Leadership Academy Fall Course Materials
This is your working hub for the next eight weeks. Each week’s module below holds that week’s pre-work, session recording, slides, and homework. Materials are added as the course progresses, so check back after each session. Full program details, outcomes, and expectations are in the syllabus.
Course Resources
Weekly Modules
Week 1: Foundations & Career Roadmap
Date: September 16
Estimated homework time: 30–60 minutes
Facilitator
Jillian Penkin, President of Penkin Consulting
Pre-work
Complete your 360-degree self-assessment
Before the first live session, complete the self-assessment and reflect on how you currently demonstrate leadership. Consider:
- What leadership responsibilities do you currently hold?
- How do you influence others, with or without a formal title?
- What feedback have you received from supervisors, peers, direct reports, or project partners?
- Which leadership behaviors come naturally to you?
- Which behaviors would you like to strengthen?
If you are unable to complete a formal 360-degree assessment, gather informal input from at least two people who know your work. Ask them:
- What is one leadership strength you see in me?
- What is one area where I could grow?
- When have you seen me have a positive impact?
- What is one behavior that would increase my effectiveness?
Session recording
Slides
NAWIC Leadership Academy Slides week 1 Self-Awareness and Strategic Career Planning.
Homework
Create your initial Career Leadership Roadmap (CLR) baseline
Create a one-page summary containing the following:
| 1. Three leadership strengths | For each: the strength, a brief example that demonstrates it, and the impact it has had on your work or team |
| 2. Three development areas | For each: the behavior or skill you want to improve, why it matters to your career, and one situation where improvement would make a difference |
| 3. Three, six, and twelve month goals | One or more specific goals for each timeframe, using the format below |
| 4. Accountability checkpoints | One person who can support or hold you accountable, one date for reviewing progress, and one method for tracking progress |
Goal format
| Timeframe | Goal | Success measure | First action |
| 3 months | |||
| 6 months | |||
| 12 months |
Submit to CLR
- Completed 360-degree summary
- Initial CLR baseline
- Three, six, and twelve month goals
- Accountability checkpoints
Additional resources
Added after the session.
Week 2: Personal Brand & Visibility
Date: September 23
Estimated homework time: 45–60 minutes
Mollie Elkman, Founder, Author, and Business Leader
Pre-work
Review your current professional presence
Before the live session:
- Review your LinkedIn profile or another professional profile
- Save a screenshot or write a brief summary of your current profile
- Draft a two-line personal brand statement
Your draft should answer:
- What do you do?
- Who do you serve or support?
- What value do you bring?
- What makes your approach distinctive?
Suggested format
I help [audience, team, or organization] achieve [result] by using my strengths in [skills or expertise]. I am known for [distinctive quality or approach].
Session recording
Slides
NAWIC Leadership Academy_Personal Brand & Visability
Homework
Develop your personal brand and visibility plan
| 1. Finalize your brand statement | Approximately 25 to 50 words. Specific, professional, and supported by examples from your work |
| 2. Complete one visibility action | Choose one action from the list below and save proof of completion |
| 3. Create an onsite visibility checklist | At least five practical actions you can take to increase visibility at work or on the jobsite |
| 4. Create a 30/60-day action plan | Using the format below |
Visibility action options
- Update your LinkedIn headline
- Revise your LinkedIn “About” section
- Add a recent accomplishment to your profile
- Share a professional insight or project lesson
- Volunteer to lead a meeting or present an update
- Introduce yourself to a senior leader or new professional contact
- Attend or participate in an industry event
- Offer your expertise for a committee, panel, or association activity
Proof of completion
A screenshot, a copy of the post, a calendar invitation, or a brief written description of the action.
Action plan format
| Timeframe | Visibility action | Audience | Desired result | Evidence of completion |
| Within 30 days | ||||
| Within 60 days |
Submit to CLR
- Final personal brand statement
- LinkedIn update or other visibility-action proof
- Onsite visibility checklist
- Thirty- and sixty-day visibility action plan
Additional resources
Added after the session.
Week 3: Stakeholder Management, Allies, & Sponsorship
Date: September 30
Estimated homework time: 45–75 minutes
Amrita Bhalla, Founder and Managing Director of A.B. Consulting
Participants will learn to map influence, identify allies, and cultivate sponsors who can help create access to new opportunities.
The session includes outreach templates, prioritization strategies, practice conversations, and sponsor perspectives on what encourages leaders to support emerging talent.
Pre-work
Create a stakeholder map that includes six people who may influence, support, advise, or sponsor your professional goals.
Session recording
Slides
Will be posted here by Friday.
CLR Deliverables
- Ally and sponsor map with five prioritized targets
- One completed outreach message
- Outreach script and practice notes
- Sponsor conversion checklist
Additional resources
Added after the session.
Week 4: Communication & Influence
Date: October 7
Estimated homework time: 45–75 minutes
Valeria Wright, Project Director at J.A. Watts, Inc.
Pre-work
Reflect on a communication challenge
Write a brief reflection about a recent communication challenge. Address:
- Who was involved?
- What was the goal of the communication?
- What message did you deliver?
- How did the audience respond?
- What barriers, assumptions, or misunderstandings were present?
- What would you do differently?
Do not include confidential information or identifying details.
Session recording
Will be posted here by Friday.
Slides
Will be posted here by Friday.
Homework
Practice and record an influential message
Choose a realistic professional situation, such as requesting additional resources, raising a safety or quality concern, providing corrective feedback, explaining a schedule issue, asking for support from a supervisor, presenting a recommendation to a client or executive, or addressing a disagreement on a project.
| 1. Prepare your message | Purpose, context, impact, recommendation or request, benefit, and next step with a date |
| 2. Adapt for three audiences | A crew or field team, a client or project partner, and an executive or senior leader. Note how you changed level of detail, tone, vocabulary, evidence, and call to action |
| 3. Record a practice clip | Two to three minutes showing clear purpose, assertive but respectful language, active listening, audience-appropriate messaging, and a specific next step. A phone recording is fine, it does not need to be professionally produced |
| 4. Create a communication milestone plan | Using the format below |
Milestone plan format
| Communication goal | Audience | Action | Target date | Success measure |
Submit to CLR
- Communication challenge reflection
- Two to three minute recorded practice clip
- Audience-adaptation checklist
- One-page communication milestone plan
- Peer or facilitator feedback, if available
Additional resources
Added after the session.
Week 5: Emotional Intelligence & Leading Teams
Date: October 14
Estimated homework time: 45–90 minutes
Madeleine MacRae
This module focuses on emotional-intelligence-driven leadership. Participants will explore how to build trust, delegate effectively, create accountability rituals, and de-escalate conflict.
Role-plays and leader stories will provide opportunities to practice tools that improve team performance, relationships, and resilience.
Pre-work
Reflect on a team incident and your response. Consider:
- What happened?
- How did you respond?
- What emotions or behaviors influenced the situation?
- What might you do differently now?
Session recording
Will be posted here by Friday.
Slides
Will be posted here by Friday.
CLR Deliverables
- 300-word reflection on applied emotional intelligence
- Delegation and accountability plan
- Emotional intelligence tools cheat sheet
- Difficult-conversation role-play feedback summary
Additional resources
Added after the session.
Week 6: Situational & Strategic Decision-Making
Date: October 21
Estimated homework time: 45–75 minutes
To be announced.
Participants will develop practical decision-making skills for complex and uncertain situations. The module introduces decision frameworks and connects strategic decisions to project priorities and critical paths.
Through scenario-based practice and leader discussions, participants will analyze tradeoffs and consider the consequences of various approaches.
Pre-work
Review the assigned scenario and:
- Identify the top three tradeoffs.
- Recommend one decision.
- Explain the rationale for your recommendation.
Session recording
Will be posted here by Friday.
Slides
Will be posted here by Friday.
CLR Deliverables
One-page decision case brief, including:
- Context
- Options considered
- Recommended action
- Measurable success metrics
- Tradeoffs and risks
- Decision escalation considerations
Additional tools:
- Tradeoff identification worksheet
- Decision outcome tracking template
- Decision escalation and risk-threshold guide
Additional resources
Added after the session.
Week 7: Leadership Engagement & Advocacy Lab
Date: October 28
Estimated homework time: 60–90 minutes
Stefanie Adams
Participants will turn the evidence in their Career Leadership Roadmaps into leadership-ready conversations that can support projects, resources, promotions, role changes, or team needs.
Participants will learn to frame concise, return-on-investment-based requests that align with operational and financial priorities. They will create and practice a one-page advocacy pitch.
Pre-work
Complete a one-page Employer Snapshot that includes:
- Two or three top business priorities for your unit or project, such as schedule, safety, margin, or client retention
- One CLR artifact connected to those priorities, such as a QA/QC checklist, job-cost note, safety initiative, or similar evidence
Session recording
Will be posted here by Friday.
Slides
Will be posted here by Friday.
CLR Deliverables
- One-page employer engagement pitch containing:
- Target outcome
- Three linked CLR evidence items
- Estimated business impact or ROI
- Timeline
- Fallback option
- Documented 30 to 60 minute practice conversation with a peer, mentor, or manager within 30 days
- Practice notes or confirmation
- Employer-engagement milestone added to the CLR, including:
- 30-, 60-, and 90-day success metrics
- Named owners
Additional resources
Added after the session.
Week 8: Negotiation, Change Management, & Capstone
Date: November 4
Estimated homework time: 60–90 minutes
To be announced.
The final module brings together the skills developed throughout the Academy. Participants will build ROI-backed requests, practice negotiation, and develop change-management strategies that support adoption and resilience.
Participants will present capstone action plans and receive feedback to refine their requests and implementation plans.
Pre-work
Finalize a one-page Capstone Action Plan of no more than 300 words. Option to present live or submit a written report.
Session recording
Will be posted here by Friday.
Slides
Will be posted here by Friday.
CLR Deliverables
Upload the following at least 48 hours before the final session:
- One-page Capstone Action Plan, maximum 300 words
- Negotiation packet, including:
- One-page ask
- Three supporting evidence items
- Change-management adoption checklist
- Panel feedback summary
- Refined next steps
Additional resources
Added after the session.
