Psychology of Leadership – New Book and Online Course
What does it take to be a leader? How can employees be motivated? How should meetings be held? How can organizational culture be shaped? KLU professor Niels Van Quaquebeke teamed up with renowned German publishing house ZEIT Verlag to produce a practice-oriented book and online course on leadership and the psychology behind it.
“Leadership is always about leading people. Emphasis on people,” says Van Quaquebeke. Given his own background in psychology, it comes as no surprise that the online seminar is somewhat of a crash course in psychology. “You have to know who you are, what you stand for, and why you lead before you can start to lead and motivate others,” explains Van Quaquebeke. “Leading other people is not about being the best. It’s about making the others around you better.”
Having this groundwork laid, the course also gives evidence-based and pragmatic advice on topics such as optimal team designs, the setting of goals, decision making, and on how to give more effective feedback.
A lot of Van Quaquebeke’s own business experience, anecdotes from his consulting work, and his own research over the past years has gone into the online course. For example, participants will learn about Respectful Inquiry, a way to motivate employees by asking the right questions. He also challenges the belief that bonus systems guarantee better overall results for companies. “My research aims at better understanding the ways in which individuals and groups interact in professional contexts,” says Van Quaquebeke. “And I want to make my results available to practitioners to create better working environments for more people.”
Students in KLU’s MSc and MBA programs have the opportunity to learn about leadership and related topics in Van Quaquebeke’s KLU courses. And have voted him Best Teacher twice. In the new book and online seminar, he shares his insights with a broader German-speaking audience, helping them to become better leaders by understanding important psychological concepts.
Take a look at the new book and online seminar.
