Learning and Leadership › Women’s Academy › Leadership and Management › Foundations of Leadership › Course Materials
Leadership is not a title or a position; it is the ability to help others reach a shared goal, and every young person can practise it in their family, class, neighbourhood or volunteer group. This course teaches self-awareness, leadership styles, building trust and ethical leadership through practical exercises.
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Course details
| Level | Beginner |
| Estimated duration | About 15 hours (19 lessons, 7 tests and a final project) |
| Prerequisite | None |
| Language of instruction | Farsi-e-Dari (with key English terms) |
| Cost | Free |
| Assessment | A test after each section and a final exam; pass mark 70%; certificate after Academy approval |
After this course you will be able to
- Explain the difference between leadership and management
- Recognise the main leadership styles and analyse your own
- Identify your leadership strengths through self-assessment
- Build trust and encourage others to cooperate
- Make decisions based on ethical principles and responsibility
Course outline
Section 1: What is leadership?
- Lesson 1.1: Leadership, management and power
- Lesson 1.2: Leading without a title: starting where you are
- Lesson 1.3: Theories of leadership: are leaders born or made?
- Section 1 test: What is leadership?
Section 2: Self-awareness, the basis of leadership
- Lesson 2.1: Values and personal purpose
- Lesson 2.2: Strengths, blind spots and the Johari window
- Lesson 2.3: Emotional intelligence
- Section 2 test: Self-awareness
Section 3: Leadership styles
- Lesson 3.1: Leadership styles: from directive to participative
- Lesson 3.2: Situational leadership: matching your style to the person’s readiness
- Lesson 3.3: Transformational and servant leadership
- Section 3 test: Leadership styles
Section 4: Trust, communication and influence
- Lesson 4.1: Building and repairing trust
- Lesson 4.2: Active listening and constructive feedback
- Lesson 4.3: Ethical influence and public narrative
- Section 4 test: Trust, communication and influence
Section 5: Team leadership and ethical leadership
- Lesson 5.1: Team building and psychological safety
- Lesson 5.2: Group decision-making and conflict resolution
- Lesson 5.3: Ethical leadership, transparency and accountability
- Section 5 test: Team leadership and ethics
Section 6: Leadership project: from problem to action
- Lesson 6.1: Understanding the problem and stakeholders
- Lesson 6.2: Action plan: SMART goal, roles and risks
- Lesson 6.3: Implementation, measurement and reflection: your leadership growth plan
- Section 6 test: Leadership project
Section 7: Final exam and certificate
- Final exam: Foundations of Leadership
- End of course: final project, certificate and next step
Week-by-week learning path
With about 30 to 45 minutes of study and practice a day, you will finish this course in 7 weeks:
| Week | Topic | Weekly output |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | What is leadership | Lessons, practical exercise and short section test |
| Week 2 | Self-awareness | Lessons, practical exercise and short section test |
| Week 3 | Leadership styles | Lessons, practical exercise and short section test |
| Week 4 | Trust and influence | Lessons, practical exercise and short section test |
| Week 5 | Ethical leadership | Lessons, practical exercise and short section test |
| Week 6 | Leadership project | Lessons, practical exercise and short section test |
| Week 7 | Final project and final exam | Completed project and a score of 70% or more |
Final project
A ‘small leadership project’: choose a small real problem at home, in class, in your neighbourhood or in an online group, write a four-week action plan with two or three people, carry it out and write a one-page reflective report.
Project assessment criteria:
- Clarity of the problem and goal
- Involving others
- Real implementation and documentation
- Honest reflection on your own leadership style
Key course terms
Leadership
Management
Emotional intelligence
Leadership style
Servant leadership
Transformational leadership
Trust
Accountability
Assessment and certificate
- After each section: a short test (70% recommended before continuing)
- Practical exercises in each lesson are for learning; send your questions via Questions the link provided.
- End of course: final exam (pass mark 70%) and submission of the final project
- Digital certificate after review and approval by the Academy: Request a certificate
Teaching approach
Each lesson includes learning objectives, explanations with real examples and images, key terms in Farsi-e-Dari and English, common mistakes, a practical exercise, a self-test and a summary. In every lesson you can put your questions to the teacher using the Questions button. The courses are impartial, free and open to all young people.
Get ready now
- Name three people in your own life whom you consider good leaders and write down why
- Think of a small problem at home, in class or in your neighbourhood for the final project
- Spend five minutes a day writing notes about your decisions
Free and reliable resources
These resources were selected by the Academy team. Most are in English; Chrome’s Translate feature can help if needed. Large files (books, exercise files, videos) will be placed in the Academy’s official Google Drive folder when the course opens and linked from this page.
- OpenLearn – The Open University, hundreds of free short courses with a certificate of participation
- Coursera, courses from leading universities worldwide; most can be viewed free of charge (Audit)
- edX, free courses from universities such as Harvard and MIT
- Mind Tools, short articles on leadership and management skills (partly free)
Help and questions
Questions about this course: [email protected] · All courses: Online Learning Centre · Active course: Computer and Internet Basics
Women’s Academy, Afghanistan Youth Parliament · Free and open to all young people