When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
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Earn a shareable career certificate
There are 5 modules in this course
Before we can lead others well, we must first learn to lead ourselves well. Knowing personal excellence is the culmination of this journey. In this course, you will describe how and why to set goals and create action plans, increase your focus and reduce distraction, harness motivation and flow state for performance, build self-efficacy and agency, and redefine your relationship with stress, anxiety, fear and adversity.
This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Engineering in Engineering Management (ME-EM) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The ME-EM is designed to help engineers, scientists, and technical professionals move into leadership and management roles in the engineering and technical sectors. With performance-based admissions and no application process, the ME-EM is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience. Learn more about the ME-EM program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/me-engineering-management-boulder.Happiness
We begin this course by questioning a common—but potentially faulty—flight path: the pursuit of happiness. Like chasing a tailwind that keeps shifting, pursuing happiness directly can lead us in circles, never quite reaching cruising altitude. This week, you’ll explore research on the hedonic treadmill, the paradox of happiness, and models of well-being that offer a more grounded, sustainable approach. By the end, you’ll begin recalibrating your internal navigation system—one that’s built for meaning, not just momentary lift.
What's included
5 videos6 readings3 assignments
Show info about module content
5 videos•Total 50 minutes
Meet your Professor (for new learners)•3 minutes
Course Summary•3 minutes
Happiness Models•16 minutes
Hedonic Treadmill•18 minutes
The Happiness Paradox•11 minutes
6 readings•Total 131 minutes
Non-Credit Students: Welcome and Where to Find Help•10 minutes
Course Updates and Accessibility Support•1 minute
A Personal Message from Captain Ron•10 minutes
Download Your Personal Leadership Flight Plan•10 minutes
Immersive Quiz: The Science of Happiness •30 minutes
Week 1 Personal Leadership Flight Plan•30 minutes
Staying on Course: Enhancing Focus and Attention
Module 2•4 hours to complete
Module details
In a world full of turbulence and attention hijacks, staying on course has become a rare skill—and a competitive advantage. This week, you’ll explore how distraction derails performance and how your brain’s craving for instant gratification often pulls you off your intended path. Through strategies rooted in neuroscience and behavior design, you’ll learn how to sharpen your focus and extend your runway of attention when it matters most. By the end, you’ll begin training your brain to fly with more patience, discipline, and purpose.
What's included
2 videos2 readings3 assignments
Show info about module content
2 videos•Total 35 minutes
Focus and Distraction•18 minutes
Instant Gratification•17 minutes
2 readings•Total 100 minutes
A Personal Message from Captain Ron•10 minutes
Focus Flight Plan (Attention & Distraction)•90 minutes
Immersive Quiz: Focus, Attention, and Self-Control•30 minutes
Week 2 Personal Leadership Flight Plan•30 minutes
Keep Moving Forward: Motivation, Procrastination, and Flow
Module 3•4 hours to complete
Module details
This week, we’ll examine what truly keeps you moving forward—especially when motivation disappears. You’ll explore the surprising roots of procrastination, how it disguises itself, and how to overcome it with strategies grounded in psychology and self-awareness. You’ll also learn how to enter flow state more often—where focus, energy, and satisfaction align to create your highest-performance zone. When you understand your internal propulsion system, you don’t have to wait for motivation—you can fly through resistance with intent.
What's included
3 videos2 readings3 assignments
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 36 minutes
Motivation•13 minutes
Flow State•12 minutes
Procrastination•11 minutes
2 readings•Total 100 minutes
A Personal Message from Captain Ron•10 minutes
Momentum Checklist (Motivation & Flow)•90 minutes
3 assignments•Total 90 minutes
Waypoint Reflection: Your Procrastination Profile•30 minutes
Immersive Quiz: Motivation, Flow, and the Pursuit of Reward•30 minutes
Week 3 Personal Leadership Flight Plan•30 minutes
Steering the Ship: Accountability, Control, and Self-Efficacy
Module 4•3 hours to complete
Module details
This week, you’ll learn what it means to fully take the controls of your life—through personal accountability, agency, and self-efficacy. In a culture where blame and complaint are common defaults, reclaiming your internal authority is both radical and empowering. You’ll explore the dichotomy of control—what’s in your hands, what isn’t, and how to navigate that distinction with strength. When you steer with clarity and take full ownership of your role, you become the captain of your ship—and the pilot of your own story.
Waypoint Reflection: Your Authority Statement•30 minutes
Immersive Quiz: Self-Efficacy, Agency, and Intentional Action •30 minutes
Week 4 Personal Leadership Flight Plan•30 minutes
Navigating the Storms of Life: Forging Mettle
Module 5•4 hours to complete
Module details
We end our course with one of the most essential leadership skills: the ability to navigate life’s inevitable storms. When adversity strikes—and it will—how you respond matters more than what caused it. You’ll explore the differences between resilience, grit, fortitude, and mental toughness, and learn how to build these capacities over time. These aren’t traits you're born with—they're skills you can train, making life not just more endurable, but more meaningful.
Waypoint Reflection: Your Personal Storm Survival Guide•30 minutes
Immersive Quiz: Resilience, Perseverance, and Humanistic Mental Toughness •30 minutes
Week 5 Personal Leadership Flight Plan•30 minutes
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.
Build toward a degree
This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Colorado Boulder. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹
View eligible degrees
Build toward a degree
This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Colorado Boulder. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹
¹Successful application and enrollment are required. Eligibility requirements apply. Each institution determines the number of credits recognized by completing this content that may count towards degree requirements, considering any existing credits you may have. Click on a specific course for more information.
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CU Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. As one of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), we have a proud tradition of academic excellence, with five Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies.
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.