What You'll Learn
Leadership is not about titles—it is about relationships that drive personal success, team performance, and organizational resilience. Strong leaders know how to connect with others, sharpen their decision-making, and inspire growth in rapidly changing environments.
As AI and technology reshape the way we work, leadership and people skills remain the most critical differentiator. This program helps you recognize your leadership strengths and blind spots, understand your default decision-making style, and learn how to adapt across different contexts.
Grounded in research on emotional intelligence, you will gain tools and practice techniques to recognize and manage emotional triggers—your own and others’—so you can lead with clarity under pressure, inspire high performance, and make confident decisions aligned with organizational goals.
By the end of the program, you will leave with actionable strategies to lead yourself, teams, and your organization more effectively and authentically contributing to long-term business success.
Program Benefits
- Develop a leadership approach that amplifies your strengths and evolves with you throughout your career
- Gain awareness of preferences, leadership styles, and blind spots in both yourself as well as others
- Understand how emotional intelligence strengthens leadership and decision-making, including common biases and the illusion of rationality
- Learn how relationship management will contribute to your personal and professional success.
- Recognize psychological pitfalls in decision-making and how you can set yourself up for success
- Earn a Certificate of Completion from the Harvard Division of Continuing Education
Who Should Enroll
This program is designed for:
- High-potential individual contributors and emerging leaders preparing to take on greater responsibility
- Managers—whether or not they currently lead direct reports—who want to strengthen their leadership impact
- Experienced leaders seeking to refresh their skills and decision-making approaches
It is especially recommended for those who want to deepen self-awareness and leadership agility to achieve greater impact throughout their careers.
Please note that because of content overlap, we recommend you do not take this program if you have previously taken Emotional Intelligence in Leadership.
Topics Covered
- Awareness of individual preferences and leadership styles as a tool to becoming a more effective leader
- Situational leadership over the course of your career
- Traps in decision making and how to set yourself up for success
- How to apply theories and concepts covered to you and now
- Leadership and better decision-making through emotional intelligence
- Strategies and tools to manage oneself and others during times of pressure and change
Considering this program?
November Schedule
Day 1
- Introduction to Leadership — And Each Other
- Emotional Intelligence — Foundation for Leadership
- Impact on Decision-Making
Day 2
- Emotional Management and Connection
- Impact and Values
- Strengthening Connection
- Curious Learner
January Schedule
Week 1
- What does it take to be a leader?
- Preferences, Perception, and Energy
- Understanding Ourselves and Others
Week 2
- Leadership Styles
- Emotional Intelligence – Foundation for leadership
Week 3
- Emotional Intelligence and Impact on Decision-Making
- Emotional Management and Connection
- Impact, Conflict, and Values
Week 4
- Your leadership commitments
March Schedule
Day 1
- Introduction to Leadership — And Each Other
- Emotional Intelligence — Foundation for Leadership
- Impact on Decision Making
Day 2
- Emotional Management and Connection
- Impact and Values
- Strengthening Connection
- Curious Learner
June Schedule
Day 1
- Introduction to Leadership — And Each Other
- Emotional Intelligence — Foundation for Leadership
- Impact on Decision Making
Day 2
- Emotional Management and Connection
- Impact and Values
- Strengthening Connection
- Curious Learner
Instructor
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![Laura Wilcox]()
Laura Wilcox
Laura has been in academia for over three decades at the intersection of business, innovation, and education at MIT, MIT Sloan, and Harvard. She is the Director of Management and Finance Programs at Harvard University's Division of Continuing Education.
Instructor
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![Michael McCarthy]()
Michael McCarthy
Michael McCarthy is an experienced leader, serial entrepreneur, and educator with a career focused on driving innovation and developing leadership skills. For over 12 years, he has served as an instructor at Harvard Division of Continuing Education, teaching courses on positive workplace dynamics, entrepreneurship, and sales management. Over his career, he has led seven successful companies, including ten years as the world’s top stock market timer, managing teams of traders in Boston and New York.
Instructor
-
![Laura Wilcox]()
Laura Wilcox
Laura has been in academia for over three decades at the intersection of business, innovation, and education at MIT, MIT Sloan, and Harvard. She is the Director of Management and Finance Programs at Harvard University's Division of Continuing Education.
Instructor
-
![Laura Wilcox]()
Laura Wilcox
Laura has been in academia for over three decades at the intersection of business, innovation, and education at MIT, MIT Sloan, and Harvard. She is the Director of Management and Finance Programs at Harvard University's Division of Continuing Education.
Certificates of Leadership Excellence
The Certificates of Leadership Excellence (CLE) are designed for leaders with the desire to enhance their business acumen, challenge current thinking, and expand their leadership skills.
This program is one of several CLE qualifying programs. Register today and get started earning your certificate.
