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Leadership and management skills. Two young leaders having discussion on Harvard College campus.

Essential Management Skills for Emerging Leaders

Acquire the core skills you need to succeed as a leader.

  • Date

    September 29, 2025

  • Time

    8:30 AM – 4:30 PM ET

  • Length

    5 consecutive days

  • Format

    On Campus

  • Cost

    $6,150
    Programs fill quickly — free cancellation up to 14 days prior

  • Registration Deadline

    September 21, 2025

Essential Management Skills Program Overview

In an era characterized by unprecedented change and relentless innovation, the journey to leadership is no longer a leisurely ascent — but a challenging winding path of growth and discovery. The ability for emerging leaders to adapt, learn, and execute in a landscape where obstacles and opportunities materialize at an astonishing pace can set you apart from other professionals.

The innovative Essential Management Skills for Emerging Leaders program empowers new managers with the ability to quickly grasp and implement core leadership and management skills within a condensed time frame.

This management training program is designed to help you build key leadership skills that tap into your strengths, as well as leverage emotional intelligence to develop your leadership style. Through engaging lectures, case studies, interactive exercises, and a panel discussion, you will depart with the skills and confidence needed to lead in today’s organizations.

Building on your leadership style, you will:

  • Uncover an integrated approach to successfully negotiate and communicate.
  • Discuss strategies for organizational change.
  • Develop a broad strategic perspective.
  • Address implicit biases to effectively manage yourself, your team, and your environment

This week-long management training program begins with a self-assessment and pre-recorded webinars, followed by an intensive on-campus week.

By the end of the program, you will have created an action plan that implements your management skills and maps out your next steps to grow as a leader. In an era where agility and adeptness in leadership are paramount, empowering emerging leaders is a strategic imperative for organizations to compete and succeed.

Download additional program and schedule information.

Who Should Take the Essential Management Skills Program

This leadership and management program is designed for new or aspiring managers who are looking to:

  • Rapidly increase their leadership skills and strategic perspective.
  • Take on additional responsibility.
  • Build their effectiveness in their organization.

Managers who currently hold a senior leadership position may be better served by one of our Executive Leadership programs.

Benefits of the Essential Management Skills Program

Finding your management style as a new leader can be daunting. In the Essential Management Skills program, instructors will help you explore and develop your personal leadership style, as well as an action plan for leadership and managerial success.

Not only will you gain a cross-functional view of management, you will also:

  • Uncover your strengths and upskill your emotional intelligence.
  • Improve your negotiation and presentation skills.
  • Discuss leadership and management challenges and strategies with peers.
  • Hear from your instructors in a panel discussion about ways to implement the leadership skills you’ve learned when you go back to work.

After participating in all phases of the program, you will earn a Certificate of Participation from Harvard Division of Continuing Education. This program also serves as a gateway to other Professional & Executive Development programs at Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education, where you can continue to build on your foundation and develop advanced skills in key areas.

Curriculum

Through sessions led by instructors who specialize in their subject area, you will learn core management concepts and key leadership skills that can help you develop as a manager at your organization.

During the intensive on-campus week, you will also:

  • Learn frameworks to manage organizational change.
  • Develop strategic thinking skills to create value and solve critical issues.
  • Learn to uncover and manage implicit biases in decision-making.

Cost

The Essential Management Skills for Emerging Leaders 5 day, on-campus program costs $6,150, plus any travel and housing expenses.

Student Success

“Building greater self-awareness is definitely something that I’m still working on and still using. I still reflect back on what I learned in the program and how I can incorporate that knowledge into my current situation.”

— Kathy Guevara, Program Manager for Out-of-School Programs, DC Department of Employment Services, Washington, DC.

Kathy Guevara Headshot

Instructors

  • Kevin Ball sits at a conference room table.

    Kevin L. Ball

    Kevin L. Ball is a seasoned leadership consultant, coach, and trainer with over 15 years of experience spanning a spectrum of industries, from Fortune 500 companies to international players. His expertise lies in facilitating rapid organizational change to enhance overall effectiveness and efficiency, all while fostering happier and more cohesive teams.
  • Headshot of PDP Instructor Jill Slye

    Jill Abruzese Slye

    Jill Abruzese Slye, a Harvard instructor and public speaking consultant at the Harvard Kennedy School, brings over 30 years of business experience across industries including healthcare, finance, and technology. Recognized with Harvard's Petra Shattuck Excellence in Teaching Award, she specializes in leadership communication and presentation skills, empowering leaders worldwide. Jill is also the author of Reinvesting in Your Rhetoric, a guide to enhancing professional communication.
  • PDP Instructor Eugene B. Kogan

    Eugene B. Kogan

    Dr. Eugene B. Kogan is an award-winning Harvard thought leader and keynote speaker on power strategies in negotiation and leadership. He is the Principal & Managing Director of Kogan Global Advisory LLC & teaches at Harvard Division of Continuing Education’s Professional & Executive Development Programs.
  • Areen Shahbari

    Areen Shahbari

    Areen has over 17 years of corporate, business training, and consulting experience. Through her two self-founded ventures, Areen Training and Consultancy, and Cactus International, as well as her roles as an instructor at Harvard, Stanford, and Babson Executive Education, Areen has offered training, consultancy, and coaching services to numerous firms, governments, non-profits, and startups globally.
  • Stacey Blake-Beard.

    Stacy Blake-Beard

    Stacy Blake-Beard is a renowned scholar, consultant, speaker, mentor, and coach. She is a faculty member at Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Dr. Blake-Beard’s area of expertise is working with organizational leaders to identify challenges and opportunities associated with integrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

It was life changing! It helped me a lot to get to know myself better and recognize myself as a leader. On top of that, meeting people from all over the world was an unforgettable experience.

Angelica

Paulo, Brazil

Exclusive Programs for Organizations

Many of our open enrollment programs can be delivered as an exclusive offering for your team.

Learn More About Exclusive Offerings
team of executives

FAQs

How do I know if the Essential Management Skills leadership training program is right for me?

If you are an emerging leader or manager with less than 5 years of management experience who wants to quickly learn the leadership skills necessary to become an effective leader, the Essential Management Skills leadership training program is right for you.

How will the Essential Management Skills leadership training program help me improve my career or company?

The Essential Management Skills program will help you learn the leadership training necessary to succeed as a manager and leader. The skills you learn during the program — such as managing organizational change and integrating an approach to negotiation and communication — can help you navigate challenges in the workplace and foster a positive work environment, which can lead to increased employee satisfaction, improved performance, and sustainable growth for your company.