This course is focused on the development of foundational leadership skills for students in the MSc Health Systems Leadership and Innovation (HSLI) program. It is an elective course within the HSLI program. Focusing on leadership development and competency mastery, the course is structured as two 6-hour days of mandatory in person learning (one in July and the other in April) and a series of 7 remote (Zoom) learnings conducted in the evening approximately once a month which provide a set of evidence-informed, practical learning experiences. The course incorporates, among other subjects, the Leadership in a Caring Environment (LEADS) Leadership Capabilities Framework that represents many of the key skills, abilities, and knowledge required to lead at all levels of an organization. It will also include a variety of other essential skills such as change management, dealing with failure, the physician leader as advocate and accountability and responsibility. The course aligns and consolidates several competency frameworks and leadership strategies that are found in Canada's health sector and other progressive organizations. The speakers chosen to participate embody the collective wisdom of both the current literature and significant personal and professional experience in leadership and leadership development in the Canadian health sector.

Objectives: The theory of experiential learning, on which this course is built, depends on a cycle of practical experience, self-reflection, conceptualization of methods to improve, and testing of those methods. Each assignment is designed to provide learners with a series of individual or group exercises that will enhance their abilities to describe and reflect on their leadership practices and develop action goals for improvement.