Leadership Elevated
A Strategic Curriculum Overhaul at Dallas College
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Project Overview
To address a critical need for leadership development, I was part of a team that designed and launched "Leaders at all Levels," a comprehensive, tiered program for all leaders at Dallas College. The program created distinct learning paths for four key segments: Leading Self (aspiring leaders), Leading Others (new and mid-level managers), Leading Across (cross-functional leaders), and Leading Organization (senior leaders). The curriculum was built on a foundation of Situational Leadership, bespoke workshops, and values-based training to create a consistent leadership culture across the institution.
My Role
As the Lead Learning Experience Designer for the "Leading Others" track, I was responsible for the end-to-end curriculum strategy, competency modeling, and content development for new and mid-level managers, a cohort of over 250 individuals.
Following the program's successful launch and highly positive reception from stakeholders, my responsibilities significantly expanded. I was entrusted with designing and developing specialized sessions for the senior leadership tiers. This success ultimately culminated in me spearheading a college-wide initiative to create new workshops centered on institutional values, extending the program's impact from just leaders to all employees.
The Challenge
Prior to this initiative, Dallas College faced significant organizational challenges stemming from a lack of formal leadership development. Key issues included high manager turnover, inconsistent leadership skills and practices across departments, and the absence of a clear development path for aspiring or newly promoted leaders. The primary business goal was to build a sustainable program that would equip managers with the skills needed to lead effectively, thereby improving team performance, engagement, and retention.
The Approach & Process
My approach was a multi-step, human-centered process designed to ensure the solution was deeply rooted in the actual needs of the learners and the organization.
1. Needs Analysis & Discovery
To build a truly effective program, I first needed to understand the core challenges. My discovery process included conducting intimate focus groups with leaders across the college, one-on-one interviews with managers at all levels and key HR partners, and analyzing existing performance data to identify specific skill gaps and recurring pain points.
2. Competency Model Development
The insights from our needs analysis revealed that a "one-size-fits-all" approach would fail. To provide a clear framework for development, my team and I created a comprehensive competency model specifically for the "Leading Others" audience.
3. Blended & Learner-Centric Design
To accommodate the busy schedules of leaders, I designed a blended learning journey. This included self-paced eLearning pre-work that allowed learners to absorb foundational concepts at their own pace. This was followed by highly interactive, in-person workshops designed for peer-to-peer learning, discussion, and practical application. Finally, virtual follow-up sessions on Microsoft Teams provided flexible, ongoing support. All materials, including bespoke workbooks and slides, were designed to be immediately applicable to the leaders' day-to-day work.
4. Gamified & Mission-Driven Onboarding
For our specialized new leader onboarding, we needed to replace a standard, passive PowerPoint presentation. I designed and developed a custom board game that covered the college's history, student services, and divisional roles. This gamified experience was not only more engaging but also sparked critical discussions on how each leader's new role was directly tied to the school's mission: transforming lives and communities through higher education.
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