As a Leadership Excellence faculty member at the UMass Donahue Institute, over the course of the pandemic one of the most frequently asked questions I have been asked is, “how can I be an effective leader when my employees are remote?” It is no surprise why this is top of mind for many organizational leaders.

Leading organizational change often starts from an internal perspective of “What is the problem and how can we fix it?”

Design Thinking offers an alternative approach to instead put ourselves in the shoes of our customers. This is the main focus of the second module in the 8-week online Leadership Excellence certificate program titled, "Driving Innovation."

Leading organizational change requires many skills. Some of the more well-known skills include:

• Having a business case for change

• Aligning key stakeholders

Not all leaders are created equal.

The difference a great leader can make within an organization is insurmountable. From inspiring employees to work hard and do their best to achieve business goals, attracting high-caliber talent and keeping them, to creating new opportunities for innovation and organizational change, effective leaders have a big influence on an organization’s success.

My spouse and I never imagined bringing our newborn child into this world during a pandemic. However, we quickly learned this pregnancy was going to be far from “normal”.

Choosing an online degree program can be overwhelming. Here are 6 tips to help you find the right student-centric online education for adult learners.

During a time when many parents have to adjust to working from home with children due to covid-19, I’m fortunate that UMass Online has always been flexible with allowing me to do this when I needed.

Winter break is coming to a close. Hopefully everyone was able to take full advantage of your many weeks off and had time to spend with family and friends. The new spring semester is rolling up on us fast and it will be well underway before your know it.

Here are some helpful tips to start your semester off right.