Successful leaders understand power—and they know how to share it. In today's world, where intellectual capital reigns, competitive advantage occurs when an organization utilizes the knowledge and experience of all its members. "Command and control" leadership styles are obsolete; instead, leaders must learn to identify, focus, and release the power of the entire organization.


Program tuition includes private accommodations, all meals, and course materials.

Program Overview

The Executive Program in Leadership is designed to help participants put effective, collaborative methods of leadership to work in their organizations and leverage the leadership potential of all members of their teams. Participants focus on developing their own leadership skills and personal influence, as well as exploring strategies for building a team of strong individuals who will support each other, deal with tough problems in an efficient manner, and take accountability for results.

A Leadership Questionnaire is distributed to each participant's colleagues and direct reports before the program. Participants then use the results to develop their own leadership action plans tailored to their personal objectives and the needs of their companies.

Faculty Director
Other Faculty
Larissa Tiedens

Jonathan B. Lovelace Professor of Organizational Behavior; Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Professor Tiedens' research is primarily in two areas: (1) the psychology of social hierarchies, and (2) the social context of emotion. She is specifically interested in the psychological processes involved in the creation and maintenance of hierarchical relationships. Her work on emotion is concerned with the effects of emotion on social judgment and with relations between social roles and emotions.

Frank E. Buck Professor of Management; Director of the Leading Change and Organizational Renewal Executive Program

Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior

Atholl McBean Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources; Director of the Managing Talent for Strategic Advantage Executive Program; Codirector of the Customer- Focused Innovation Executive Program

Key Takeaways
  • Strategies for using personal power and building strong, mutual influence relationships within your organization
  • Skills for building a strong, cohesive team that can solve tough problems efficiently
  • Practical tools you can apply immediately, based on the personalized Leadership Questionnaire and the Change Plan
 
 
 
 
 
 

Highlighted Sessions

Influence Without Authority: Dealing with Multiple Stakeholders
This session introduces a model for influencing important stakeholders who cannot be given orders (or who will cooperate better when allowed to influence back). Learn to apply influence without authority in complex organizational situations where it is necessary to diagnose the interests of a diverse group.

The Power of Confrontation
One hesitancy that leaders have with building an empowered team is whether members will take up their responsibilities in an appropriate manner. Since few employees come fully developed, coaching is a key leadership task. One of the most frequent criticisms employees have is that they don't receive timely and honest feedback. This session is built on the premise that one can say (almost) anything to (almost) anybody if you stick with your reality.

Other Selected Sessions

  • Understanding the Power of Shared Responsibility Leadership
  • Building Strong Culture Where Members Share Vision and Values
  • Forms and Sources of Power
  • Developing Effective Teams
  • Productive Disagreements That Generate New, Creative Ideas
  • Mutual Influence for Collaborative Action
  • Personal Traps—How and Where We Give Our Power Away

Who Should Attend?

This program is designed for senior-level executives and general managers with at least seven years of management experience. Participants must have at least four direct reports. It is appropriate for executives from organizations of any size and in any industry.
SAMPLE Participant Mix
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The course was a great combination of theory, interaction, and role playing. It inspired a lot of thought about how to motivate organizations and get the best from people.
– Russ Radom
Vice President, Supplies Category, NA
Hewlett-Packard
The practical approach to solving leadership challenges allowed me to return with a fresh outlook on how to resolve several critical issues we faced at the time... I recommend this program to any executives looking to improve their skills and techniques in managing people.
– David Jochim
Senior Vice President and Manager
Union Bank of California
Professor Bradford is truly outstanding; he does an excellent job of involving people, making his points crisply and moving on to the next issue.
– David S. Fines
Chief Administrative Officer
AMB Property Corporation
I enjoyed the practical application of vision, the interesting real-world application of theory.
– William Butler
Vice President/General Manager
Hanson Aggregates

Facilities

 
 
 
 
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Stanford University
The Stanford campus is world renowned for its natural beauty, Spanish mission-style architecture, and temperate climate. With more than 8,180 acres (3,310 hectares), Stanford's campus ranks as one of the largest in the United States. Participants in Stanford's Executive Programs become part of a quintessential university setting, residing together, walking or biking to classes, and enjoying access to Stanford University facilities.
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The Knight Management Center
Opened in spring 2011, the Knight Management Center has transformed the Stanford Graduate School of Business into a vibrant and unified indoor-outdoor, living and learning community. Participants will take classes at this new state-of-the-art campus, which features tiered classrooms with extensive floor-to-ceiling glass, the latest in audiovisual technology, numerous breakout and study rooms, outdoor seating areas to encourage informal discussion, and an open collaboration lab that employs hands-on and design thinking techniques.
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Schwab Residential Center
Designed by renowned Mexican architect, Ricardo Legorreta, the Schwab Residential Center gives residents ample privacy while promoting collegial interaction through shared lounges, outdoor meeting areas, a library, and an exercise room.

CONTACT

Erica Mohar
Associate Director, Programs and Marketing
Phone: +1.650.721.9471
Email: emohar@stanford.edu