Leading with Impact

Staying on the Fast Track

Smart organizations know that by investing in emerging leaders, they will be better prepared to weather the current economic downturn and better positioned to succeed in the future. To address the tough personal and professional challenges that executives now face, Harvard Business School (HBS) has developed an Executive Education program. Leading with Impact provides the innovative techniques and best practices you need to become an extraordinary leader in extraordinary times.

What You Can Expect

This program explores leadership as a personal journey of discovery. By integrating current research with experiential activities, this program provides unique perspectives on your individual leadership style. You will gain proven techniques and best practices to help you better manage and develop teams, handle adversity, and enhance your leadership potential.

Your Course of Study

Self-assessment tools, group discussions, and dynamic workshops provide a rich learning experience that allows you to unleash the power of your unique leadership vision. This leadership development program encourages you to combine these insights with the latest research and strategies to tackle your toughest business challenges.

Who Is Right for the Program

Leading with Impact is designed to meet the needs of high-impact mid- to senior-level executives who want to grow as leaders. Participants typically have more than 10 years of experience in management roles of increasing responsibility. Small teams are welcome.

The Leadership Initiative

The Leadership Initiative at Harvard Business School was created as a catalyst to achieve the School's mission to: "…educate leaders who make a difference in the world." Since its inception, HBS has been committed to shaping business leaders with the integrity and capacity to build world-class organizations. Today, the Leadership Initiative seeks to ensure that HBS remains at the forefront of leadership research and development for the 21st century and beyond.

HBS Executive Education in Europe

Recognized for its rich heritage in global leadership, management education, and groundbreaking research, Harvard Business School (HBS) is deeply rooted in the world economy. To facilitate faculty research and case development on an international scale, HBS has established seven global research centers in key regions. This powerful network enables the HBS faculty to work with leaders of industry, government, and academia worldwide, while capitalizing on business challenges and innovations wherever they occur. Through sustained fieldwork, they are immersed in the unique cultures, values, and nuances that lead to meaningful and insightful research.

Founded in 2003 and located in Paris, the Europe Research Center (ERC) plays a vital role in helping HBS engage the expertise of business and academic leaders in Europe and develop long-term relationships that are mutually rewarding. By facilitating case study development and research, HBS faculty delve into one of the world’s most important economic regions.

Global in perspective, the HBS Executive Education programs in Europe examine the complex issues facing companies in developed and emerging markets around the world. These distinct offerings incorporate the renowned HBS case study method—an interactive real-life model—and are taught by full-time HBS faculty who represent a range of business disciplines, including general management, finance, negotiation, organizational behavior, and strategy.

Reinforcing their global orientation, the HBS programs in Europe attract an elite group of business executives from every continent, a variety of industries, and across diverse business functions. The result is an unparalleled learning experience that furthers the success of both the individual and the organization.

Over the course of an engrossing four-day session, you will examine the strengths and weaknesses of your personal leadership style. This leadership training program leverages lessons in leadership from today's top companies as well as your inner resources and innate skills to help you become a more effective leader.

Faculty lectures, self-assessment tools, videos, group discussions, and workshops provide a rich learning experience that uses introspection to unleash the power of your unique vision of leadership. The program encourages you to combine these insights with the latest research and best practices to tackle the toughest challenges you face in business.

The curriculum focuses on several key areas:

Leadership as a Personal Journey
Being a good leader requires some degree of introspection. You will gain a deeper appreciation for your personal leadership style by:

Exploring the differences between leadership and management
Studying the advantages and disadvantages of differing leadership styles
Investigating the challenges of sharing leadership responsibilities

Communicating as a Leader
Effective communication is a hallmark of a good leader. The program improves your communication skills by:

Showing you how to communicate more effectively, whether you are delivering complex information, managing a crisis, or advocating a position
Using nontraditional techniques such as theater and storytelling in order to expand your communication skills
Coaching in areas that will improve your ability to handle difficult situations

Creating Strong Teams
Inspiring and motivating a team is one of the most important responsibilities of a leader. By leveraging your core leadership skills, this part of the program explores diverse topic areas, including:

Benchmarking and improving the effectiveness of your team
Enabling factors you need to guide teams to greater productivity
Confronting the pressures, complexities—and rewards—of team culture
Championing diversity within the team, and getting the most value from individual differences
Maximizing creativity

Leading Change
Emerging leaders are often called on to implement large-scale changes within the organization to align with new market initiatives or strategies. Topics to be addressed include:

Fostering a climate that inspires change in the organization through personal leadership style, positive mindset, and individual action
Aligning culture, strategy, and structure to accelerate organizational change and improve performance

Ongoing Learning
After the program ends, the faculty will also encourage you to work toward achieving the leadership goals that you established during the program. You will be able to use your close network of peers for guidance with ongoing leadership challenges.

"This program is inspirational and worthwhile—even for the busiest leader. I came because I wanted to expand my repertoire of leadership skills. The experience gave me tools and confidence that are helping me adapt my management style to address a broad range of leadership challenges."
Chris Brookes [Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Associate Medical Director], Salford Royal Hospital, U.K.

What You Can Expect

Improving Your Organization's Performance

Executives at all levels of the organization often are called on to lead their teams into unfamiliar, untested, and occasionally unstable territory. To face this challenge, they need effective strategies and tools for guiding their teams forward with greater confidence.

This program enables participants to examine their leadership qualities through the lens of personal introspection. By exploring the latest research and best practices for developing a personal leadership style, you will learn to apply the full power of your leadership vision to resolve your organization's most complex challenges.

Taking Your Skills to the Next Level

Through lectures, in-depth discussions, and interactive workshops, you will enhance your capacity to:

Understand your leadership style, including strengths and areas of opportunity
Use the force of personal conviction to lead your team more effectively
Manage organizational politics and build relationships to achieve professional and personal goals
Balance your personal leadership style with the demands of the organization
Identify and develop the next class of high-potential leaders within your organization

"This program is not just an academic-oriented program. It goes far beyond the cases and the classroom-it entices you to dive even deeper into your understanding of people, decision making, individual talent, and collective intelligence. I have learned how to identify, focus, and release the power of leading to every member of my organization."
WILLIAM CHEY [PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE], UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HEALTH SYSTEM, U.S.

Who Is Right for the Program

Leading with Impact is designed specifically for high-impact, emerging leaders with more than 10 years of experience in roles of increasing responsibility. Participants are top performers in positions of authority who want to grow into a greater leadership role. They represent companies of all sizes and stages in diverse, growing industries.

Typical participant titles include:

Vice president
Director
Program manager
Senior manager
Team leader

Although the program focuses on individual development, companies sending groups of two to three participants from different functions will facilitate collaboration, teamwork, and learning throughout their organizations. This helps to create:

A group with a common purpose in thinking and conversing about leadership issues
A common understanding of the challenges confronting emerging leaders—and the ways to avoid potential pitfalls
Champions who can reinforce the principles learned in the program
A model for personal development that can be used within the company's leadership teams
Mentors who can build the organization's next line of leaders

"A challenging, rigorous, and stimulating experience, this program did indeed give me time to reflect-to consider leadership in the round and also at a personal level. Away from my work structures and relationships, I could test out ideas and take more risks, sharpening my thinking in the company of executives from different business sectors. I think all leaders would gain from the experience."
Charlotte Rendle-Short [Deputy Chief Executive], United Church Schools Trust and United Learning Trust, U.S.

Meet the Program Faculty

Like all Harvard Business School Executive Education programs, Leading with Impact is developed and taught by a core faculty of HBS professors. Our faculty members are widely recognized for being skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors.

Through publishing, consulting, and teaching, they leverage their business expertise and field research to create new knowledge and enduring concepts that shape the practice of management. The result is a teaching team that exposes participants to multiple perspectives, challenging their thinking and encouraging new practices that result in superior business leadership. For more detailed biographies, click on each faculty name.

Linda A. Hill, Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration. Faculty cochair of the HBS Leadership Initiative; member of the Organizational Behavior Unit; and faculty chair of the "High Potentials Leadership Program" and "Leading with Impact: Staying on the Fast Track."

Joshua D. Margolis, James Dinan and Elizabeth Miller Professor of Business Administration. Member of the Organizational Behavior Unit.

Anthony Mayo, Thomas S. Murphy Senior Lecturer of Business Administration. Director of the Leadership Initiative. Member of the Organizational Behavior Unit.

"This was a truly inspiring and fulfilling leadership experience that challenged and revitalized my leadership philosophy on a very high level. By sharing ideas and experiences in a safe and intimate environment with Harvard professors and fellow global leaders, I was able to put my own leadership style and challenges in perspective. The program added a new dimension to my leadership mindset."
Peter Rosenstand [Head of Marketing], Codan Insurance, Denmark

Admissions

Because a diverse participant mix is an important part of every HBS Executive Education program, we look for candidates who reflect a broad range of industries, functions, countries, and backgrounds to enrich the learning experience.

Fees, Payments, and Cancellations

The program fee covers tuition, books, case materials, accommodations, and most meals.

No payment is necessary until you have been accepted into an HBS Executive Education program. After admission notification, we will send you an invoice via email; payment is due within 30 days of the invoice date. If admission is within 30 days prior to the start of the program, payment is due upon receipt of the invoice. Payment is required prior to the program start date. We accept payment by company check, bank wire transfer, or credit card (American Express, MasterCard, Visa). Details are included on the program invoice.

If you need to cancel or defer participation, you must submit your request in writing more than 30 days before the start of the program to receive a full refund. Due to program demand and the volume of preprogram preparation, cancellations or deferrals received 14 to 30 days prior to the start of the program are subject to a fee of one-half of the program fee. Requests received within 14 days are subject to full payment.

Requirements

Although there are no formal educational requirements, admission is a selective process based on professional achievement and organizational responsibility. We look for professionals who have demonstrated business talent and leadership potential.

HBS Executive Education programs enrich both participants and their sponsoring organizations, and require full commitment from each party. While participants devote time and intellect to the learning experience, sponsoring organizations agree to relieve individuals of their work responsibilities during the program.

Language Proficiency

We deliberately design our programs to encourage individual growth and to foster productive interaction among participants. For that reason, proficiency in written and spoken English is essential. If English is your second language, or if you have less than one year's experience working in an English-speaking environment, HBS requires a brief statement documenting proficiency in English-language skills, both conversational and written. This may include a list of the English-language certification programs that you have completed; the degrees you have earned at English-speaking colleges and universities; or the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. The Admissions Committee also may request a telephone interview.

Sponsoring Statement

This program requires the submission of a separate sponsoring statement. Completed by the sponsoring executive within your company, this statement provides the Admissions Committee with a better understanding of your background, roles, and potential as a leader.

Application Process

Program participants must be nominated and sponsored by their current employer. The completed application, sponsoring statement, and all required documents must be received in order to prepare the application for review by the Admissions Committee.

To apply, you may use our online form or download an application and a sponsoring statement. Please note that if you apply online, your sponsoring executive will be sent an email that includes a link to the online sponsoring statement form. You also may request a brochure by mail.

If you are submitting your application online, we will promptly acknowledge receipt of your submission via email. In the unlikely event that an email acknowledgment is not received, please contact the Admissions Committee by email: exed_admissions@hbs.edu, phone: +1-617-495-6226, or fax: +1-617-496-1731.

If you choose to submit a printed application, be sure to type or print legibly and sign your application. Send the application to the address or fax number listed on the form. Mailed or faxed applications are processed and acknowledged promptly upon receipt via email.

Complete Your Application

Please answer all questions thoroughly—the Admissions Committee will only consider completed applications. After reviewing your application and making the necessary edits or corrections, print or copy the application for your records.

Meet the Deadlines

We request applications at least four weeks in advance of the program start date. Early application does not guarantee admission. Programs often fill to capacity, so early application is recommended.

Notification of Acceptance

We acknowledge receipt of all applications and maintain all application information in strict confidentiality.

To optimize the learning experience and maximize the exchange of ideas, the Admissions Committee selects a class that balances each participant's experience, the scope of his or her current responsibilities, and the type of organization.

The Admissions Committee begins reviewing applications four months before the start date, and qualified candidates are admitted on a rolling, space-available basis. Once the review process has begun, applicants are notified within three weeks via email regarding Admissions Committee decisions. If your application is received within three weeks of the program's start date, the Admissions Committee will notify you of their decision as soon as possible.

Need help?

For further assistance, contact our client service specialists at: 1-800-427-5577 (outside the U.S., dial +1-617-495-6555).