Leadership Training Program Basics and Best Courses

Learning doesn’t stop when you exit the classroom for the last time and begin working full time.

Much of what the world’s most successful leaders know, they’ve learned through hands-on experience and the active pursuit of professional development. Part of this includes taking leadership training programs, either online or in person.

What is a leadership training program?

Leadership training programs are structured courses that help professionals strengthen their leadership skills and develop an effective leadership style.

Some leadership courses are broad and designed to help new leaders gain more confidence in their roles. Others are targeted and meant to help experienced leaders hone their skills even further.

For example, a senior leader may choose to take a leadership course that helps them improve their communication in the office and presentations in front of groups. Completing this course can help them lead more effectively, find speaking opportunities, and even get a promotion based on their abilities.

The best leadership training programs and courses can also help you build a strong network of other leaders and executives.

Key components of effective programs

Plenty of leadership programs are available online. Finding the right one for you can take a bit of digging. When you’re exploring opportunities, you’ll want to keep these components in mind:

• Clarity. A good program will be clear about who it’s for, what you’ll learn, and any key course requirements.
• Resources. Anyone can read articles about leadership online. A paid course should include truly valuable resources and lessons from leading experts and academics.
• Timeliness. While some principles of business certainly stand the test of time, advancements in technology mean that leaders are working in new and different ways. A good leadership development program will recognize this and provide up-to-date insights and information.
• Flexibility. An in-person course will, understandably, offer less flexibility than a self-paced online curriculum. All leadership programs, however, should offer some level of flexibility to working professionals—be it in how they attend class, access materials, or even the time of year in which they start their studies.
• Instruction. A great course will offer a mix of instruction and hands-on work, done either with your fellow classmates or on your own. This is a great way to help you really understand how to apply the principles you’re learning.
• Feedback. Not all courses, especially self-paced ones, involve graded exercises. Most, however, do enable students to get some kind of feedback on projects and answers to questions—either from the instructor or from other professionals taking the same course.

Types of leadership training programs

When thinking about what type of leadership training program you’d like to take, two aspects need consideration: format and structure.

Format

Leadership training courses are held either in person or online—the latter more common today.

• In-person courses can take place over a single day or several months and may be held on a university campus during semester breaks.
• Online training programs are often multiple sessions and may be held live over Zoom or delivered as self-paced, prerecorded modules.

Structure

Once you’ve established whether you’d like to take an in-person or online course, you can narrow down your options based on program structure.

• Workshops. A workshop is more like a webinar or conference than a university course—you’ll need to devote a few hours to the event and will leave with some new skills and tools.
• Short courses. These courses are typically completed in just a few weeks and provide focused instruction on a specific topic.
• Long-term programs. A long-term program involves lessons and coursework over several months to a year. More in-depth than a short course, these programs can equip leaders with the skills they need to make a major career transition.
• Certificate programs. Full specializations with a certificate often involve multiple short courses taken in sequence. There is sometimes a capstone project or assessment at the end, too, and these programs may offer university credit toward an MBA or other degree.
• Executive education programs. These courses are typically short—either a workshop or held over a few weeks—and help executives hone in on one particular skill set, like finance.
• MicroMasters®. MicroMasters programs are available through edX. You can enroll in a MicroMasters program to gain new skills through online courses. When you gain your certification, you can apply it toward credits for a full master’s degree at participating universities.

Best leadership training courses in 2024

1. Leadership in an Exponentially Changing World — MIT
2. High Impact Leadership — University of Cambridge
3. President Bill Clinton Teaches Inclusive Leadership — Masterclass
4. Executive Leadership Programme — University of Oxford
5. Professional Certificate in Leadership Essentials — RITx
6. Leading People and Teams Specialization — University of Michigan
7. Become a Leader — LinkedIn Learning
8. Professional Certificate in Leadership and Communication — Harvard University
9. Women’s Leadership Program — Yale School of Management
10. Virtual Team Leader Training Workshop — Powers Resource Center

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1. Leadership in an Exponentially Changing World — MIT

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Leadership in an Exponentially Changing World, offered by MIT Sloan School of Management, helps business leaders become more comfortable with rapid change. The syllabus explores an approach called the “4-CAPS+ Leadership Framework,” which was developed by MIT Faculty Director Deborah Ancona and her team.

The 4-CAPS+ framework focuses on five key capabilities that adaptable business leaders can cultivate:

• Sensemaking, or the process of being open to new trends and uncertainties
• Relating, which involves building strong relationships between yourself and others
• Visioning, or the ability to craft strong visions that are inspirational to others
• Inventing, or creating processes to achieve your goals and remain adaptable to change
• Building credibility, and acting with integrity, to gain respect from others

MIT’s course also emphasizes the importance of leaders being able to create bonds of trust with, and gain respect from, their teams. The program is administered through GetSmarter, an edX platform.

Who is this leadership course good for?

The leadership development program is intended for business leaders who want to become better at innovation and take their teams’ performance to the next level.

Anyone who is at the mid-to-senior management level and can afford the $2,950 course fee may want to consider this as an option.

The course is offered several times per year, with each cohort lasting six weeks, requiring six to eight hours of study per week. Plus, it’s a self-paced course—you can work through each module as you’re ready, and you won’t have to attend live classes.

2. High Impact Leadership — University of Cambridge

This University of Cambridge offers its Leading Sustainably: High Impact Leadership course as continuing professional development (CPD) certification. As part of the program, attendees will learn:

• How to strengthen their personal leadership skills
• Ways to positively influence sustainable change in their organizations
• Strategies for effective leadership during times of change

Who is this leadership course good for?

All CPD courses are short form and tailored to professionals seeking continuing education. Both current and aspiring leaders can enroll in this course to grow their confidence and skills in business leadership.

While the CPD program is for U.K.-based professionals, the class is available online, taking about 80 hours over eight weeks. The course costs about £2,339, and payment plans are available.

3. President Bill Clinton Teaches Inclusive Leadership — Masterclass

Taught by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, this course on inclusive leadership is entirely self-paced and organized in a series of video modules. The course covers topics including:

• Developing a framework for leadership
• Mediating conflict
• Negotiation
• Public speaking
• Assembling, inspiring, and empowering diverse teams
• Measuring success
• The importance of emotional intelligence

During the video modules, Clinton draws upon case studies that are particularly unique, such as engaging in negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea. While business leaders taking this course may never find themselves in quite that exact situation, they can use takeaways from the president’s experiences as inspiration and apply them to their own interactions.

Who is this leadership course good for?

A Masterclass subscription (starting at $10 per month, billed annually) is required to take this course. However, that one subscription unlocks all courses on the Masterclass platform. If you have an interest in other Masterclass programs, then this may be a great one to start with.

The course has no prerequisites, so anyone can give it a try. With a total length of less than three hours, it’s a self-paced class that you can complete in an afternoon.

4. Executive Leadership Programme — University of Oxford

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The University of Oxford’s Executive Leadership Programme is a short course to help business leaders understand how to be more effective in their roles during times of disruption and change. The class guides leaders through:

• Uncovering their personal motivation and purpose as a leader
• Making strong leadership decisions
• Applying effective leadership techniques in real-world settings
• Becoming a driver of organizational change (which can help with goal-driven business transformation)
• Managing high-performance teams

The course’s preview video also highlights students’ access to Oxford faculty and other executive-level attendees. This makes enrollment in the program potentially useful for networking as well as learning.

Who is this leadership course good for?

This leadership development training program is for current business leaders and executives who are interested in driving change and better aligning their professional purpose with organizational goals.

The entire program is held online and can be completed at each attendee’s preferred pace, though you must wait for the next official cohort to begin.

The University of Oxford charges £2,495 (about $2,923) for the eight-week program.

This is more than you might pay for some comparable leadership training programs, but it does come with access to instructors at the university’s Saïd Business School and entry into the Oxford Executive Education Alumni group on LinkedIn.

5. Professional Certificate in Leadership Essentials — RIT

The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) offers a professional certificate in Leadership Essentials through their online learning arm RITx, available on the edX platform. The course is for business professionals who are entering a leadership role and want to improve their:

• Written and verbal communication skills
• Critical thinking and listening
• Ability to respond to the needs of colleagues and team members in the workplace
• Strategic problem-solving
• Conflict management
• Expertise in managing group dynamics
• Cross-functional collaboration

Because the program is entirely self-paced, you can start and finish the modules whenever you’d like. RIT estimates that it’ll take students two months to complete all courses. (That estimate assumes you’re devoting four to six hours a week to study.)

Who is this leadership course good for?

This course is ideal for new managers—and serves as an excellent professional development tool for seasoned leaders, too.

While some edX courses are free, this program incurs a fee of $537 to $597—but you’ll get an RITx certificate after completion.

The complete program is made up of three different courses:

• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
• Business Communication
• Teamwork & Collaboration

You can audit each individual course for free, but if you’d like an RITx certificate of completion, you’ll need to pay the fee to enroll in the official Leadership Essentials program.

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6. Leading People and Teams Specialization — University of Michigan

The University of Michigan offers an online program focused on leading people and teams. By taking this course, you’ll learn:

• How to develop (and communicate) your vision as a leader
• Ways to manage talent and improve retention rates
• How to craft a team charter
• What the Michigan Model of Leadership is, and how to use it when setting goals

All of the program content is online, on-demand, and self-paced.

Who is this leadership course good for?

This specialization program is well suited for new leaders who would like to improve their managerial skills. Subtitles are available in more than 10 languages.

All content is available through Coursera, and the program is made up of five individual courses:

• Inspiring and Motivating Individuals
• Managing Talent
• Influencing People
• Leading Teams
• Leading People and Teams Capstone

While you can audit the first four courses in the specialization for free, the only way to obtain the specialization is to pay for a Coursera Plus membership (starting at $59 per month), complete the projects associated with every course, and finish the capstone module. This fifth module uses an interview approach to allow you to apply the skills you’ve learned in the program.

It’s estimated that the whole specialization will take five months to complete, assuming you devote three hours per week to study.

7. Become a Leader — LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning offers a variety of courses for professionals at all career levels. The Develop Your Skills as a New or Emerging People Leader education track is for anyone who aspires to move into a leadership role at their company.

The program is comprised of five video courses, each under one hour in length:

• Leadership Principles for Emerging Leaders
• Leadership Foundations
• Developing Self-Awareness
• Lead with Positive Power
• Human Leadership

Who is this leadership course good for?

If you’re a new or future leader who’s very active on LinkedIn, this is a quick, straightforward way to hone your skills.

With a LinkedIn Learning membership (starting at $19.99 per month, billed annually), you’ll get a certificate of completion, access to the full course library, and an included upgrade to LinkedIn Premium.

8. Professional Certificate in Leadership and Communication — Harvard University

Harvard-caliber instruction is an accessible reality with this professional certificate in leadership and communication. Offered by edX, the program comprises two courses that cover topics including:

• Building trust in your professional relationships
• Acting as as strong leader through times of change
• Understanding the roles of formal and informal authority
• Using different communication styles (both written and verbal)
• Improving your presentation skills

Like other edX courses, this program is entirely online and self-paced.

The platform estimates it will take most people three months to finish the coursework if they devote two to three hours per week to their studies.

Who is this leadership course good for?

New managers and senior leaders alike can take this course to strengthen their communication and presentation skills at work.

Two separate courses make up this learning track:

• Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles
• Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking

You can audit the courses independently for free or pay a fee (starting at $376.20) to receive the official program certificate from Harvard and edX.

9. Women’s Leadership Program — Yale School of Management

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The Yale School of Management offers a six-week Women's Leadership Program. The course is intended to help women in business grow in their roles as effective leaders. Topics covered include:

• Values-driven leadership
• Self knowledge and self mastery
• Growth through experimentation
• Emotional intelligence
• Networking
• Innovation

This is a fully online course administered through GetSmarter—but it does have a designated start date and lasts for six weeks, with an expectation of six to eight hours of study each week.

Who is this leadership course good for?

If you’re a woman in a leadership position, and would like the opportunity to grow your management skills through formal learning and networking, the structure of this course makes it a nice choice. You’ll need to be able to commit to the course schedule—and the $2,950 price tag.

10. Virtual Team Leader Training Workshop — Powers Resource Center

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This virtual team leader training workshop helps anyone in charge of a remote team improve their ability to:

• Motivate and engage remote teams
• Manage a team working across different time zones
• Foster collaboration more efficiently during remote work
• Understand the principles of building trust among a distributed workforce

The course is offered by the Powers Resource Center, a consulting and training firm. The company provides services to enhance remote and hybrid workplace culture.

Who is this leadership course good for?

This learning experience is for teams, with anywhere from eight to 25 leaders working through the program at once. If you run a remote-first company and want to improve the way team leaders at your company engage with their remote workforce, this course might be a good fit.

You’ll need to get in touch with the Powers Resource Center to get information about course pricing, as it depends on the learning track and number of participants.

What’s the best leadership training course for you?

When considering a leadership training course, it’s important to consider a few additional parameters:

• Experience. Where would you consider yourself to fall in terms of leadership experience: aspiring, new, established, senior, or executive?
• Skills. Are you interested in learning more hard skills (such as new systems) or soft skills (like communication styles)? What do you consider to be your strongest and weakest areas as a leader right now?
• Colleagues. Could this course benefit multiple people at your company? Or would you prefer to pursue professional development on your own?
• Budget. Do you have the funds to pay for an in-depth course with professional certification at the end, or are you interested in exploring free options first?

Working out the answers to these questions in advance will help you hone in on the right types of courses for your needs.

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