• Deakin University

What is Leadership?

Leadership is often misunderstood due to its complex nature. Learn what being a leader means and how you can practice leadership.

52,975 enrolled on this course

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What is Leadership?

52,975 enrolled on this course

  • 2 weeks

  • 3 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Intermediate level

Find out more about how to join this course

This course is part of the program Leadership Practice with Impact, which is one of the building blocks that leads to a degree in Leadership. Find out more.

Develop leadership skills and strategies

In this 2-week course, we look to answer the question: What is leadership? This thought-provoking course will help you discover more about yourself and others as we explore leadership.

By delving into sources of power and influence, and exploring how perception shapes behaviour, you will be able to address important issues more effectively.

Explore effective leadership and what it means to be a leader

In the first week, we explore two fundamental perspectives on leadership: a leader as a person and leadership as a practice. You’ll also explore how leadership is defined by researchers and practitioners.

It’s important to have role models, and we’ll reflect on your responsibility as a leader to also be a good role model. What does your choice of role model say about you?

Discover your leadership style and influencing power

In the following week, we’ll examine the difference between leadership and management so you can determine where you lie on the scale. Your role will affect how relationships play out in the workplace.

Thinking about leadership in practice, you’ll also discover ways in which individual differences influence how people see leadership and learn how to manage perceptions as a leader.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 7 seconds With disruptive innovation, global competitiveness, and market uncertainty, demand for talented leaders intensifies. Leaders have the potential to increase organisational success. Higher rates of employee satisfaction and engagement foster a positive and agile culture, responsive to customer demands and market opportunities. Hello, I’m Dr Andrea North-Samardzic, and I’m a lecturer at Deakin Business School, where I teach postgraduate students and research contemporary leadership issues. I’m very excited to introduce you to this future learn course. In this two week course, we will explore leadership role models, analyse examples of leadership in organisations, and self-reflect on our sources of power and influence.

Skip to 0 minutes and 49 seconds This course will help anyone who wants to find out more about the difference between leadership and management, the types of power needed to be a leader, effective leadership, and influencing others. So do you want to be a leader? Then follow me.

What topics will you cover?

This thought-provoking course will help to discover more about yourself and others as we explore:

  • why leadership is different to management
  • what effective leadership is
  • what types of power are needed to be a leader
  • how you can influence other people at work
  • how individual differences shape the way people see leadership.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explain what leadership means
  • Investigate leader role models and what they represent
  • Explore how you and others around you use personal power
  • Investigate the effect that individual differences have on leadership
  • Identify how leadership thinking has changed over the years

Who is the course for?

This course will assist busy professionals who already have management responsibilities and experience but need to expand their knowledge and capabilities in leading organisations.

Take your learning to the next stage

This course is a free introduction to a Deakin University postgraduate degree in Leadership which can be done entirely on FutureLearn

Who will you learn with?

Dr Colin Higgins is an Associate Professor in Management at Deakin University and also leads Deakin's Global Courses. He teaches strategy and researches how companies engage with sustainability

Cathryn Nolan has spent more than 30 years in commercial life - as a lawyer, entrepreneur, investor and creative thinker.

Who developed the course?

Deakin University

Deakin University is one of Australia’s largest universities with more than 61,000 students and over 15,000 online.

  • Established

    1974
  • Location

    Melbourne, Australia
  • World ranking

    Top 280Source: QS World University Rankings 2021

Ways to learn

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$109/one-off payment

$27.99

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$27.99

For the first two months. Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$109/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Tests to boost your learning
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 11 Apr 2024

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

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Advance your career with a degree

Since 2017 you have been able to take a degree on FutureLearn. This free course is a bit like a starter course for a degree — it should give you a flavour of the degree subject but can also be your first step towards a degree qualification.

If you enjoy this course you can apply to join the program it’s part of to start working towards a degree on FutureLearn.

Don’t worry, you can still take the course without doing a full degree!

Do the free course
Join and complete the program
Get academic credit for an online degree from Deakin University
This course is part of the program Leadership Practice with Impact, which is one of the building blocks that leads to a degree in Leadership.

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