Discovering Your Leadership Identity

Current Training Offerings

• Two-Day, in-person training:

  • Friday, May 1st, 9am-1pm
  • Friday, May 8th, 9am-1pm

Lead with empathy, clarity, and confidence especially when you’re leading peers.

Discovering Your Leadership Identity equips aspiring leaders in student-run organizations and future workplaces with the skills and frameworks to lead authentically, navigate real leadership pressure, and stay grounded in their values. In this interactive, two-session training, you’ll move beyond leadership theory and practice what it actually looks like to listen well, make decisions others can trust, delegate effectively, and build relationships with stakeholders who shape your organization’s success.

Why Participate

Leadership gets complicated fast when you’re leading friends, managing disagreement, and trying to keep people motivated. This 8-hour training is built around reflection, discussion, and realistic scenarios, so you can practice leadership behaviors in the same situations you’re likely to face in your org, teams, and early career roles. 

You’ll strengthen your ability to:

• Clarify your leadership values and translate them into consistent action
• Use empathy and active listening to build trust and collaboration
• Navigate dissent and tough conversations while maintaining respect and psychological safety
• Make inclusive decisions and communicate them in a way others can understand
• Delegate with clarity; assigning ownership and following up effectively
• Build and maintain stakeholder relationships that support your organization’s goals 

What You’ll Gain 

• Earn a Marketable Skills Microcredential:

  • Advance your professional toolkit by earning a microcredential from the Lundquist College of Business, proof of skill development you can share on LinkedIn and include in applications.

• Define Your Leadership Identity:

  • Complete a leadership values workflow and craft a personal leadership statement you can use as a compass in future leadership moments.

• Practice Active Listening and Empathy in Real Time:

  • Build habits that make people feel heard and understood and learn how to reduce misunderstanding, defensiveness, and conflict through stronger listening skills.

• Strengthen Decision-Making, Delegation, and Dissent Skills:

  • Work through practical tools for inclusive decision-making, managing disagreement productively, and delegating in a way that builds capacity in others.

• Build Stakeholder Strategy and Relationship Skills:

  • Create a stakeholder & empathy map and complete a guided stakeholder conversation reflection, so you can lead beyond your inner circle and build support for your work.

This training is ideal for students who are stepping into leadership in student organizations, navigating the shift from peer to leader, or preparing to enter the workforce with stronger communication, decision-making, and relationship-building skills.

About the Instructor

Patrick Schuler is a marketing and management professional with thirteen years of experience building brands and leading high-performing teams at Allbirds, Capital One, and Michaels. He advises early-stage startups, coaches founders and emerging leaders, and consults for established brands navigating growth and change.

A graduate of the University of Virginia and currently pursuing a Master’s in Organizational Leadership at Boston College, Patrick draws on industry experience to translate real-world leadership challenges into structured, reflective learning. He helps students clarify their leadership identity and lead with greater intention, equipping them with practical frameworks grounded in authenticity, empathy, and purpose-driven decision-making.  

Participants who attend both days of this program and fulfill all requirements are eligible to earn a digital microcredential.

This portable, verifiable credential can be shared on platforms like LinkedIn, showcasing your expertise to potential employers and offering tangible proof of in-demand competencies.