Strategy Leadership Lab
STRAT 490R, Section 2
Syllabus
Instructor: Scott Murff, Strategy Program Director
Teaching Assistants: Sarah Millett and Luke Stacey, who also serve as Strategy Program co-presidents
Credits: 1.5, letter graded
Semesters: Fall and Winter
Class Time: Fridays, 12:30 to 1:45 PM
Class Location: 1315 TNRB
Office Hours: Wednesdays 1:30 to 3:30 PM in 587 TNRB, Fridays 3:00 to 3:30 PM by phone
Note: The last 30 minutes on Wednesday (3:00 to 3:30) are by phone as well
Content Overview
Strategy Leadership Lab is a weekly working session for the roughly 30 students who lead the BYU Strategy Program and the four career clubs it administers: MCA, PMA, CSA, and WSA. Those clubs serve students across campus by career interest rather than by major, and the leadership team reflects that: about half of the people in this room are majoring in something other than strategy. It exists to do two things at once: develop you as a leader, and give the whole leadership team protected time to coordinate on shared priorities.
The Lab is the primary coordination mechanism in the Strategy Program operating model. One meeting cadence governs the entire program.
Enrollment is limited to program and club leaders and is open to them regardless of major. It is optional but encouraged for everyone serving in a presidency. If your schedule prevents you from enrolling, you are welcome to audit or simply attend.
Weekly Structure
Each session runs in two blocks.
| Block | Minutes | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Leadership development | First 30 | Guest speakers, case discussions, skill building on influence, conflict, and managing up |
| Project roundtable | Last 45 | Club and presidency updates, cross-team coordination, peer feedback and coaching |
Who Is in the Room
All student leaders across the program: the presidency (co-presidents, VP Events, VP Marketing), the MCA, PMA, and CSA co-president pairs, the WSA co-presidents, VP Alumni, VP Student Development, and club VPs. They come from a range of majors, and the clubs they run serve a student population wider than the strategy major.
Required Tools
Every student in the Lab maintains a paid AI subscription for the semester. Either one:
| Tool | Tier | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Claude | Pro | $20 per month |
| ChatGPT | Plus | $20 per month |
Claude Pro is the default and what the follow-along drills are built around. ChatGPT Plus is an accepted substitute. Free tiers do not work for this course: the usage limits stop you partway through a drill.
There is no AI exam. The subscription exists because you use it in class every week.
Bring a laptop every week. The Drills block is a live follow-along and the Practice block is forty five minutes of working, so both require a machine and a working subscription.
If the subscription is a financial hardship, talk to Scott before the add/drop deadline rather than dropping the course.
Grading
The course is letter graded. Four components:
| Component | Weight |
|---|---|
| Weekly update emails | 50% |
| Attendance | 25% |
| Feedback conversation | 10% |
| Discussant | 15% |
Nothing is graded on hours worked, so an unpaid volunteer VP can earn full marks. See Assessments for detail.
Credit and Pay
Students do not receive pay and credit for the same work.
- Class is where you reflect, discuss, and learn. The job is where you execute, deliver, and coordinate.
- Student employees may not log paid work hours during scheduled class sessions or on class-specific assignments.
Course Policies
Attendance, AI use, accommodations, and the standard BYU policy language: to be written.