Organizational Leadership & Strategy in Uncertain Times

Organizational Leadership & Strategy in Uncertain Times

Strategic Thinking • Leadership • Change Management

Upcoming Courses: November 2, 2023

Location: UT Austin

Cost: $1,000

Course Description

How vital is strategic thinking to your success as a leader?

How can adding a historical perspective to your leadership approach enable you to better anticipate and manage change?

When facing a critical situation, leaders are pressured to act quickly, often without sufficient time to fully identify and understand the context and background issues influencing the situation. Leaders who embrace history may use it in the wrong way, but those who embrace historical thinking are better prepared to foresee and strategically respond to challenges.

In this seminar, you will learn “Leadership Thinking,” an immersive, experiential process of redefining your role as a leader generally, and your approach to decision-making in particular.

Additionally, you and your fellow seminar participants will examine how incorporating historical thinking improves strategic leadership and agility, drawing inspiration, and possible models from historical figures who practiced these techniques.

Through in-class exercises and discussion, you will also define the key strategic questions and objectives necessary to help your organization overcome the mental and cultural elements that are constraining strategic thinking and fostering resistance to change. 

Course Leader(s)

Jeremi Suri is the author of five books on contemporary politics and foreign policy. He has taught this and a number of other leadership seminars for over a decade to a variety of audiences, including state and federal government leaders, non-profit executives, and business leaders.

In September 2011, he published a book on the past and future of nation-building: Liberty’s Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama. Professor Suri’s research and teaching have received numerous prizes. In 2007, Smithsonian Magazine named him one of America’s “Top Young Innovators” in the Arts and Sciences. His writings appear widely in blogs and print media. Professor Suri is also a frequent public lecturer and guest on radio and television programs. In 2017, Dr. Suri published The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office, in which he argues that the successful presidents of the past created unrealistic expectations for every president since JFK, with enormously problematic implications for American politics.

Learning Objectives

As a participant in this seminar, you will learn how to:

  1. Leverage historical thinking for effective leadership.
  2. Become a better strategic thinker.
  3. Define and guide change, even in a resistant environment.
  4. Anticipate future changes in your field.
  5. Define your self-image as a leader.
Details & Registration

Location: UT Austin
Upcoming Course(s): November 2, 2023
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs): 0.6 CEUs will be awarded upon completion of this program (six hours of instruction)
Registration Deadline: October 31, 2023

One-Day Seminar Pricing:

Registration fee includes all course materials, catering (lunch and refreshments), WiFi access, and parking.

  • Standard Registration: $1,000
  • UT System Staff/Alumni Registration: $750
  • Educator, Nonprofit, Government, Military Registration: $750

Get employer support! We’ve gathered resources to help you make the case for your employer to support your HDO education.

If you have questions prior to registering, please see our Professional Training FAQ or contact Andrew M. Vasquez, HDO’s Enrollment & Success Coordinator at hdo-pro@austin.utexas.edu

Who Should Participate?

The majority of participants in our Seminars and Certificate Programs are mid- and upper-level professionals working in the business, nonprofit, government, or military sectors; however, professionals at all levels of experience are welcome to participate. There are no prerequisites for enrolling in an HDO Professional Seminar.

While all HDO Seminars are developed with wide-ranging applicability in mind, the following individuals and groups will likely find Organizational Leadership & Strategy in Uncertain Times most directly relevant to their work:

  • Senior/Executive Leadership
  • Managers and Directors
  • Public and private sector employees who have recently transitioned to executive roles or aspire to do so
  • Federal and state agency heads and deputies
  • Project Managers

Phenomenal course. Great discussions. Great storytelling. I gained valuable skills in strategic planning and I will be recommending it to others.

Carlos Meza, MD, Chief, Division of Hospital Medicine, Dell Medical School

Jeremi Suri utilizes his knowledge of the presidency and history to explain the real and ever-changing landscape of work-life as a modern executive. I am walking away from this course with applicable skills and mindsets from the past to apply to the future.

Andrew Chong, Technical Director, Canadian General Tower

One-Day Professional Seminars

Our seminars combine cutting-edge research with real-world application to provide practical and immediately relevant tools for solving key organizational problems, ranging from personal motivation and growth to strategic leadership.

Businesses and nonprofits often bring outside specialists on board to improve their organization’s overall efficiency, creativity, and productivity. Participants in our seminars learn to function as “internal consultants,” equipped with new skills and insights to enhance their existing expertise and institutional knowledge.

By exploring specific human, cultural, and communicatory aspects of organizations alongside professionals from a diverse range of industries, participants leave HDO seminars more effective, well-rounded employees.

Two Options to Learn

HDO Professional Seminars may be taken individually or as part of a four-course Certificate Program. This course is part of the Organizational Improvement Certificate Program.

Courses Led by Top Faculty

Dr. Suri is an excellent, unorthodox instructor. He worked to make sure that the seminar participants had meaningful discussions. Overall, it was a very compelling seminar to take!

Erika S. Corbell, Senior Program Coordinator, Construction Industry Institute

Registration & Fees

Standard Registration: $1,000
Discounted Registration: $750

Discounted registration is available for UT alumni and staff, as well as individuals who work in the nonprofit, education, government, or military sectors.

Our registration system accepts payment by credit/debit card, check, and purchase order. We also accept Interdepartmental Transfer (IDT) payments for UT Austin faculty and staff.

Transformative Experiences

“This seminar inspired me. I was feeling stuck and unheard, but now I’m motivated to communicate more clearly with empathy and purpose.”

Bethaney Watson, Senior Research Program Coordinator, Neurology, Dell Medical School

UT Austin