When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
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There are 5 modules in this course
Before we can lead others well, we must first learn to lead ourselves well. Knowing your why is an important part of this journey. In this course, you will identify your core purpose and recognize meaning in your life, explore the power of spirituality and embracing our mortality, create a lasting impact by serving a greater good, describe your character and practice personal excellence.
This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Engineering in Engineering Management (ME-EM) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The ME-EM is designed to help engineers, scientists, and technical professionals move into leadership and management roles in the engineering and technical sectors. With performance-based admissions and no application process, the ME-EM is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience. Learn more about the ME-EM program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/me-engineering-management-boulder.
Before any successful flight, a destination must be chosen—and the same is true for a meaningful life. This week, you’ll explore the foundational concepts of purpose and meaning through questions like: Why am I here? and What gives my life significance? You’ll learn how coherence, purpose, and significance work together to shape a life of intentional impact. By the end, you’ll craft your Flight Destination Statement—a personal guide to lead with clarity and live with purpose
What's included
5 videos6 readings3 assignments
Show info about module content
5 videos•Total 39 minutes
Meet your Professor (for new learners)•3 minutes
Course Summary•4 minutes
Purpose•14 minutes
Meaning•6 minutes
Living With Intent•12 minutes
6 readings•Total 131 minutes
Non-Credit Students: Welcome and Where to Find Help•10 minutes
Course Updates and Accessibility Support•1 minute
A Personal Message from Captain Ron•10 minutes
Download Your Personal Leadership Flight Plan•10 minutes
Waypoint Reflection: Your Purpose, Alignment and Coherence•30 minutes
Immersive Quiz: The Search for Meaning•30 minutes
Week 1 Personal Leadership Flight Plan•30 minutes
Beyond the Horizon: Spirituality, Mortality, and Meaning
Module 2•4 hours to complete
Module details
This week, we’ll climb to cruising altitude and take a wider view of life, leadership, and meaning. You’ll explore spirituality as a personal connection to something greater than yourself—whether that’s faith, nature, humanity, or legacy. We’ll also reflect on mortality, not to provoke fear, but to clarify what truly matters while we’re here. Gaining perspective beyond the horizon allows you to live and lead with deeper presence, purpose, and peace.
What's included
2 videos2 readings3 assignments
Show info about module content
2 videos•Total 27 minutes
Spirituality•12 minutes
Mortality•15 minutes
2 readings•Total 100 minutes
A Personal Message from Captain Ron•10 minutes
Beyond the Horizon Reflection (Spirituality & Mortality)•90 minutes
3 assignments•Total 90 minutes
Waypoint Reflection: Your Horizon Log•30 minutes
Immersive Quiz: Facing Mortality and Transcendence •30 minutes
Week 2 Personal Leadership Flight Plan•30 minutes
Leave a Flight Path: Impact Now, Legacy Later
Module 3•2 hours to complete
Module details
Every flight leaves a wake—just as every life leaves a legacy. This week, you’ll explore what kind of impact you’re making, and what values you want to be known for. Whether or not you think about legacy often, you are shaping one every day—through your choices, your character, and your presence. By the end, you’ll begin crafting your Leadership Impact Statement as a compass for how you lead and live going forward.
Waypoint Reflection: Your Impact & Legacy Statement•30 minutes
Immersive Quiz: Gratitude and Legacy •30 minutes
Week 3 Personal Leadership Flight Plan•30 minutes
Set Your Heading: Define Your Character and Values
Module 4•3 hours to complete
Module details
As a pilot sets a heading to stay on course, leaders must define their values to navigate life with integrity. This week, you’ll clarify what you stand for and craft your personal ethos—a values-driven statement that guides how you lead, decide, and live each day. Your ethos becomes your internal heading—steadying you through pressure, distraction, and uncertainty. With this in place, you’ll fly with a clearer sense of purpose, direction, and character.
What's included
2 videos2 readings3 assignments
Show info about module content
2 videos•Total 18 minutes
Character and Ethos•8 minutes
Personal Values•10 minutes
2 readings•Total 100 minutes
A Personal Message from Captain Ron•10 minutes
Ethos & Heading (Values & Character)•90 minutes
3 assignments•Total 90 minutes
Waypoint Reflection: Your Values & Personal Ethos•30 minutes
Immersive Quiz: Character and Ethos •30 minutes
Week 4 Personal Leadership Flight Plan•30 minutes
Flight Mode: A Model for Personal Excellence
Module 5•4 hours to complete
Module details
This week, you’ll explore what it truly means to perform at your best—not through perfection, but through intentional growth. You’ll examine the downsides of perfectionism and how it impacts mental well-being, while learning to replace it with a healthier model rooted in personal excellence and mastery mindset. Just like a seasoned pilot trusts their system and adapts in real time, you’ll build a performance model that is sustainable and self-aware. By the end, you’ll know what your “flight mode” looks like when you’re operating at your highest and healthiest level.
Waypoint Reflection: Your Flight Mode & Excellence•30 minutes
Immersive Quiz: Excellence and Imperfection •30 minutes
Week 5 Personal Leadership Flight Plan•30 minutes
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.
Build toward a degree
This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Colorado Boulder. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹
View eligible degrees
Build toward a degree
This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Colorado Boulder. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹
¹Successful application and enrollment are required. Eligibility requirements apply. Each institution determines the number of credits recognized by completing this content that may count towards degree requirements, considering any existing credits you may have. Click on a specific course for more information.
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CU Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. As one of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), we have a proud tradition of academic excellence, with five Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies.
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Learner reviews
4.8
42 reviews
5 stars
83.72%
4 stars
13.95%
3 stars
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1 star
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5·
Reviewed on Jul 15, 2025
Everybody wants to get home, but only a few know wjere is home andnhow to get. Begin with the end in mind
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5·
Reviewed on Sep 15, 2025
Love the entire Leading Oneself Specialization. I thought I was in tune with all the topics but I learned so much and at the perfect time! Highly Recommend!
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.