Our leadership development course offers a formalized curriculum for residents at Mayo Clinic, in which leadership skills are introduced to mid-level and senior-level residents at Mayo Clinic.

Each session (“module”) is held monthly on the first Wednesday of each month; the academic year runs between September and May. Participants are recruited from nearly every residency at all of Mayo’s sites; the size of each cohort is around 50 individuals. Nearly the entire course is held online over Zoom, though some sessions and social events are offered in person at the end of the year. All participants will be excused from clinical duties during each session full-day session.

The program takes a multifaceted approach to leadership training:

• Small group sessions
• Interactive content speakers
• Close exposure to various high-ranking leaders
• Discussion of assigned readings (such as "Crucial Conversations," "Getting to Yes," and some content-specific articles)
• Capstone speech

The content-specific curriculum covers the most fundamental aspects of leadership development. The course is designed for future leaders in medicine and is tailored for developing program directors, academic society leaders, and beyond. For example, topics include “financial numbers a department chair needs to know,” “how to run a meeting,” and “leadership in professional societies.” The content delivered changes somewhat each year, as we continue to optimize the curriculum. Nevertheless, the bread-and-butter topics are always covered.  

At the end of the year, each participant will give a capstone speech in which they share their "leadership journey." This is an opportunity for participants to articulate their prior leadership development and future goals, practice public speaking, and solicit feedback from a trusted group of peers.