Ideas for an online course on leadership

The idea of being able to transmit the role of leader through training is not always easy to understand. If the course in question is then delivered in eLearning mode, the mechanism by which someone is taught to become a guide, a boss, a manager becomes even more obscure. ELearning is the ideal training tool for transmitting soft skills, such as leadership, through different multimedia channels. Before seeing some tips for online leadership training, let's try to shed light on this rare quality that everyone is looking for and that few can teach.

Can leadership skills be acquired with eLearning?

Wrongly, it is thought that a leadership course is suitable only for those who hold a managerial function. In fact, anyone can be a leader, a guide for a group of people. Leadership goes beyond the position held and is a set of skills that help to create a productive and innovative work environment at all levels.

In particular, having leadership skills means:

• Solve problems
• Collaborate with others
• Emphasize the value of others
• Innovate and have a vision for the future
• Guide your team towards achieving a goal

All this is learned with knowledge and experience, which does not exclude eLearning, on the contrary. The mere fact of following an online course, perhaps without the figure of the facilitator, stimulates the ability to work to achieve concrete goals, but there are other ways to transmit leadership with eLearning.

1. Scenario for an online course on leadership

An online course focused on leadership can use a scenario with open implications to work on the ability to analyze situations and make decisions. The fact that the scenario is open means that the performance of the exercises has a different outcome depending on the answers given by the student. With a realistic simulation it is possible to learn from one's mistakes and, from this point of view, eLearning allows you to acquire leadership skills through experience.

2. Learn to solve problems through virtual reality

If the branching scenario focuses on the ability to make timely decisions, virtual reality tries to reproduce the real problems that a learner faces in the workplace. Logistics problems can be solved, customer complaints can be dealt with and conflicts can be resolved between members of the group. In this case, e-learning transmits leadership skills through experience and knowledge.

3. Open to innovation and be inspired by TED Talk and social learning

A leader able to make decisions, solve problems, mediate between conflicts is not complete if he does not know how to inspire others thanks to his vision. One of the best ways to learn to do this is to be inspired. In an online course you can insert TED Talk, 15-minute video speeches made by people with a skill and story to tell to motivate others. Video is always one of the most appreciated tools by students of an online course. Finally, the leader confronts and animates a group, for this reason it is important to insert elements of social learning in online courses via forum, virtual class or collaboration groups.

From the branching scenario to the ability to make decisions, to the TED talks for the ability to inspire, eLearning has an answer to every facet of being a leader at every level.