This course is part of the Strategic Leadership: Impact, Change, and Decision-Making Specialization

5.0
stars
21 ratings

Sydney Finkelstein

Offered By

Strategic Leadership: Impact, Change, and Decision-Making SpecializationDartmouth College

About this Course

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We don’t often talk about mistakes and failures, but there’s so much to learn from what goes wrong. In this course, Professor Sydney Finkelstein will teach you why leaders make mistakes, and what you can do to avoid making those same mistakes yourself. Using real-life examples of smart executives who failed, Professor Finkelstein will walk you through scenarios that prepare you to understand, manage, and even take advantage of the continuous change that is inevitable in organizations and in life.

Flexible deadlines

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Course 1 of 4 in the

Strategic Leadership: Impact, Change, and Decision-Making Specialization

Beginner Level

Participants need only the desire to learn from mistakes—those of others and their own.

Approx. 17 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: English

What you will learn

Which mistakes leaders make most often

How to spot the early warning signs of key mistakes

How to avoid making these same mistakes in your own life

Skills you will gain

Learning from Failure
Strategic Leadership
Change Management
Leadership Development
Learning

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 1 of 4 in the

Strategic Leadership: Impact, Change, and Decision-Making Specialization

Beginner Level

Participants need only the desire to learn from mistakes—those of others and their own.

Approx. 17 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: English

Instructor

Instructor rating

5/5 (13 Ratings)

Sydney Finkelstein

Steven Roth Professor of Management

Tuck School of Business

1,298 Learners

4 Courses

Offered by

Dartmouth College

Founded in 1769, Dartmouth is a member of the Ivy League and consistently ranks among the world’s greatest academic institutions. Dartmouth has forged a singular identity for combining its deep commitment to outstanding undergraduate liberal arts and graduate education with distinguished research and scholarship in the Arts and Sciences and its four leading graduate schools—the Geisel School of Medicine, the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business.

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week

Week 1

5 hours to complete

What Great Strategists Know

5 hours to complete

11 videos (Total 71 min), 4 readings, 5 quizzes

11 videos

Why Smart Executives Fail7m

Wang Labs8m

Lessons from Wang Labs - Competition and Customers4m

Lessons from Wang Labs - Intellectual Honesty2m

Lessons from Wang Labs - A Little History Lesson4m

A Deep Dive on Strategy - From Vision to Value Chains6m

A Deep Dive on Strategy - Going a Little Deeper8m

Why Core Competence Strategies Make Sense8m

Quick Note on Frameworks5m

Primer on Major Strategic Mistakes6m

Debrief - Lessons and Insights from the Motorola Case Study10m

4 readings

Case Study - Wang Labs10m

Case Study - Motorola in the Cell Phone Industry10m

Of Mice and Mobile Men10m

Too Big to Succeed?10m

5 practice exercises

Case Study Assignment - Your Lessons and Insights from Wang Labs45m

Application Exercise - Analyzing Your Own Organization - Core Competencies30m

Application Exercise - Analyzing Your Own Organization (Round 2)30m

Application Exercise - The Change Notebook30m

Case Study Assignment - Motorola in the Cell Phone Industry45m

Week

Week 2

5 hours to complete

The Delusions of a Dream Company

5 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 46 min), 3 readings, 5 quizzes

6 videos

The Firm7m

Delusions of a Dream Company8m

The Perfect Storm7m

Feedback9m

Debrief - Lessons and Insights from the Johnson & Johnson Case Study9m

Practice Exercises4m

3 readings

Why Corporate Culture Counts10m

Podcast - The Sydcast Episode 91. Tom Mendoza - Technology and Culture from a Silicon Valley Pioneer, May 30, 2021.10m

Case Study - Johnson & Johnson in the Stent Business10m

5 practice exercises

Application Exercise - Lessons Learned from the Tom Mendoza Podcast20m

Application Exercise - Practicing Feedback1h

Case Study Assignment - Johnson & Johnson in the Stent Business45m

Application Exercise - Learning From Failure30m

Application Exercise - Learning From Others45m

Week

Week 3

4 hours to complete

The Manager as Master Puzzle Solver

4 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 56 min), 4 readings, 3 quizzes

7 videos

The Manager as Master Puzzle Solver7m

Debrief: Lessons and Insights from the Snow Brands Case Study8m

Accountability12m

The Unintended Consequences of Incentives9m

Breaking the Rules?5m

Good Management Requires Good Oversight6m

Knowledge-Sharing Across Boundaries5m

4 readings

Case Study - Snow Brands Group10m

The Executive Accountability Myth10m

The Third Rail of Management10m

Neanderthals and Learning Rationale10m

3 practice exercises

Case Study Assignment - Snow Brands1h

Application Exercise - The Power of Incentives for You30m

Application Exercise - Summary1h

Week

Week 4

3 hours to complete

The Seven Habits of Spectacularly Unsuccessful People

3 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 55 min), 1 reading, 7 quizzes

9 videos

The Seven Habits of Spectacularly Unsuccessful People6m

Habit 1 - The Illusion of Personal Preeminence (Travis Kalanick, Uber)4m

Habit 2 - The Company is Mine (Adam Neumann, WeWork)5m

Habit 3 - All the Answers (An Wang, Wang Labs)6m

Habit 4 - My Way or the Highway (Dick Fuld, Lehman Brothers)5m

Habit 5 - Obsessed with Image (Citizen Kane - William Randolph Hearst)4m

Habit 6 - Disregarding Major Obstacles (Iridium)8m

Habit 7 - Inability to Learn8m

Why Smart Executives Fail - Now You Know What You Should Do to Avoid These Mistakes4m

1 reading

Case Study - Theranos: An Oral History10m

7 practice exercises

Application Exercise - Habit 1 - The Illusion of Personal Preeminence20m

Application Exercise - Habit 2 - The Company is Mine20m

Application Exercise - Habit 3 - All the Answers20m

Application Exercise - Habit 4 - My Way or the Highway20m

Application Exercise - Habit 5 - Obsessed with Image20m

Application Exercise - Habit 6 - Disregarding Major Obstacles20m

Application Exercise - Habit 7 - Inability to Learn20m

Reviews

5.0

5 reviews

5 stars
95.65%
4 stars
4.34%

TOP REVIEWS FROM WHY SMART EXECUTIVES FAIL: COMMON MISTAKES & WARNING SIGNS

by NBApr 23, 2022

Sydney was great at painting the complete picture and engaging. I enjoyed every module of this course and learned a lot.

by AJMay 7, 2022

Exceptional prof presenting this specialization. The quality of the material and the level of engagement are top class. Will petition Coursera for Sydney Finkelstein to be a regular contributor.

by MAMay 19, 2022

Excellent case studies and the professor's way of explaining is amazing. Got great insights.

View all reviews

About the Strategic Leadership: Impact, Change, and Decision-Making Specialization

If you're ready to hone your leadership skills and grow as a person, Strategic Leadership: Impact, Change, and Decision-Making for Work and Life is designed for you, whether you're a manager or an individual contributor.

Through four courses with Sydney Finkelstein, the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, you will learn the common mistakes that even smart executives make, the neuroscience behind effective decision making, methods of managing and supporting the people around you, and how to bring together all these lessons to be the best possible leader, and person, at work and at home.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Why Smart Executives Fail: Common Mistakes & Warning Signs