Experimental Theatre
Scenes from a minicourse at the Harry L. Davis Center for Leadership.
Experimental Theatre
Harry L. Davis Center for Leadership Leadership Minicourses
Develop your leadership skills through short online courses.
Empathy (In)Action
Spring 2025 Minicourse
Empathy is one of the most critical leadership skills. Its true power is not solely about understanding others, but in taking action based on that understanding. This minicourse delves into the multifaceted nature of empathy and its essential role in driving positive change in teams and organizations. Participants will learn how to bridge the gap between emotional awareness and impactful decision-making, avoiding the pitfalls of passive empathy that can lead to stagnation or complacency. Additionally, participants will be equipped with frameworks to assess others' needs and the tools to implement strategies that transform empathy from a feeling into a dynamic leadership competency that drives results and fosters trust.
The registration fee for this course is $50 and includes access to:
- Live sessions and recordings;
- course website and materials;
- and a certificate upon completion of the coursework.
By the end of this course you will:
- Understand the dimensions of empathy
- recognize the potential limitations of passive empathy in leadership;
- develop strategies to overcome common obstacles to acting empathetically;
- apply empathy-driven decision-making frameworks;
- and create a personalized empathy action plan to address your key leadership challenge(s).
Course Schedule
| Wednesday, April 9 | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. CT |
| Wednesday, April 16 | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. CT |
| Wednesday, April 23 | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. CT |
| Wednesday, April 30 | 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. CT |
Instructor
Samantha Coleman, PhD, is a dynamic leader, educator, and storycatcher with a 20+ year portfolio career. She is currently the Senior Associate Director of Leadership Development for the Harry L. Davis Center for Leadership at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. There, she designs and facilitates innovative courses, fosters lifelong learning opportunities, and builds robust alumni communities. Additionally, she is a lecturer at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice.
Coleman’s expertise also extends to academic leadership. During her time at Adler University, she played a pivotal role in creating and restructuring courses in Nonprofit Management, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and Organizational Leadership. She also developed the Global Campus’s first department to provide operational support and student experience services, in addition to developing robust student advising models. Her dedication to student success earned her recognition for maintaining an 85%+ retention rate in online learning programs.
As the founder of Do You…But Better!, LLC, Coleman provides leadership development consulting and executive coaching that emphasizes authenticity, personal mastery, and resilience in the face of life’s challenges. Her approach combines rigorous assessment and strategic feedback to guide leaders, teams, and organizations to reach their full potential. As such, she is a sought-after keynote speaker and master facilitator, known for her ability to create engaging and meaningful moments that inspire individuals to cultivate their inner H.E.R.O. (hope, efficacy, resilience, optimism).
A true changemaker, Coleman received numerous accolades during her time as a social entrepreneur (Assist Her, Inc), including recognition as an Unsung Hero by Ebony Magazine and Pine-Sol for her commitment to female youth empowerment. Coleman’s current legacy work is as co-founder of Black to the Beginning, LLC, where she uses her listening skills and storytelling expertise to amplify the Black Adoption Experience. Her work in this space is deeply personal and serves as a platform for healing and advocacy.
Coleman holds a PhD in Organizational Leadership from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, an MA in Community Counseling from Concordia University, and a BA in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her educational journey is complemented by certifications in a range of leadership assessments, including the Hogan Personality Inventory, Workplace Big 5, Benchmarks 360, DiSC, etc. She leverages these tools to offer personalized coaching experiences for professionals at all levels across industries such as: Fortune 500 corporations, nonprofit organizations, healthcare, financial services, technology, amongst others.
When she’s not empowering others, Coleman enjoys a good meal and a glass of wine, exploring new cultures, biking on the lake, collecting perfume bottles, and spending quality time with her two children.
Guest Speaker
Dev Patnaik is the CEO of Jump Associates, the strategy firm for future-focused leaders. Dev has been a trusted advisor to CEOs at some of the world’s most admired companies, including Starbucks, Target, Nike, Universal Music and Virgin. He’s a frequent keynote speaker at major forums, and his writing has appeared in BusinessWeek, Forbes, Fast Company, and many others.
Dev is the author of the book Wired to Care, named one of the best books of the year by both Fast Company and Business Week. Malcolm Gladwell called Wired to Care “just what we need for the lean years ahead.” When not at Jump, Dev is an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University, where he teaches social science methods to MBA and design students.
Frequently Asked Questions
We offer one minicourse per academic quarter.
Yes, our minicourses are open-enrollment; we welcome anyone who is interested in becoming a more effective leader.
Yes, it is easy to catch up on a session or even take the entire minicourse asynchronously. We record each class meeting and post it to the course site shortly thereafter. We encourage you to attend live sessions whenever possible to engage in real-time interactions with faculty and classmates.