Communication is one of the most important components of effective leadership, and its relevance was highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic when leaders were forced to take on a more communicative and direct management role. 

Business schools have responded by giving communication much greater prominence in their teaching. Many institutions now run entire executive education programs dedicated to corporate and leadership communication. 

The programs use research and practice-based methods to develop participants’ communication skills for a variety of contexts including the new virtual world of work. 

These executive programs are hands-on, with participants learning through a combination of communications theory, role-play, interactive presentations and discussions.

They also develop their “executive presence”, or learn how their intent, emotion, purpose, vocal tone and physical presence can impact, influence and inspire people.

These high-impact executive programs help participants to create a more productive workplace, through managing difficult conversations and building trust. Students also explore diversity and inclusion and will become more self-aware. 

These communication-oriented executive courses are often taught by both leading academic faculty and visiting business practitioners. They are delivered online, in person or a mix of the two modalities. Some are short, lasting for a few days full-time while others are delivered part-time over a period of several weeks.
 

Sustainable investing is an increasingly hot topic in the financial community. With global environment and social challenges so numerous and so pressing, and with millennials participating more in the markets, there is a huge shift towards ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing. However, there is still a great deal of uncertainty in this area.

As investors shift their focus towards investments that minimize the risks and maximise the opportunities, it has become more important to stay up to date in this novel sector. A number of business schools with strong reputations for finance have started to offer executive education programs in sustainable finance and ESG investing, however course options remain limited, which reflects the burgeoning and fast-changing nature of the field.

The programs cover the foundational knowledge and key concepts and strategies in sustainable investing, in addition to providing insights on the latest market developments and real-world examples that illustrate emerging best practices. Participants will learn the associated investment risks and opportunities across different classes of assets, and learn how to measure and assess their impact.

The courses are taught not just by academics but leading experts from financial institutions. They are highly practical in nature, with participants strengthening their creative problem solving skills through case studies. The executives are also given the opportunity to work on a personal workplace project, so they leave ready to put the academic theory to work in the markets.

COVID-19 forced companies to reconsider the just-in-time supply chains that the global economy has come to rely upon: the pandemic has exposed companies to increasingly expensive disruptions. The need to trade-off efficiency for resilience, along with the growing body of evidence that suggests supply chains have a material impact on financial performance, has convinced many top business schools to roll out supply chain management programs for senior executives. 

Many of the best executive courses in supply chain management focus on how to build resilience into supply chains. Sustainability is another strong theme across the programs, with participants learning how to manage risks stemming not just from coronavirus but broader global instability such as geopolitical tensions and trade wars, leading to higher tariffs. 

Generally, participants in supply chain executive courses learn about procurement, demand management, forecasting, sales and operational planning. They also study broader management challenges too, such as finance, economics, people management and leadership. 

There is a strong digital flavor to many of the programs, which cover analytics and  robotic process automation, which is increasing transparency, responsiveness and agility. Participants learn how to streamline logistics and create value for their company, employing innovative technologies to boost business performance.  

The variety of content means the executive programs attract both supply chain managers and executives in other functions who recognize that supply chains have a big impact on overall performance.   

Often, the programs balance theory with practice. One some courses, the participants use simulations, applying solutions to real-world business challenges. 

Students learn how to connect supply chain design to business strategy and financial planning. Ultimately, participants will use supply chain management to improve organizational performance. That’s the bottom line. 

See the Top 10 Executive Courses in Supply Chain Management below.

Management consulting is one of the most popular - and lucrative - career paths that can also set you up for a successful transition into the corporate world. Coveted for its stimulating variety of client work across industries and functions, the industry is dynamic and diverse. 

An executive education program in consulting can help people to get ahead in this dynamic world. Due to their popularity, some business schools even run entire executive programs specifically in management consulting. Generally on these courses, participants are taken through the various phases of a strategy project including defining and structuring the problem, conducting analysis, developing and communicating recommendations. This includes managing stakeholder expectations, drawing on diverse perspectives and building trust with clients.

Many of the best executive courses in consulting may also include a practical component where students consult real companies - an opportunity to put academic theory into practice in the real business world. 

Other schools run courses in related fields such as strategic management, problem-solving, product management and digital transformation. This helps consultants who wish to specialize and carve out a niche for themselves. 

As the world grapples with systemic challenges such as climate change, inequality and issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, leaders are being called upon to embrace a more humanistic style of management and nurture their social and emotional skills.

A number of executive education programs have stepped into this fray, offering participants the chance to become better corporate citizens. Much of the training will focus on inclusive leadership, exploring unconscious bias as well as creating a sense of belonging for employees. The courses are about how to foster diversity and inclusion through self-reflective exercises, interactive sessions and group work.

Other programs introduce participants to the ‘social sector’, from nonprofits to impact investing, sustainability, social enterprise. All of these courses are about how to promote the health and wellbeing of employees, while also improving the financial performance of the company and making better strategic choices. Ultimately, participants will be looking to make a positive difference in the world. 

See the best Executive Courses in Humanistic Leadership below. 

Building and leading a diverse workforce has become a key focus for executives in every business sector and geography in recent years, reflecting social movements such as MeToo and Black Lives Matter, along with the growing body of evidence proving that diverse team outperform. 

Building an inclusive workforce — one that takes into consideration characteristics including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation — is widely seen as the key to unleashing innovation and creativity, along with making better business decisions. It’s also a moral imperative.

However, creating a diverse organization is no easy feat, and business schools, who have their own social responsibility, are creating executive education programs focused on diversity and inclusion, whether that’s courses designed for LGBT executives, women in leadership or executives more broadly who want to build their self-awareness and develop their intercultural skills. 

Participants in these programs will develop an inclusive mindset and learn how to work within and lead diverse teams, as well as how to mitigate bias through self-reflective exercises and group work. They also learn to tackle difficult questions and issues like privilege. 

Increasingly, demand is rising for corporate leaders who consider more than just the bottom line: they include environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) factors in their organizational strategy. 

Leaders are being urged by consumers, investors, regulators, and society to shift their methods of value creation as environmental and societal concerns have grown. Sustainability is now a business imperative. 

And as such, a growing number of business schools provide executive education courses in corporate sustainability leadership, which cover ESG investing, sustainable supply chain management, and employee and consumer engagement. Participants will also learn how to develop innovative business models and how to disclose sustainability practices to meet increasing and conflicting stakeholder demands. 

Using a mix of interactive lectures, simulations and action learning, the executives will develop practical and impactful strategies for building consensus and making change. With companies facing greater pressure to tackle societal challenges such as inequality as well as climate change, these skills are critical to any leader’s future success. 

The private capital industry has grown to more than $7 trillion, thanks to the low interest rate environment and lofty stock market valuations. This has inflated the values of the biggest private capital firms and prompted other companies to launch new divisions. This is a big opportunity for business schools with the right courses.

Professionals who work in private capital – which includes the venture capital and private equity industries – face numerous challenges. As the number and size of investment funds increases, so is competition for top quality deals.

Executive education courses take participants through the full investment lifecycle, from screening and valuing potential investments to carrying out due diligence, negotiating terms, determining financial projections and choosing an exit strategy.

Participants will typically include all the parties involved in a financial transaction, including investors, banks, founders, shareholders and advisors. They develop strategies to lower risk and increase returns.

The executive programs are hands-on, incorporating academic theory with the latest insights from industry practitioners, real-world case studies, practical group projects and visits to top venture capital firms at some schools.

Participants gain the latest thinking from industry leaders and academics, and exchange experiences with a unique class of industry leaders. They ultimately improve their knowledge of the best practices to become more effective investors and save themselves from costly mistakes. Here are the top 10 executive courses in venture capital and private equity.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, leaders of organizations around the world face a period of continuous disruption and volatility. For many company executives, successfully navigating the current era of upheaval will require lessons in leadership — lessons that business schools are keen to provide.

A number of leading management institutions worldwide have established crisis leadership courses for executives, delivered in a range of formats and different durations. These courses focus on how to lead through change and the unprecedented challenges facing businesses today. We’ve listed 10 of the best courses below.

Design thinking is all the rage in executive circles. This innovative approach to problem-solving puts executives in their customers’ shoes, so that they can better understand their unmet, or unarticulated, needs. The approach has been used with great success in many companies such as Apple, Samsung and Nike.

And for that reason, other organizations are looking to implement design thinking methodologies in their organizations. A number of executive education programs have been created by business schools to help guide managers and leaders through the design thinking process. This typically involves testing concepts for rapid feedback, and iterating those ideas until a successful solution emerges.

The participants will return to work ready to push and sustain innovation efforts within their organizations, and therefore generate lasting value.