Executive education programs for new leaders
Table of Contents
By: Shelby Campbell, Edited by: Valerie Black
Published: April 18, 2025
Anyone can be a workplace leader. Whether you're a new hire or a C-suite executive, you can elevate your career by demonstrating a desire to lead. Executive education leadership programs can help you build expert leadership skills so you can thrive as a workplace innovator.
Start transforming your career path today by exploring edX's library of leadership Executive Education courses.
Why should you take leadership courses?
Leadership executive education courses can help employees discover ways to innovate workplace culture and systems. These courses can provide you with the leadership skills to transform how you communicate with and support coworkers, pursue learning opportunities, and improve efficiency.
When taking on new responsibilities at work, you must demonstrate leadership skills to accomplish your new goals. Leadership programs may also help increase your confidence.
Additionally, your desire to be a leader can prove to decision-makers, like managers and executives, that you're the best candidate to hire or promote.
What is the difference between management and leadership?
While management and leadership are related, they are two distinct business concepts. Leadership involves creating an organization's goals and conceptualizing how to achieve them, and management involves upholding the system that works toward these goals.
What skills do you learn in executive leadership programs?
Executive leadership courses teach learners about various leadership styles and the traits that make an effective leader. These courses often examine real-world case studies to demonstrate industry skills. There are also leadership courses that aim to amplify a specific population, such as women in leadership.
Many executive education programs focus on improving elements of your leadership. You may learn to implement new strategies that involve:
- Empathy
- Motivation
- Creativity
- Innovation
- Organization
- Problem-solving
- Inclusivity
- Adaptability
These courses generally take 6-8 weeks to complete and cost between $2,500-$3,500, depending on the program. Additionally, you may be able to combine several executive leadership courses to earn a professional certificate.
What are some executive programs for new leaders on edX?
In edX's library of Executive Education programs, you can choose a leadership course from top schools and experts. Discover new leadership strategies to help accelerate your career growth with these courses and more:
- Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles: This HarvardX course is designed to help new leaders learn the basics of effective leadership. Discover new ways to problem solve, innovate, and influence your team's growth.
- Agile Leadership Principles and Practices: Learn to become a better leader through communication and motivation by taking this agile leadership course from the University of Maryland. Explore actionable strategies to empower your team.
- Developing Your Personal Leadership Style: How do you want to lead? Define your leadership style in this Indiana University course and learn to lead with intention.
- Rise to Leadership: Become a CEO: Ambitious leaders may have their eyes on landing a C-suite role. Gain unique executive leadership skills and analyze how to become a CEO in this BabsonX program.
- Becoming a Successful Leader (Inclusive Leadership Training): Leading a dynamic team to success means embracing each team member's unique abilities. Explore real-world examples to learn about inclusive leadership in this CatalystX course.
- Leading With Effective Communication (Inclusive Leadership Training): Implement new ways to use clear, honest communication with your team by taking this inclusive leadership course from CatalystX.
- Strategic Leadership: Your strategy can help you adapt to business challenges and inspire growth. Learn how to develop a leadership strategy for flexibility with this DoaneX leadership course.