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June 4, 2024

Re-creating a mural of a parrot by memory using Post-it notes. Building a free-standing structure out of Oreos and Pringles. Deciphering a list of 100 emojis that, when listed together, create meaning.

These are just some of the challenges ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Collegiate Leadership Competition (CLC) team faced on its way to a third-place finish at the CLC Global Finals this spring. It was the highest showing ever for ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s team and the fourth consecutive year it has been the top Canadian team among a field of 20 six-person teams from across North America.

The CLC tests leadership, communication, problem-solving and decision-making skills by challenging teams to complete six activities in 40-minute increments. The competition serves as a practice field for students learning about leadership and followership styles, creative problem solving, conflict resolution and teamwork.

“Learning leadership theories and frameworks is an important step, but the real test of that knowledge is the ability to apply it outside the classroom,“ says Lisa Kuron, assistant professor in ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Leadership program. “The CLC creates space for students to practice leading, following, and working together to achieve goals, and helps them develop the confidence in themselves, and their colleagues, to tackle any challenge they face.”

The third-place finish at the CLC Global Finals comes on the heels of a second-place finish for ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Waterloo CLC team and a third-place finish for ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Brantford CLC team at the Canadian Invitational Scrimmage, which was held on ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Brantford campus in March. The Waterloo team then proceeded to the Global Finals.

At ³Ô¹ÏÍø, training for CLC is part of OL401, Leadership Skills: Practice and Application, a fourth-year course in ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Leadership program offered in Waterloo and Brantford. The course curriculum is modelled on the CLC’s leadership skills curriculum and includes a strong focus on deliberate practice and experiential learning.

“We teach students to be collaborative, innovative and creative,” says Kris Gerhardt, associate professor in the Leadership program. “These are qualities that will serve them well beyond academia and for the rest of their lives.”

Learn more about ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s participation in the Collegiate Leadership Competition.