“Leadership is sometimes misunderstood as a mystical quality that some people embody and others don’t,” says Harvard Business School Professor Joshua Margolis, who teaches the online course Leadership Principles.
In reality, anyone can learn to become an effective leader, manager, negotiator, or change-maker with education and practice.
To equip you with the necessary skills, HBS Online offers 10 leadership and management courses as part of its Leadership and Management Learning Track:
Choosing the right course starts with knowing your goals. To help you decide, here’s a guide that highlights the value of HBS Online courses, breaks down each of our leadership and management offerings, and explains how they can help you take the next step in your career.
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The Value of HBS Online Courses
Online courses offer convenience, cost-effectiveness, and help you develop in-demand business skills to benefit your career and organization—and those offered by HBS Online are no exception.
HBS Online’s leadership and management courses can prepare you for leadership experience and business decision-making. A 2022 survey by City Square Associates found that 84 percent of HBS Online learners reported having more confidence in making business decisions after completing a course.
Taking an online course can also pay off—literally. In response to another City Square Associates survey of HBS Online learners, 91 percent said their course had a positive impact on their careers. Not only that, 42 percent said HBS Online helped increase their salary by an average of $17,000—a 10-times return on investment.
If you’re eager to broaden your expertise, consider completing three leadership and management courses within 18 months to earn a Certificate of Specialization in Leadership and Management. This advanced certificate not only enhances your resume but also demonstrates your commitment to continuous professional development.
Whether you’re an aspiring manager building a foundation for success or an experienced leader striving to hone or expand your skills, there’s an HBS Online program for you. Here’s an overview of each to help you decide.
Which Leadership & Management Course Is Right for You?
If You’re a New or Aspiring Leader or Manager
Do you want to lead an organization or manage teams? Have you recently earned a promotion and want to bolster your skill set? Start with foundational skills in leadership or management.
Unlock Your Leadership Potential
Leadership Principles
Leadership Principles is a six-week course that will empower you to unlock the potential in yourself and others. Taught by HBS professors Anthony Mayo and Joshua Margolis, this course guides you in developing your personal leadership style, provides the tools to mobilize others, and prepares you to pivot and lead in stressful situations.
Course Summary:
Get the Job Done
Management Essentials
Management Essentials is right if you want fresh tactics for designing organizational processes, influencing decision-making, and spearheading initiatives that enable your team and organization to be at their best.
This eight-week course is taught by HBS professors Joseph Fuller and David Garvin, who equip you with everything from broad perspectives on management to tools for guiding organizational change.
Course Summary:
Use Your Power For Good
Power and Influence for Positive Impact
Power and Influence for Positive Impact is the right course for you if you’re interested in the role power and social influence play in enacting positive change.
Taught by HBS Professor Julie Battilana, this six-week course offers a detailed framework for understanding how power works, guidance for gaining power and influence no matter your role, and how to harness it to positively impact others, your organization, and society at large.
Course Summary:
Develop a Toolkit for Making Tough Leadership Decisions
Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability
If you’re navigating leadership’s ethical, legal, and economic responsibilities, consider Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability.
Taught by HBS Professor Nien-hê Hsieh, this six-week course can help you define and act on your responsibilities to various stakeholder groups, create a culture of ethics and accountability in the workplace, sharpen your ethical decision-making skills, and empower you to lead with integrity.
Course Summary
If You’re an Experienced Leader or Manager
If you’re a seasoned leader or manager, consider taking Leadership Principles, Management Essentials, Power and Influence for Positive Impact, or Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability to strengthen your foundational skills and gain new perspectives from HBS faculty and business experts from leading companies.
If your goal is to deepen or build on your existing skill set, explore one of our other six courses:
Take Your Organization to the Next Level
Organizational Leadership
Organizational Leadership is our second course taught by Mayo and Margolis. It can be taken as a follow-up to Leadership Principles or on its own. This seven-week course is right if you’re an experienced team leader who wants to prepare for expanded leadership roles.
Through this course, you’ll learn how to elevate your personal leadership style to apply it to larger teams, influence through other managers, and create organizational alignment by effectively communicating purpose and vision.
Course Summary:
Earn Your Seat at the Negotiation Table
Negotiation Mastery
If you aim to hone your negotiation skills, Negotiation Mastery is the right choice. Over eight weeks, HBS Professor Michael Wheeler will teach you how to analyze negotiation dynamics, prepare an agile negotiation strategy, de-escalate tensions before they become conflicts, and maximize value in agreements.
Course Summary:
Successfully Implement Strategy Within Your Organization
Strategy Execution
Strategy Execution is an eight-week course taught by HBS Professor Robert Simons designed to prepare you for what many managers call the strategy process’s most challenging aspect: implementation.
You’ll develop skills to tackle common execution challenges, create an organizational culture that fosters successful strategy implementation, and apply frameworks for managing risk, allocating resources, and measuring your strategies’ success.
Course Summary:
Lead Your Organization Through Transformational Change
Leading Change and Organizational Renewal
If your goal is to lead your organization through a large-scale transformation, this six-week course will help you achieve lasting success.
Leading Change and Organizational Renewal, taught by HBS Professor Michael Tushman and Stanford Graduate School of Business Professor Charles O’Reilly, equips you with the tools and strategies to build an ambidextrous organization that will excel today and stay ahead of future market shifts.
Course Summary:
Lead Dynamic Teams in an Ever-Evolving Business Environment
Dynamic Teaming
Designed for managers and leaders alike, Dynamic Teaming is a four-week course led by HBS Professor Amy Edmondson, faculty chair of the Credential of Leadership, Impact and Management in Business (CLIMB) program. Dynamic Teaming provides the tools to build adaptable, high-performing teams in today’s ever-evolving work environments.
Throughout the course, you’ll explore key concepts such as fostering psychological safety, enhancing your team’s decision-making abilities, enabling effective pivots, and learning from failure.
Course Summary:
Deliver Exceptional Experiences that Build Customer Loyalty
Transforming Customer Experiences
Perfect for any leader in the service sector, Transforming Customer Experiences, led by HBS Professor Ryan Buell, offers a systematic approach to delivering standout service.
In just four weeks, you’ll learn service-driven tactics that give your organization a competitive edge, enable you to build lasting customer loyalty, and prepare you for the challenges and opportunities of scaling your business.
Course Summary:
If You Want a Comprehensive Year-Long Experience
The Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB) is ideal for new and experienced leaders looking to build robust, in-demand business skills through a dynamic, cohort-based learning journey.
By enrolling in CLIMB, you’ll join a network of like-minded professionals and immerse yourself in a curriculum tailored to where you are in your career. Over the course of the program, you’ll complete seven courses focused on leading in today’s complex business world, sharpen your strategic thinking, and grow as a leader.
Program Summary:
What to Expect from an HBS Online Leadership & Management Course
No matter which leadership and management course you take, there are several hallmarks of HBS Online’s learning experience you can expect:
- World-class faculty
- Self-paced online coursework with deadlines
- Engaging, interactive content
- Social interaction with fellow learners
- Real examples of business challenges faced by experts
- The HBS Online Community, a global network of business professionals
- Career growth and a positive return on investment
Select the course that best aligns with your experience level and goals, knowing you’ll build knowledge that can make you a better leader or manager.
If you still aren’t sure which HBS Online leadership and management course is the right fit, download our free course flowchart to determine which best aligns with your goals. If multiple programs interest you, consider pursuing a Learning Track, which enables you to take three courses within the leadership and management subject area.
This post was updated on April 24, 2025. It was originally published on August 12, 2022.
