Companies need to be developing leaders who exhibit high standards of integrity, take responsibility for their actions, and make decisions based on enduring principles rather than short-term expedience. The best leaders are authentic leaders—people whose inner compass guides their daily actions and enables them to earn the trust of subordinates, peers, and shareholders. In this program, you will uncover, analyze, and strengthen the unique characteristics that enable leading with authenticity and purpose—and become the type of outstanding leader you most admire.

Summary: Companies need to be developing leaders who exhibit high standards of integrity, take responsibility for their actions, and make decisions based on enduring principles rather than short-term expedience. The best leaders are authentic leaders—people whose inner compass guides their daily actions and enables them to earn the trust of subordinates, peers, and shareholders. In this program, you will uncover, analyze, and strengthen the unique characteristics that enable leading with authenticity and purpose—and become the type of outstanding leader you most admire.

Key Benefits

Based on leadership visionary Bill George's groundbreaking books—Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value and True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, this program immerses you in a profoundly personal exploration. Focused on developing self-awareness and emotional intelligence, you will define your own path to authentic leadership and return to your company ready to lead with greater passion and confidence, inspire others to do their best work, and create exceptional value for your company.

DetailsExpand All Collapse All

Find your own path to authentic leadership Find your own path to authentic leadership

Develop greater confidence in your own capabilities
Recognize and address your blind spots as a leader
Learn from feedback and the challenges you encounter daily
Lead an integrated life that enables you to balance work, home, and other pursuits

Learn to adjust to new conditions and empower others Learn to adjust to new conditions and empower others

Lead with integrity through difficult and pressure-filled challenges
Adapt your leadership style to different scenarios, while remaining true to your values and purpose
Balance your intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to find the "sweet spot" of your capabilities
Become an empowering leader who fosters effective teamwork and helps individuals at all levels of the organization to realize their leadership potential

Expand your personal and professional network Expand your personal and professional network

Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions

Key Benefits

Based on leadership visionary Bill George's groundbreaking books—Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value and True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, this program immerses you in a profoundly personal exploration. Focused on developing self-awareness and emotional intelligence, you will define your own path to authentic leadership and return to your company ready to lead with greater passion and confidence, inspire others to do their best work, and create exceptional value for your company.

Details

Find your own path to authentic leadership

Develop greater confidence in your own capabilities
Recognize and address your blind spots as a leader
Learn from feedback and the challenges you encounter daily
Lead an integrated life that enables you to balance work, home, and other pursuits

Learn to adjust to new conditions and empower others

Lead with integrity through difficult and pressure-filled challenges
Adapt your leadership style to different scenarios, while remaining true to your values and purpose
Balance your intrinsic and extrinsic motivations to find the "sweet spot" of your capabilities
Become an empowering leader who fosters effective teamwork and helps individuals at all levels of the organization to realize their leadership potential

Expand your personal and professional network

Extend your network by living and working with accomplished executives from various backgrounds, industries, and countries across the globe
Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions

Who Should Attend

This program is designed for senior executives who want to enhance their leadership ability and prepare to take on greater leadership responsibilities within their organization.

The program welcomes individuals or teams. Attendance by multiple company representatives will foster teamwork, amplify the program's impact, and enable participants to continue supporting one another's leadership development after the program ends.

Participating Companies Have Included:

Facebook

Mastercard Incorporated

Microsoft

Nissan

Pricewaterhouse Coopers

Saudi Telecom

Sterling Bank

Suffolk

United Bank for Africa

Vivint

Zenith Bank

Dive Deeper into the Experience

Experience the Case Method in the Classroom

Watch participants debate the issues and present their viewpoints.

We Celebrate New Ways of Thinking. Are You Ready?

Thrive in a learning environment that welcomes diverse ideas and perspectives.

Discover more about business. And yourself.

Global perspectives > Leadership growth > Organizational impact.

Who Should Attend

This program is designed for senior executives who want to enhance their leadership ability and prepare to take on greater leadership responsibilities within their organization.

The journey toward authentic leadership requires confronting your personal aspirations, strengths, and weaknesses—including aspects of your life history, identity, or current leadership style that may be helping you or holding you back. During the program, you must be ready to share with your peers in a deeply personal way—be able to trust, expose your fears, offer feedback, and accept others' input with an open mind. All information you share will remain strictly confidential.

Participating Companies Have Included:

Facebook

Mastercard Incorporated

Microsoft

Nissan

Pricewaterhouse Coopers

Saudi Telecom

Sterling Bank

Suffolk

United Bank for Africa

Vivint

Zenith Bank

Dive Deeper into the Experience

Experience the Case Method in the Classroom

Watch participants debate the issues and present their viewpoints.

We Celebrate New Ways of Thinking. Are You Ready?

Thrive in a learning environment that welcomes diverse ideas and perspectives.

Discover more about business. And yourself.

Global perspectives > Leadership growth > Organizational impact.

Learning and Living at HBS

When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.

Learning and Living at HBS: When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.

Admissions Criteria and Process

We admit candidates to specific sessions on a rolling, space-available basis, and encourage you to apply as early as possible. Although most programs have no formal educational requirements, admission is a selective process based on your professional achievement and organizational responsibilities.

Admissions Criteria and Process

Answering Your Questions

Our Program Advising team can help you at any stage of the admissions process—starting with identifying the program that best addresses your learning and development goals. Contact a program advisor via email or call 1.800.427.5577 (outside the U.S., call +1.617.495.6555).

Application Submission

We recommend that you apply at least four weeks before the program start date. You may use our online form or download an application. HBS maintains all application information in strict confidentiality. We acknowledge receipt of applications via email. In the unlikely event that you do not receive an acknowledgment, please email us at exed_admissions@hbs.edu or call us at +1.617.495.6226.

Application Review

To optimize the learning experience and maximize the exchange of ideas, our Admissions Committee makes selections that balance each participant's experience, scope of current responsibilities, and type of organization. HBS seeks candidates who reflect a broad range of industries, functions, countries, and backgrounds. We review applications monthly and will contact you via email with the Admissions Committee's decision.

Fee, Payment, and Cancellations

The program fee covers tuition, books, case materials, accommodations, and most meals. No payment is necessary until you have been accepted. Payment is required prior to the program start date. 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. 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.

What You Will Learn

Through a rich learning experience that includes faculty presentations, case studies, individual exercises, small group discussions, and classroom debates, you will explore the qualities of leading with authenticity as well as the deeply personal core of your own leadership.

During the program, you will participate in a Leadership Development Group (LDG) with seven other participants. This powerful peer-based forum enables you to discuss the personal roots of your leadership in an intimate setting. Exercises that promote individual reflection and peer exchange will provide an opportunity for you to evolve your approach to leadership in a supportive environment that encourages more openness and self-reflection than might be possible in a large class setting.

In addition, you will have the opportunity to create your personal leadership development plan—a blueprint for continuing to grow as an authentic leader after the program ends.

Please note that you will be asked to complete certain exercises before the program begins to help you maximize the value of your time on campus.

What You Will Learn

In addition, you will have the opportunity to create your personal leadership development plan—a blueprint for continuing to grow as an authentic leader after the program ends.

Please note that you will be asked to complete certain exercises before the program begins to help you maximize the value of your time on campus.

Key TopicsExpand All Collapse All

Examining your leadership journey 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 Discovering your authentic leadership

Becoming more self-aware by embracing candid feedback from others
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 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 ?

Key Topics

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 embracing candid feedback from others
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 ?

Faculty

Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe

Faculty Cochair

Thomas J. DeLong

Senior Fellow and former Philip J. Stomberg Professor of Management Practice. Member of the Organizational Behavior Unit; course head for the required MBA course on Leadership and Organizational Behavior; faculty cochair of "Leading Professional Service Firms" and "Authentic Leader Development."

Read Full Bio

Scott A. Snook

MBA Class of 1958 Senior Lecturer of Business Administration. Member of the Organizational Behavior Unit, and faculty cochair of "Authentic Leadership Development."

Read Full Bio

Faculty

William W. George

Senior Fellow. Member of the General Management Unit; founder of the "Authentic Leader Development" program, and faculty cochair of "Leading Global Businesses."

Bill George discusses on Huffpost Live what is working among top business leaders.

Read Full Bio Watch the Video

Nancy F. Koehn

James E. Robison Professor of Business Administration. Member of the General Management Unit.

Read Full Bio

Faculty: Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe

Faculty Cochair

Thomas J. DeLong

Senior Fellow and former Philip J. Stomberg Professor of Management Practice. Member of the Organizational Behavior Unit; course head for the required MBA course on Leadership and Organizational Behavior; faculty cochair of "Leading Professional Service Firms" and "Authentic Leader Development."

Read Full Bio

Scott A. Snook

MBA Class of 1958 Senior Lecturer of Business Administration. Member of the Organizational Behavior Unit, and faculty cochair of "Authentic Leadership Development."

Read Full Bio

Faculty

William W. George

Senior Fellow. Member of the General Management Unit; founder of the "Authentic Leader Development" program, and faculty cochair of "Leading Global Businesses."

Bill George discusses on Huffpost Live what is working among top business leaders.

Read Full Bio Watch the Video

Nancy F. Koehn

James E. Robison Professor of Business Administration. Member of the General Management Unit.

Read Full Bio