Leading Others
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Leading Others helps supervisors understand themselves as leaders, develop relationships with others, navigate complex contexts and reach for future possibilities, so that they are forces for a better future in their units and portfolios of work.
About
This training draws on current research and best practices in the field of leadership, but offers more than you could get from a book or series of videos. Leading Others moves beyond universal abstraction to context-specific application. It challenges participants to get curious about themselves, their people, their context and their desired future and then prioritizes investigation and experimentation in these areas.
In this eight-day training, you get the unique experience of:
- Core leadership training: five and a half days of training that covers a variety of topics, from leadership-related neuroscience to coaching to conflict resolution, and is loaded with tools and techniques that you will practice in-session and try with your team.
- All My Relations: a half-day session about Indigenous approaches to leadership and traditional medicine wheel teachings that help develop greater awareness of self and others.
- Innovation: a one day session where participants learn about systems thinking and human-centered design and consider how they can support innovation in their units.
- Inclusion: a full day session where participants explore opportunities for decolonization and inclusion in the University of Alberta context.
- Integration and showcase: the final day where the group collectively reflects on its learnings and shares them with sponsors and supporters.
- Individualized coaching: TWO one-hour sessions of individualized coaching. Coaching is available to help you to integrate your learning into everyday contexts. Coaching time would be in addition to homework time.
Eligibility
Leading Others is designed for University of Alberta employees who supervise a team.
Facilitators
Jess Robinson Lychak (Lead facilitator)
Jess is a thought partner for leaders who are hungry to learn. She has years of expertise coaching and training executives and teams in the skills of developing trust and accountability, resolving conflict, and enhancing performance. Jess has held leadership roles in not-for-profit arts organizations and the health care sector. She has a Master’s degree in Leadership Development from Royal Roads University and is a Professional Certified Coach. A former theatre actor, producer, and film festival programmer, Jess brings creativity and play to the design and facilitation of leadership programs.
Kerri Robinson (Lead facilitator)
Kerri has always been fascinated by the process of change and how systems can be transformed through precision and critical thinking. Kerri has studied change, as part of her Master's of Business Administration (leadership specialization), and she has led change in her previous role steering high-stakes capital projects with Alberta Health Services. Kerri currently co-facilitates leadership development sessions with her partner and is a research associate with Royal Roads University on a project related to the intersections between climate change and the health care system. She has a diploma in solution-focused coaching from Erickson International and is working towards her Associate Certified Coach designation.
Karen MacKenzie (Indigenous approaches to leadership)
Karen is a proud Cree-Métis woman. She is the Co-Founder and President of MacKintosh Canada and serves as an Elder with Edmonton Catholic Schools and Indigenous Services Canada. She is also a Mentor with the Indigenous Women in Community Leadership program at St. Francis Xavier University. Karen has a Master’s of Business Administration and held academic leadership posts at the University of Lethbridge and Grant MacEwan College. She brings her traditional knowledge into the contemporary workplace and is committed to the co-creation of a healthy and safe workplace that is inclusive, engaging, and respectful of the land, culture, and aspirations of all but particularly Indigenous peoples.
Lyall Samaroden (Innovation)
Lyall is all about helping individuals and teams build their innovation and change capability. Market leaders within government, media, insurance, automotive, energy, and the defense sectors have turned to Lyall for exceptional results during times of disruption. Lyall is a leader in the emergent field of Design Thinking. He uses human-centered tools and techniques to help his clients think differently, see new opportunities, and shape the future.
Lyall is a proud alumni of the JR Shaw School of Business at NAIT. Like other busy parents out there, he is actively pursuing his Master’s in Life Administration. Lyall is a certified ExperienceChange™, ExperienceInnovation™ and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitator. He is also Prosci® certified.
Lyall’s energy, theatrics and thought leadership puts him in constant demand as a keynote speaker and leadership trainer.
Jeanine Calverley (Inclusion)
Jeanine Calverley is a dedicated Human Resources professional with extensive experience in organizational learning and development, and fostering inclusive workplace cultures. Currently an Organizational Development Consultant at the University of Alberta, she champions a belonging-first approach, ensuring accessible learning opportunities for staff and faculty. Previously, she led critical inclusion and respectful workplace initiatives for the Government of Alberta and designed customized culture-building training programs as a Corporate Learning Specialist at the Workers' Compensation Board. Equipped with specialized facilitation certifications and a deep commitment to adult education, Jeanine excels at building effective, fair, and engaging learning environments for individuals and teams of all backgrounds. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a Bachelor of Management in Human Resources and Labour Relations, and is currently pursuing a Certificate in Adult and Continuing Education.
Schedule
This is an eight-day, cohort-based program.
Applications for 2027 are not open yet. Please check back in 2027 for the next program dates.
For successful completion, participants are expected to:
- Attend all the sessions.
- Complete pre-work prior to the first class (approximately 2 hours).
- Complete homework between sessions (approximately 2-3 hours per week).
Location
The introductory session of Leading Others will be virtual. All other sessions will be held in-person and at Enterprise Square.
Cost
Participation in Leading Others is free for supervisors.
Availability
There are 30 spaces available in each cohort. Successful applicants will be notified within a week of the application due date.
Selection
To be selected, applicants must:
- Supervise a team.
- Commit to attending all training days.
- Commit to completing pre-work and 2-3 hours of homework per week.
- Have the support of their supervisor.
We will also consider whether the applicant’s responses indicate:
- Thoughtfulness about leadership and themselves as a leader.
- A keen motivation to learn and grow.
- A demonstrated ability to translate intensive learning into everyday contexts.
- Alignment with the program outcomes.
In our selection, we also strive for diverse faculty/department representation.
If we reach capacity, we will waitlist qualified candidates and offer them priority registration in a future offering or if one of the 30 seats becomes available later.
APPLICATION
We are not accepting applications for 2027 yet.
*Applicants are responsible to share the endorsement form with their supervisor and ensure it is submitted before the deadline.
