Leadership Learning
The Omidyar Fellows curriculum has been thoughtfully designed to build critical skills, create a strong peer network, and allow for self-reflection and personal growth.
These key program elements are what define and differentiate this leadership opportunity:
Cohort-Based Learning – The context for transformative learning is community. The ability of a group of leaders to form a sense of shared identity creates a basis for moving forward together in learning.
Learning Sessions – The full-day sessions have been developed using a full range of learning modalities (e.g., didactic; narrative; artistic; use of literature, music, cultural practices, ritual, and process; and personal integration of experience). The competencies of adaptive leadership empower both the individuals and the larger community of Fellows to intervene effectively.
Conversations with Leaders – Conversations are hosted the evening before the learning sessions. In these engaging and candid conversations, key local leaders from the military, civic, business, and governmental communities share their personal stories, lessons, and strategies for change. The focus is on those transformational leaders who have made a difference in Hawaiʻi.
Executive Coaching – Executive coaching typically occurs during 60-minute one-on-one calls every month. Sessions are confidential and focus on the Fellow’s self-perception, impact, and effectiveness. Meetings are structured to fit the learning style of the Fellow and provide support as they apply their skills and new learning in context.
Individual Learning Excursion – The Individual Learning Excursion (ILE) is a tailored, out-of-state experience designed in partnership with each Fellow’s Executive Coach to meet the demands of being a change agent in Hawaiʻi. The purpose of the ILE is to engage Fellows in an experience that challenges their sense of self, represents some level of risk-taking, and provides opportunities for context creation and reflection resulting in a transformative experience. Debriefing the experience with their Cohort provides rich opportunities for shared learning.
Clinic – At each learning session, the “clinic” provides a vital connection between practice and learning. Based upon case-study methodology borrowed from the social science/educational disciplines, Fellows have the opportunity to present a current issue or problem they find challenging. The Cohort becomes a problem-solving resource that sheds light on the underlying issues and provides an opportunity for engagement of all participants.