Your Course of Study
In this intensive weeklong program, HBS faculty members William W. George, Robert Steven Kaplan, Joshua D. Margolis, and Scott A. Snook will guide you through case studies, individual exercises, classroom debates, and small group discussions designed to help you develop your authentic leadership. Exercises that promote individual reflection and peer exchange will give you an opportunity to evolve your approach to leadership in a supportive environment. All information shared will remain entirely confidential.
Preparatory exercises you complete before the course begins will enable you to maximize the value of your time spent learning in the classroom and interacting with faculty and peers during the week. The program will culminate in the creation of your own personal leadership development plan. Curriculum topics include:
Examining Your Leadership Journey
- Analyzing your formative experiences to find critical lessons that inform your authentic leadership
- Recognizing and overcoming personal impulses that can lead to problematic leadership behavior
- Learning how the most difficult times in your life can shape your passion to lead
- Using your experience to shift from an "I" to a "We" orientation
Discovering Your Authentic Leadership
- Becoming more self-aware by benefiting from honest feedback
- Clarifying and living your values, while establishing ethical boundaries
- Understanding your motivations and capabilities, and finding the point where they align
- Building your support team and finding leadership mentors
- Integrating the different "buckets" of your life: family, community and friends, and career
Putting Your Authentic Leadership into Action
- Identifying your purpose and establishing it as a cornerstone of your leadership approach
- Leading by example—creating a culture of authenticity, high standards, and shared responsibility
- Empowering others to lead—exploring six approaches that work
- Optimizing your leadership effectiveness by understanding common leadership styles
- Choosing the leadership style most appropriate to your authentic leadership
- Creating a plan to help you achieve your leadership potential
"The environment is extremely personable and professional, and the program is orchestrated so that you feel it's almost written for you. A number of the cases were just spot-on experiences I've been through or ones I'm struggling with right now. I wondered, 'How did they know that this was exactly the situation I'm in?' The program, the surroundings—and, most importantly, the content—were extremely well put together."
Soren Laursen [President], Lego Systems Inc., U.S.