Rady-GPS Leadership Development Program

Participants build a well-rounded leadership toolkit across eight core areas:

• Self-Awareness: Understand the values, experiences, strengths, and perspectives that shape how you lead.
• Collaboration & Influence: Build relationships, communicate effectively, and work toward shared goals.
• Leadership Across Differences: Navigate different perspectives, experiences, and working styles with greater awareness and effectiveness.
• Judgment & Decision-Making: Recognize assumptions and bias, navigate complexity, and make thoughtful leadership decisions.
• Communication & Conflict: Approach difficult conversations, disagreement, and conflict with confidence and professionalism.
• Team Leadership: Build trust, strengthen collaboration, and contribute to high-performing teams.
• Change & Organizational Impact: Understand how leaders shape culture, influence others, and mobilize meaningful change.
• Leadership in Action: Apply leadership concepts to real-world professional challenges.

Why participate:

• Practical leadership skills
• Greater self-awareness and confidence
• Real-world leadership experience
• Connections across Rady and GPS
• Exposure to experienced leaders
• A broader professional network
• Continued leadership development

Leadership development happens through practice.

Each month features a one-hour interactive leadership session, followed one to two weeks later by an experiential learning opportunity where participants apply concepts to real-world professional scenarios.

Sessions are facilitated by UC San Diego LEAD Fellows, alumni, and experienced leaders with perspectives from higher education, business, public policy, government, nonprofit, and global organizations.

A hybrid model expands access while preserving meaningful opportunities for interaction, reflection, relationship building, and community.

Each month explores leadership through a different lens, reflecting challenges encountered across organizations and sectors:

• Strengthening Self-Awareness as a Leader
• Leading Across Differences
• Leading Across Generations
• Leadership Judgment & Decision-Making
• Communication & Conflict Leadership
• Courage, Influence & Advocacy
• Leading Culture & Organizational Change
• Building High-Performing Teams

Detailed session descriptions will identify the specific content and perspectives explored within each topic.

Leadership challenges rarely fit neatly within one role or profession. Bringing together Rady and GPS graduate students, staff, and faculty creates an opportunity to learn across disciplines, roles, and perspectives while building relationships beyond participants' usual professional and academic circles.

Capabilities that matter across settings: building trust, communicating effectively, making sound decisions, leading teams, navigating differences, influencing others, and leading change.

Sessions run 12:30–1:30 p.m. and use a hybrid model this year, allowing participants to attend in person or virtually based on their availability.

Participants meet twice monthly: one interactive session, followed one to two weeks later by an experiential learning unit where participants practice skills and explore professional scenarios tied to that month's topic.

Capstone Experience: Putting what you've learned into practice, participants pursuing the certificate will be placed into small teams to work on a presentation for the program's final session.

Certificate Eligibility: There are no grades associated with this program. However, to receive the certificate of completion, participants must:

• Attend the first session
• Attend the final Capstone session
• Attend 8 additional sessions (10 total throughout the year)

In accordance with applicable Federal and State law and University policy, the University of California does not discriminate, or grant preferences, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and/or other protected categories.