Leadership Interactive
Workforce Training & Development
Phone: 210-756-0017
Study after study finds that the qualities employers most look for in recent college graduates - and don’t feel they always find – are leadership skills. The National Association of College and Employers’ Job Outlook 2012 survey, in particular, noted that nearly 80 percent of respondents “said they search for evidence that the potential employee can work in a team, and more than three-quarters indicated they want the resume to show the candidate has leadership abilities.”
In addition, leadership is the most frequently noted learning outcome among disciplinary accreditors. In a study of 25 disciplinary accreditors who are members of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, Sharp et al. found that “the most frequently noted outcomes were about management and collaborative leadership...In all, 22 associations referenced competencies germane to this key category through 42 learning outcomes.”
To address this need, our programs are specifically designed to help your students grow in their leadership development and, in doing so, be better positioned to succeed in the workplace. For specific details about our offerings, please review our growing list of programs for further information, or feel free to visit our FAQ page for additional help.
Our student offerings are an ideal solution for any organization (or parent) who would like to:
Provide their young leaders with age-appropriate training from subject-matter experts
Equip their young leaders with the tools they need to succeed in both school and the workplace
Support the overall education and development of their young leaders
Make a real and lasting difference in the lives of their young leaders
The Student Leadership Challenge® is about how students mobilize others to want to make extraordinary things happen in their schools, communities, and organizations. It’s an evidence-based framework that describes the practices student leaders use to transform values into actions, visions into realities, obstacles into innovations, separateness into solidarity, and risks into rewards. It shows how students can create a climate in which people turn challenging opportunities into remarkable successes.
This program is based on The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® model. The origins of the model can be traced back to a groundbreaking research project that initially began in the early 1980s by authors Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner. To conduct their research, the authors collected data from all over the world regarding what people do when they are at their very best as leaders. After conducting hundreds of interviews, reviewing thousands of case studies, and analyzing more than five million survey responses, the research revealed that, regardless of age or experience, leaders have similar patterns of behavior when they are at their best. The data led to the formation of The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® framework below:
After more than thirty-five years of ongoing research, The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® continues to prove its effectiveness as a clear, evidence-based path to achieving the extraordinary - for individuals, teams, organizations, and communities. It turns the abstract concept of leadership into easy-to-grasp practices and behaviors that can be learned by any person, or student, who is willing to step up and accept the challenge to lead. Due to its unmatched level of empirical support (click here for an in-depth research report) and wide range of resource materials, The Student Leadership Challenge® is widely regarded as one of the most comprehensive student leadership development programs available.
Upon completion of this program, students will:
Learn a shared definition of leadership that is based upon The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® Model
Develop an understanding of the core philosophy behind The Student Leadership Challenge® (Eight Elements)
Become aware of the research-driven origin of The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® Model and how it applies to their own leadership journey
Be able to describe The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® and learn how they can apply them in their own unique ways by using the Ten Commitments of Exemplary Leadership and 30 specific leadership behaviors as a guide
Be able to take intentional action towards improving their development as a leader
Even if your students don’t consider themselves leaders, the research behind The Student Leadership Challenge® clearly demonstrates that every student has the capacity to lead and make extraordinary things happen for their schools, their classmates, their colleagues, and their communities. Leadership, therefore, is not about personality, popularity, position, or age; it’s about an observable set of practices and behaviors that are available to any student who has the desire to step up and lead. Our program provides a time-tested, evidence-based framework that will allow your students to unlock their leadership potential, whether they are existing leaders, emerging leaders, or have little to no formal leadership experience.
The Student Leadership Challenge® program is most appropriate for:
High schools, colleges, universities, and various student groups, such as student government, campus clubs, fraternities, sororities, honor societies, first-year experience programs, community service and service-learning organizations, athletic teams, and youth organizations
Students who participate in this program will receive the following:
The Student Leadership Practices Inventory® 360-degree development tool (latest edition)
The Student Leadership Challenge Student Workbook and Personal Leadership Journal (latest edition)
The Student Leadership Challenge: Five Practices for Becoming an Exemplary Leader textbook (latest edition)
The Student Leadership Challenge Reminder Card
Any materials that are needed for ice-breaker/team-building activities
Any materials that are needed for experiential activities
At conclusion of program, a Certificate of Completion that demonstrates evidence of formal training in leadership development
Students who participate in this program will benefit by:
Being able to measure, articulate, and improve their use of exemplary leadership behaviors
Becoming equipped with the competence and confidence to liberate the leader within, which will empower them to take action and make extraordinary things happen on a regular basis
Participating in engaging and meaningful experiential activities that will deepen their understanding of The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® Model
Being inspired to make a personal commitment to the ongoing practice of leadership development through the use of their own personal leadership journal
Providing students with access to specialized leadership training that will help them become the best leaders they can be
Organizations (e.g., high schools, colleges, universities, various student groups, etc.) who sponsor this program will benefit by:
Supplementing their existing curricula with an evidence-based framework that, for over 35 years, has been regarded worldwide as one of the most trusted sources on becoming a better leader
Equipping their young leaders with a pathway to make extraordinary things happen in their schools, clubs, teams, and/or communities
Supplying their students with leadership skills and abilities that are highly sought after and useful in both college and the workplace
Serving as an advocate for student learning and development in the field of leadership
Providing students with access to specialized leadership training that will help them become the best leaders they can be
Making a positive difference in not only the lives of their students, but all those they will influence throughout their lives
Welcome and Facilitator Introduction
Activity: Ice-breaker (for new group) / team-builder (for established group that could benefit from connecting with one another on a deeper level)
Shared definition of leadership that is based upon The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® Model
Core philosophy behind The Student Leadership Challenge® (Eight Elements)
Activity: Personal-Best Leadership Experience
Origin of The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® Model
The Student Leadership Practices Inventory® (The Student LPI®) Overview
Administration and/or assignment of the Student LPI®
Personal Leadership Journal Overview
Session Summary
Closing & Preview of Session 2
Welcome and Overview of Session
Reflections and Address Any Questions from Previous Session
Introduce Exemplary Leadership Practice: Model The Way
Introduce Two Commitments for Model The Way
Introduce Six Behaviors for Model The Way
Video Case Study for Model The Way
Experiential Activity for Model The Way
Review Student LPI® Results for Model The Way
Debrief Student LPI® Results for Model The Way
Personal Leadership Journal Activity (Action Plan for Model The Way)
Session Summary
Closing & Preview of Session 3
Welcome and Overview of Session
Reflections and Address Any Questions from Previous Session
Introduce Exemplary Leadership Practice: Inspire a Shared Vision
Introduce Two Commitments for Inspire a Shared Vision
Introduce Six Behaviors for Inspire a Shared Vision
Video Case Study for Inspire a Shared Vision
Experiential Activity for Inspire a Shared Vision
Review Student LPI® Results for Inspire a Shared Vision
Debrief Student LPI® Results for Inspire a Shared Vision
Personal Leadership Journal Activity (Action Plan for Inspire a Shared Vision)
Session Summary
Closing & Preview of Session 4
Welcome and Overview of Session
Reflections and Address Any Questions from Previous Session
Introduce Exemplary Leadership Practice: Challenge The Process
Introduce Two Commitments for Challenge The Process
Introduce Six Behaviors for Challenge The Process
Video Case Study for Challenge The Process
Experiential Activity for Challenge The Process
Review Student LPI® Results for Challenge The Process
Debrief Student LPI® Results for Challenge The Process
Personal Leadership Journal Activity (Action Plan for Challenge The Process)
Session Summary
Closing & Preview of Session 5
Welcome and Overview of Session
Reflections and Address Any Questions from Previous Session
Introduce Exemplary Leadership Practice: Enable Others to Act
Introduce Two Commitments for Enable Others to Act
Introduce Six Behaviors for Enable Others to Act
Video Case Study for Enable Others to Act
Experiential Activity for Enable Others to Act
Review Student LPI® Results for Enable Others to Act
Debrief Student LPI® Results for Enable Others to Act
Personal Leadership Journal Activity (Action Plan for Enable Others to Act)
Session Summary
Closing & Preview of Session 6
Welcome and Overview of Session
Reflections and Address Any Questions from Previous Session
Introduce Exemplary Leadership Practice: Encourage The Heart
Introduce Two Commitments for Encourage The Heart
Introduce Six Behaviors for Encourage The Heart
Video Case Study for Encourage The Heart
Experiential Activity for Encourage The Heart
Review Student LPI® Results for Encourage The Heart
Debrief Student LPI® Results for Encourage The Heart
Personal Leadership Journal Activity (Action Plan for Encourage The Heart)
Session Summary
Closing & Preview of Session 7
Welcome and Overview of Session
Reflections and Address Any Questions from Previous Session
Wake-Up Call: Review and compare students’ LPI self-results against their LPI 360 results
Reality Check: Debrief on the similarities and/or differences that are found between students’ LPI Self and LPI 360 results
Guided discussion on the next steps students can take using their Personal Leadership Journal, as well as further actions they can take with The Five Practices
Revisit students’ personal-best leadership experience, with the goal of identifying areas to concentrate on in the future
Discussion: Ten Tips for Becoming a Better Leader
Discussion: The “Secret Ingredient” of Leadership
Personal Leadership Journal Activity (create action plan for long-term growth with all program material in mind)
Celebrate program completion (students awarded with Certificates of Completion, take-aways, etc.)
Final Experiential Activity (students reminded of their ability to bring about real, positive change for themselves, their loved ones, and the world around them)
Excelsior!: Final Thoughts, Best Wishes, and Group Photo
As part of The Student Leadership Challenge® program, students complete the Student Leadership Practices Inventory® (Student LPI®). The Student LPI® is a comprehensive leadership development tool designed to help young people measure their leadership behaviors and use this feedback to improve their effectiveness as a leader. It is grounded in the same extensive research as the classic Leadership Practices Inventory®, which is used in leadership training, executive development, and graduate-level programs around the world (click here for an in-depth research report).
The Student LPI® is a 360-degree development tool that is made up of the Student LPI Self-Assessment (completed by the student leader) and the Student LPI Observer Assessment (completed anonymously by others who have direct experience in observing the individual student leader in any leadership role or capacity, such as teachers, coaches, student advisors, teammates, fellow club members, colleagues, co-workers, etc.). The Student LPI® uses input from multiple sources to get a 360-degree look at the frequency with which a student engages in The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® (click here to explore the benefits of 360-degree feedback). Both versions of the Student LPI® are thirty-item instruments that each take about 15-25 minutes to complete.
Depending on the scope of a given leadership initiative, The Student LPI® is available in three different reports: the individual report, the reassessment report, and the group report. Each offers unique views that can provide helpful perspectives for individual students and student groups.
Student LPI® 360 Individual Report:
The individual report shows one student’s leadership behavior as a snapshot in time, which provides an invaluable benchmark for future reports, and lays the foundation for measurable progress.
Click here for free exampleStudent LPI® 360 Reassessment Report:
The reassessment report takes the data from one student’s assessment and compares it to data from up to three other iterations of the assessment for the same student. This provides the opportunity to view a change in the student’s behavior over time. For example, to help sustain leadership development over time, students could measure their progress when they are in their first, second, third, and fourth year of school.
Click here for free exampleStudent LPI® 360 Group Report:
The group report takes the data from a selected group of students and provides an assessment of how frequently the group demonstrates exemplary leadership behaviors. This can be useful for those who wish to improve their leadership capacity as a collective group. The report can also be useful for looking at how a class or organization (club, team, etc.) practices leadership in their cohort, or to view a select group of students over time (e.g., freshman year and then again in the sophomore year).
Click here for free example“Employers are looking for students who have content knowledge and practical experience working in teams and leading others. The Student Leadership Challenge® is an excellent example of the behaviors needed to accomplish extraordinary tasks that can get you noticed by a potential employer.”
-Kevin Bailey, vice president for student affairs, University of West Florida
The following factors are taken into consideration when determining the cost of delivering our program:
Number of students
Number of facilitators
On-site / Off-site Location
Number of Student LPI® reports
Travel Distance
New / Repeat Client
To bring The Student Leadership Challenge® program to your group or organization, please complete our interest form by clicking on the button below, or feel free to refer to our FAQ page for additional help.
Discover how our training solutions can be a real game-changer for you and your organization!
• Public Workshops
• Private Workshops
• Custom Programs
• Student Programs
• One-on-One Coaching
• Group Coaching
Clients and prospective clients can sign up for a complimentary call with Dr. Rob Acosta using the button below:
Book Appointment4040 Broadway ST, Suite 240
San Antonio, TX 78209
Phone: 210-756-0017
Fax: 210-756-0018
