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

Canonical URL: <https://www.graduateschool.edu/courses/leadership-rooted-in-american-principles-serving-with-purpose-course-self-paced>

## Overview

Leadership in the federal government is grounded in the principles of the American Founding: the Constitution, the rule of law, separation of powers, and a civic commitment to serve the public interest. This one-day course helps federal leaders and supervisors strengthen their understanding of these foundations and apply them to the practical leadership challenges they face every day. Aligned to ECQ 1, participants examine the American system of government, explore what it means to lead with fairness, consistency, and accountability, and develop a personal principled decision-making approach they can put to work immediately.

## What you'll learn

- Identify the constitutional principles and founding values that shape federal leadership responsibilities.
- Explain the leader’s role in upholding equality under the law.
- Apply rule-of-law principles to ethical decision-making.
- Describe strategies for staying current on government and executive branch developments.
- Demonstrate civic-minded, transparent, and accountable federal leadership.
- Develop a personal principled decision-making approach for daily use.

## Curriculum

#### 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.

## Pricing

**Tuition:** $649