By Justin Erickson '25 BSB
November 11, 2022

In small groups, students are constructing towers of spaghetti, focusing diligently on balancing a marshmallow on top. This isn’t kindergarten - it’s BA 1011: Leading Self and Teams, where Carlson School students develop essential skills to effectively lead and work in team settings.

Each class session is designed as an interactive, skill building mini-workshop, where students participate in lectures, activities, and discussions. The class has two multi-week projects, one focusing on each student's individual learning journey and the other on working as a team.

Before practicing teamwork, students get to know their own unique skill sets, allowing them to better understand how they can thrive in a team and in the workplace. Students also learn how to communicate effectively with others, how to utilize their influence in the workplace, and how to build professional networks.

“I have learned that we need to understand how we work and think as an individual before being successful in a team, and communication of our traits is valuable to be the most successful,” said Mia McGraw ‘26 BSB, who is currently taking the class.

Leading Self and Teams then dives into the structure and functioning of high performing teams, as well as factors that derail them. Students learn how to design teams for success, and create a foundation to strengthen them. They also learn conflict management, team trust, giving and receiving constructive feedback, and evaluating team performance.

“We spend most of our professional lives in teams. Yet, we rarely consider in any systematic way what makes for an effective team,” said Dr. Yelena Hydrie, one of the instructors of BA 1011 this semester. “This class gives the students an opportunity to learn the science behind designing and developing effective teams and put it into practice in designing and implementing a team project of their own.”

Students build out a document called the 3G Manual (Gopher Guide for Groupwork), which helps students work through team projects and walk away from the course with an ‘elevator pitch’ about what they are like as a teammate.

“We will not be able to avoid a team environment in the business world, so this course allows me to understand how to work with others with differing opinions and backgrounds by appreciating our diversity and understanding that differences are beneficial,” said McGraw.

McGraw and her team are currently working on the Carlson Acts of Kindness project. They plan on going to a high school to teach students about why they chose to attend, the benefits and resources offered, and college application tips. They hope that their experiences will encourage high school students in their own college search.

“This project is my favorite part of the course as I have had an outstanding team experience, and it is interactive between us, the Carlson School, and high schools,” McGraw said.

McGraw is an active student leader as a Carlson Student Senator, working with the Undergraduate Student Government, University Senate, and the Carlson Business Board. She has already been able to put the lessons from BA 1011 to work.

“In these extracurriculars, I am constantly working with others and in a team, so Leading Self and Teams has given me a new perspective on teamwork, and I have been able to apply the curriculum in real life,” she said.

While required for incoming students as part of the Carlson School core curriculum, BA 1011: Leading Self and Teams is open to all undergraduate students. Dr. Hydrie believes the skills students learn in this class will be invaluable in their futures at the Carlson School and beyond.

“This is the kind of class I wish I had taken as an undergrad. It would have saved me so many awkward moments!”