Detroit Leadership Lab: Leading with Courage and Purpose Workshop
Host: University of Michigan Center for Innovation in Detroit
Type: Half-Day Workshop
Location: University of Michigan Detroit CenterCost: $95 (waived for focus group and pilot participants)
Lunch will be provided.
Workshop Overview
This half-day in-person workshop explores what it truly means to lead—with courage, clarity, and impact. Whether you are new to leadership or have some experience already, this workshop offers a blend of real-world case studies, self-reflection, and peer engagement to build your leadership capacity from the inside out. Through interactive modules, you’ll examine what ineffective leadership can teach us, explore the often-overlooked power of followership, and develop your own values-driven leadership style. Anchored in the Detroit context and focused on community impact, this workshop equips you with the tools to lead yourself and others with purpose and confidence.
What You’ll Walk Away With
Self-awareness that builds leadership skills through real-world practice, and supports lasting application through peer connection and personal accountability
- A clearer understanding of personal leadership values and identity
- Increased emotional intelligence through reflective and discussion-based exercises
- A deeper awareness of how leadership plays out in Detroit-specific contexts
- Practical tools for diagnosing and improving leadership and followership dynamics
- An understanding of how to take courageous action in your communities and workplaces
- A Detroit Declaration: one courageous action you can commit to in the coming month
- A personal leadership badge representing the values you choose to lead with
- A reflection journal and tools to continue self-leadership development
- A peer accountability partner to support post-workshop reflection and follow-through
- A growing network of peers committed to inclusive, community-based leadership
What We’ll Cover
- Part 1: What Bad Leadership Teaches Us
Explore harmful leadership traits using reflection, gallery walk, and frameworks - Part 2: Detroit Case Study – Leadership Gone Wrong
Analyze real Detroit leadership failures in small groups - Part 3: The Hidden Power of Followership
Revisit case study to explore followership roles and dynamics - Part 4: Courageous Leadership & Community Impact
Connect personal courage to leadership in everyday life - Part 5: Self-Leadership & Values in Action
Clarify leadership identity through peer input, journaling, and values sorting - Closing & Celebration
Share commitments, celebrate growth, and set up accountability partnerships
Is This Workshop For You?
You are
- Looking to move into a leadership role in your company, organization, or community
- A recently promoted shift leader, team lead, or other supervisory role
- Launching your own business
- A seasoned professional with a few years of leadership experience already
- Taking on more responsibility and leadership in a neighborhood or community organization
You want
- To develop your own personal brand of leadership
- Basic skills and frameworks to help you define your leadership style
- A community of other current and aspiring leaders to connect with
About the Instructors
Cristina Eckhoff
Cristina Eckhoff is an experienced educator, executive coach, and business professional with over 20 years in corporate finance, leadership development, and academic instruction across the U.S. and abroad. She teaches at both the Ross School of Business and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan, and serves as an advisor in action-based learning programs at Ross and the Tauber Institute for Global Operations.
Her career spans leadership roles in complex financial environments and extensive work developing talent. Having worked across international contexts, Cristina brings a global perspective shaped by diverse economic conditions and cultural approaches to business. This, combined with her deep finance expertise and passion for cultivating others, allows her to translate leadership development into actionable knowledge and strategic tools that empower professionals to grow and lead with purpose.
Cristina is passionate about leadership, finance, and critical thinking. Outside of work, she volunteers with local organizations as a Master Gardener, a Reiki master, and as a pet foster parent.
Fatema Haque
Fatema Haque is a writer, educator, and fiber artist. She grew up in Detroit and has taught at universities internationally and domestically. At the core of her work as an educator is the goal of cultivating a democratic, engaged citizenry capable of critical thinking, teamwork, and critical reflection.
Fatema currently serves as an Adjunct Lecturer and Program Manager at the University of Michigan. Prior to this role, she has served as a Dean of Students at the Asian University for Women in Chittagong, Bangladesh, and Co-Director of the Clinical Trunk at the University of Michigan Medical School. She is also a founding board member and former board president of Rising Voices, a Michigan-based nonprofit dedicated to organizing and developing Asian Americans for power around progressive values and policy in the state of Michigan.
Fatema is an avid reader. She co-facilitates the Unerased Book Club (UBC), a national book club dedicated to building community through Asian American literature. As part of UBC, she has partnered with indie bookstores in Detroit to host book club meetings for Detroiters.
As an artist, Fatema creates hand-embroidered portraits of people. Her project, Bangladeshis in Michigan, documented the immigration and settlement journeys of Bangladeshis in the state. She has also worked with the Hamtramck Historical Society and curated an exhibit on the Bangladeshi Diaspora in metro-Detroit.
What’s included in the cost?
The course fee includes the cost of
- Instructor time and preparation
- Workbooks and course materials
- Refreshments
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I eligible for this workshop?
You are eligible for this workshop if you are an adult 18 years or older. There is no required educational or professional background for this workshop, though basic literacy and communication skills will be needed.
Does this workshop provide a certificate or credit at the University of Michigan?
No, this workshop does not provide a certificate nor indicate any credit or student-status at the University of Michigan.
What materials do I need to bring with me?
All necessary materials will be provided.
Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge and thank all the participants of our community focus group sessions for this program for sharing their time, reflections, and experiences with us. Your thoughtful engagement helped shape this program.
Naznin Aktar
Melissa Arnett
Eriyon Adams
Stacey Broomfield
Richard Brooks
Chez Burse
Myka Burley
Sandra Childs
Kelli Clark
Andrea Cole
Alonso Delarte
Brian Fisher
Matt Firsten
Vincent Fulton
Courtney Funchess
Londre Gilkey
Paul Grinnell
Jesse Iloka
Sahar Imam
Erica B. Johnson
Saffet David King
Leah Lewis
Lashawna Manigault
Frank McGhee
Cierra McFarlin
Shantilly Parks
Ric Preuss
Sharron Solomon
Justin Spencer Smith
Rose Wilson
Gail Wakefield
Members of the Employment Equity Learning and Action Collaborative