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"Participating in this course was a great and delightful experience from both the personal and professional points of view.  Before this course, I was totally unfamiliar with the concept of authentic leadership, and reading just the literature was making me even more confused and I, with a background in physics, found some of the tortuous expressions more complicated than understanding the quantum mechanical equations! However, during the course because of the well-organized sessions on both theoretical aspects as well as different practical engagements, I could learn a lot from the lecturers and participants. Having the opportunity to listen to some of the expert leaders in different areas with real-life stories, and being able to engage in different problem-solution workshops, was an excellent way to make this course one of the most efficient leadership courses. I strongly recommend Ph.D. students at different levels, as well as the supervisors to take this course regardless of their field of study. This course can help you to develop your personal skills to better manage yourself in different situations, and enhance your social skills in order to lead a group at different levels."

Nezhat Pournaghavi, Doctoral Researcher, Linnaeus University

"Authentic Leadership theory is not easy to describe as there can be so many different views and opinions on it. In this course AL theory was discussed from multiple different angles including the lectures, panel discussions of very experienced and interesting panelists and intensive workshops covering different topics. The participating PhD students were originated from different cultures and fields of studies, making discussions even more interesting and meaningful. On my behalf, having some 20 years of industrial working experience, I can strongly recommend this course as AL skills are needed and helpful - its importance was well stated by a panelist “AL makes it easier for the followers to deploy”. The course was extremely well organized in co-operation with the participating universities."

Marko Ryynanen, Doctoral Researcher, LUT University

"Thank you for a very interesting week with exciting lectures and developing discussions! I much appreciated the debates where all the participants -PhD-candidates and professors- together problematized around the concept of Authentic Leadership. From my point of view, first and foremost as a labour ward midwife, I was very glad to learn that the value of possessing ‘soft skills’ also is highly valuable for a leader. I would of course have loved to meet all the participants and staff IRL. However, I was surprised that the lectures that were held entirely via Zoom, full days Monday to Friday, went by easily."

Sofia Ingvarsson, Doctoral Researcher, Linnaeus University

"The Authentic Leadership course helped me to take the lead in managing the progress of my studies and allowed me to identify action points for further improving the relationship with supervisors, industrial partners, and other project stakeholders. I had the chance to discuss the AL concept with fellow Ph.D. students and hear from professionals from academic, business, and non-profit backgrounds. Moreover, I could learn what being an authentic leader means in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world and how the concept can benefit my future career. Thanks for this exciting course!"

Leonie Schlüter, Doctoral Researcher, Aalborg University

"The PhD course in Authentic Leadership is so well rounded and perfectly designed with varying smaller workshops and seminars. All the programs were very informative and engaging. The group work helped in understanding new ideas and enhance communication skills. The overall program is well defined and helps in understanding of what leadership consists of and how to enhance one's skills. The various lectures arranged by some of the good leaders in the industry were helpful, in understanding the real-life obstacles and approaches towards problem solving. The motive of mine to take up the course was to understand leadership and how to use the skills in day-to-day leadership activities, in my opinion it was a very successful program for me. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many new people with so different approaches in life and full of enthusiasm and ideas. I totally recommended this course to everyone in their PhD's because it will help you in becoming an authentic leader."

Sharvari Sunil Gadegaonkar, Doctoral Researcher, University of Tartu

“The course on Authentic Leadership was highly interesting, and I fully recommend other PhD students to attend. The key benefits of the course was a broad international student body, plenty of opportunity for discussion among peers, insights from industry experts, and a good balance between theory and praxis. While AL theory, in my opinion, leaves much to be desired, or is at least ripe for re-evaluation, the course provided an exceedingly beneficial forum for understanding leadership and leadership challenges in modern, contemporary society. For any PhD researcher interested in the complexities of leadership and sociality in an increasingly interconnected world, the AL course is 5 ECTS well spent.”

Eskil Olav Andersen, Doctoral Researcher, Aalborg University

"Had the privilege to participate the intense Authentic Leadership course May 2021. The innovative atmosphere of solving cases with fellow PhD students brought up very interesting multidisciplinary discussions. Most rewarding was that the academic environment was skillfully linked with the business environment together, especially the intelligent debates with the distinguished leaders in various sectors were most invigorating and food for thought. Warmly recommend this course as a part of doctoral students´ path of developing to leaders."

Aira Sevón, Doctoral Researcher, LUT University

"Before taking the IETN – PhD course Authentic Leadership, I honestly did not know what to expect to. Placing two abstract words next to each other to form a concept triggered my curiosity. Authenticity has been heavily debated in philosophy, but this was the first time I came across authenticity in a leadership context. Through lectures and debates, practitioners’ presentations and cases, group work and exercises, we dived into elucidating this concept from various angles and backgrounds. By the end of the course, each participant would build their own definitions of “authentic leadership”. And most importantly, it will encourage you to stop and reflect upon yourself, your strengths but also weaknesses. Furthermore, this course opens many doors towards becoming authentic leaders, that are undeniably needed in VUCA times (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous)."

Alexandra Elena Carst, Doctoral Researcher, Aalborg University

"My participation in this course was to find an additional resource to understand leadership. However, it turns out as the best opportunity to develop a clearer understanding of leadership in general and authentic leadership in particular. The workshops and the link to academia and industry were learning platforms to discover one’s career path. I am proud to be foundation alumni, and I recommend this course to all PhD candidates."

Innocent Kwame Bedi, Doctoral Researcher, University of Tartu.

"I would highly recommend the PhD course in Authentic Leadership offered by IETN project. The course is a great combination of theory of authentic leadership and real-world problems.  As a PhD student, I gained experience shared by speakers from different industries and research areas. Either you just started your study, or you are at the end of your study, you will benefit from insights for your research and your future career. Last but not least, it offers a unique opportunity to meet and discuss with fellow PhD students from different culturals and different disciplines."

Zhizheng Wang, Doctoral Researcher, Linnaeus university

"Although I have been familiar with authentic leadership for several years, this course highlighted well how broad the understanding of authentic leadership could be. Both lectures and participants opened diverse aspects of leaders' authenticity which enabled fruitful discussion about its manifests in leaders' behaviour. This course extends your perspective and understanding authentic leadership regardless of your previous knowledge and experience."

Artur Meerits, Doctoral Researcher, University of Tartu

"Attending the Authentic Leadership course was a very good experience for my PhD career. It was a very well designed with very knowledgeable lecturers. The course helped me to understand the concept of authentic leadership and develop my own leadership skills. In addition, it helped me deal better with the challenges that I face during my current position."

Atefeh Dadvar, Doctoral Researcher, Linnaeus University