Leadership Rooted in American Principles: Serving with Purpose Course (Self-Paced)
IDLEAD7550SP

Module 1: Welcome, Framing, and Leadership Context

• Course alignment to ECQ 1: Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding.
• ECQ 1 subcompetencies and what reviewers assess in leadership scenarios.
• Reflection on personal leadership identity and what public service means to you as a federal leader.

Module 2: Knowledge of the American System of Government

• Founding principles and Constitutional design: separation of powers, checks and balances, and protection of individual rights.
• How each branch of government checks the others, and how federal employees operate across all three branches.
• Federalism and intergovernmental relationships: federal and state roles in program delivery and shared governance.

Module 3: Commitment to the Rule of Law

• Foundations of the rule of law: equal application of law, limited government authority, and independent enforcement.
• Fair and consistent application of law: uniform rule application, decision documentation, and avoiding selective enforcement.
• Transparency, accountability, and public trust: open government obligations, oversight responsibilities, and accountability standards.
• Ethical leadership in federal service: conflicts of interest, the public-scrutiny test, and maintaining visible daily integrity.

Module 4: Civic-Mindedness and Public Service

• Civic awareness: monitoring legislative and executive developments that affect your agency’s mission and mandates.
• Translating national priorities into agency action: aligning team goals to presidential priorities and the agency strategic plan.
• The service ethic and public trust: connecting your team’s work to public benefit and democratic governance.
• Mission Alignment Mapping activity: tracing team activities to agency priorities, national priorities, and public benefit.

Module 5: Principles in Leadership Practice

• Principled decision-making framework: applying legal, fairness, transparency, and public-service tests before major decisions.
• Integrity in action: consistent rule-following, honest acknowledgment of mistakes, and protecting dissenting voices.
• Organizational stewardship: protecting institutional mission and capacity beyond your own tenure as a federal leader.

Module 6: Capstone – Leading with American Principles

• Integration of course themes: American system knowledge, rule-of-law commitments, civic-mindedness, and principled decision-making.
• Capstone activity: build a personal Leadership Action Plan applying ECQ 1 principles to your daily leadership responsibilities.