Leadership Essentials

Leadership Essentials

Leadership Essentials is designed to provide introductory information on topics and processes important for all new managers at Penn State, including individuals with prior manager experience but new to the University.  

All courses in this program are eModules. While not mandatory, managers are strongly encouraged to complete the courses in this program within their first 6 months in the manager role. They can be taken on demand and are intended to be a resource for managers throughout their career. In addition to the Leadership Essentials curriculum, all new managers at Penn State are assigned the BUILD @ Penn State leadership track, Adopting a New Leadership Mindset to Drive DEIB. Please be sure to complete this important training!

Accessing and Completing the Program

The Leadership Essentials curriculum is automatically assigned to anyone hired to or transferred into a manager position. These are individuals with the “manager” role in Workday. New managers will receive an email informing them the program has been assigned with instructions for accessing the program. Alternatively, anyone with the manager role may access the curriculum from the Learning Resources Network (LRN) through the Resources tab on the menu bar or by typing "Leadership Essentials" in the search bar. 

If new content is added to the curriculum, individuals with the program assigned to their transcript – managers – will be automatically notified. Participants should allow approximately 30 minutes to complete each course. For each course completed, participants receive a digital certificate. When all courses in the curriculum are completed, they earn a badge that can be included in an email signature, resume, vitae, portfolio or shared to social media (i.e., LinkedIn profile).

Topics Covered

  • Role of a Leader (Pre-requisite - must be completed before you can access additional courses)
  • Absence Management: An Introduction
  • Budget Basics: An Overview
  • Ethics: What it is and Why it Matters
  • Onboarding: Welcoming Your New Employee
  • Performance Management: Staff Performance Reviews
  • Performance Management: Supporting Underperforming Employees
  • Safety in the Workplace
  • Talent Acquisition: Hiring Best Practices
  • Introduction to Labor Relations (open to everyone, however, intended for managers of Technical Service employees)