present generic situations. For every client delivery, we can customize the micro-practices to your specific industry or sector.
GLEAC has a collective library of over 5,000+ micro-practices that can be mapped to any type of behavioral competency across any sector or industry.
This tailored approach ensures relevance and maximum effectiveness for your team's development needs.
For further information on how we can customize micro-practices for your organization, please contact [email protected]