Be a Leader

More and more people, students and employers alike, are turning to leadership education for a competitive edge. Northeastern University www.neu.edu, famous for pioneering Co-op, has also been ahead of the trend in leadership education. A few years ago, I facilitated and designed the curriculum for LEGO (Leadership Education Growth Opportunities)–NU’s developmental leadership program.

My classes covered topics such as conflict resolution and communication styles, gender and leadership styles, and multicultural awareness in the workplace. Each session involved self-assessment, interactive activities, and group discussion. Participants in the program were undergrads active on-campus, eager to increase their emerging leadership skills, who responded to the trainings with lots of enthusiasm.

The leadership program, that I helped create and teach, has grown tremendously over the years. LEGO flourished with more student leaders, more faculty trainers, more funding, and more university buy-in and support. Best of all, NU now features its own Student Leadership and Engagement Office, which provides undergrads with five tiers of free leadership training. When NU students graduate, they receive another bonus; their participation in LEGO is officially documented on their co-curricular transcript.

NU’s program has even attracted some world famous luminaries; Maya Angelou, the renowned poet, recently inspired a packed campus auditorium with her words of wisdom as part of the Leadership Office’s summer lecture series. Here’s wishing NU’s leadership education program, and those like it, continued success!

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