Unleashing the leader within us all
UD PCS unveils 15-week Dynamic Leadership Program for adult learners
In some people’s minds, great leaders are born, not made. Their rare skills and commanding presence seem innate, instinctive — and practically unteachable.
But what if the essential elements of top-notch leadership already live inside us all, just waiting to blossom?
That empowering perspective on our hidden potential is at the core of an effort by the University of Delaware to create a new kind of leadership development course for working professionals — one that helps learners recognize their own unique capabilities and shows them fresh ways to leverage those skills toward more successful careers.
The new 15-week course for adult learners, Dynamic Leadership Certificate, is being launched in January by UD’s Division of Professional and Continuing Studies (UD PCS). Designed to suit the busy lives of working professionals, the 36-hour course is conducted mostly online, but also features in-person sessions where learners can network and share knowledge.
The new program has also inspired a successful customized learning course that was launched earlier this year by UD PCS to fulfil the needs of local businesses and nonprofits. UD scholars and regional business leaders worked together to shape the curriculum, aiming to give it solid academic foundations. Instructors include distinguished faculty from UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics and College of Health Sciences.
The result is a program that’s ideal for new or emerging leaders, giving them newfound insight into the subtle soft skills needed to adapt and succeed. It’s also arriving at a key moment: Today’s businesses say there’s a growing need for broader leadership skills as more organizations lean away from hierarchical management models and give more agency to employees up and down the ladder.
“Historically, leadership education has taken a perspective that assumes that leaders are only in the top echelons of the organization,” said Dustin Sleesman, director of the Dynamic Leadership program and associate professor of management at the Lerner College.
“Recently, leadership education has really pivoted to the philosophy of seeing everybody as a leader in their own way, no matter where they are in the organization,” Sleesman added.
The course’s creators looked toward local businesses to ensure relevance and tapped into cutting-edge research on effective instruction techniques. Studies showed that lessons could be more deeply instilled in a hybrid format consisting of online sessions — live and asynchronous — as well as high-intensity, in-person sessions. Sleesman and the other instructors carefully constructed a learning sequence that leads students first toward self-discovery, then into the more complex dynamics of organizational leadership.
“It’s all about understanding your core values, what really drives you as a leader,” said Sleesman. “We ask them: ‘What’s your story, what got you to where you are today, and where do you want to go? Where are you in the narrative of life?’ That’s a really good foundation to start from.”
Ultimately, students emerge from the course ready to immediately put their skills to practical use, then build upon that skill set over time. Interactions with instructors and other students organically extend their networking reach and give them crucial peer feedback.
“They actually create a leadership development plan that they will bring forward from the program to share with their managers and continue their leadership journey,” said Laura Valadakis, manager of customized learning solutions at UD PCS. “This is something that will continue long after the 15 weeks are over.”
And, once the course is done, the students get to pay it forward by submitting feedback on how it can be made better. “It’s important to reflect and be open to doing things differently,” course instructor Rita Landgraf said. “We’re committed to continuous improvement.”
The course was inspired by an advisory board of local business leaders who told UD PCS that they struggled to find solid training options for up-and-coming leaders. UD PCS quickly saw it as a chance to help local businesses by leveraging the University’s deep leadership resources — UD was recently one of 125 institutions named in TIME’s Best Colleges for Future Leaders 2025.
“What makes this program really unique is it’s hyper-focused on leadership,” said Sleesman, who is an expert in conflict resolution skills and other types of organizational behavior. “That’s a benefit of this certificate program; it’s kind of like an intense boot camp experience where you’re focused on just this one topic.”
The organizations that hold seats on the advisory board quickly signed up for the course they helped create, sending select employees to a pilot version of the course. Recent graduates of that class came from such regional standouts as W. L. Gore & Associates, WSFS Bank and Chesapeake Utilities, said Monica Browne, program coordinator for the customized course.
Students begin with a module on “Leading Self,” where they discover their own leadership identity while learning how to better manage their time and set clear goals. The second module dives into “Leading Others,” teaching effective ways to manage relationships and build successful teams. Finally, the class learns about “Leading the Organization,” where they’re prepared to adapt to changing dynamics, while also getting an essential foundation in corporate finance.
At the end, students receive a certificate and digital badge that will enhance their resumes along with their potential in their workplace.
“The in-person and live Zoom classes were great because we got to discuss all the things that we learned,” said Julie Harris, an engineer team lead for nearby Gore, the developer of waterproof Gore-Tex fabrics. Taking the course gave her a long-awaited chance to tackle one skill she knew she needed: financial savvy.
“There’s a lot of pressure in the company right now to learn more about financial acumen, but that was something I didn’t get to learn in my college years and haven’t had the opportunity to really dive into,” Harris said. “I saw this as a great opportunity to learn some of those things. And it gave me a good baseline that I can use to learn more.”
By giving those long-sought skills to employees like Harris, the program enhances UD’s ongoing efforts to be a beneficial partner to the broader community, organizers said. “The UD PCS team is working to translate UD’s educational and research framework in a way that applies to more effective outcomes in the community, and that is really important,” said Kathy Matt, an instructor for the course and former dean of UD’s College of Health Sciences. “It’s great to see that interface between UD and the community and businesses in the community.”
Matt, an emeritus professor in UD’s Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, teaches the early module on personal effectiveness, leaning on her three decades as a university educator and leader. She is followed by professor Landgraf, a former secretary of Delaware’s Department of Health and Social Services.
“Each of us brings our own lived experiences, our own lens, and each of us as the instructors teach to that,” said Landgraf, who helps instill team leadership skills, in part by helping students identify potential personal growth areas.
“Working with professionals, I consider it a journey. We’re on this journey together, and we’re going to explore together,” said Landgraf, who also is an instructor the Pocket MBA customized learning course offered by UD PCS. “I want them to share what their experiences have been, and I hope to incorporate some challenges that they may be experiencing, whether it’s relative to team engagement, or just relative to change, so that we can consider that while we’re together, and figure it out together.”
Bringing the students into a conversation about leadership makes the lessons more real and more lasting, instructors said. Ultimately, they want the students to leave with a fresh concept of what a leader can be — and how leadership is about so much more than just “being a boss.”
“Leaders are not just somebody who tells everybody what to do,” Matt said. “You have to drop the seed of ideas and let them cultivate. If you really want to get something accomplished, it is about bringing everybody along. I think it really is about just getting people excited about what they’re doing, and then you can do almost anything.”
To learn more about the Dynamic Leadership Program, visit pcs.udel.edu/dynamic-leadership.
