Earning a certificate can be an effective way to prepare for the next stage of your career. If you aim to advance to a higher leadership level, an organizational leadership certificate course can provide not only the skills to succeed but other benefits, too.
Here’s a breakdown of what an organizational leadership certificate is and how pursuing one can benefit you.
What Is an Organizational Leadership Certificate?
An organizational leadership certificate is what you earn upon successfully completing a program or course designed to equip experienced leaders with the skills to take on new leadership challenges.
While a degree program can span several years and multiple courses, a certificate program is typically shorter and focused on a specific area.
For that reason, an organizational leadership certificate can be a time- and cost-effective option if you’re a working professional who wants to upskill on a busy schedule.
Who Should Take an Organizational Leadership Certificate Course?
Organizational leadership certificate programs are a good fit if you have some leadership experience and want to increase the scale and scope of your capabilities.
For example, Harvard Business School Online’s Organizational Leadership course was designed to enable experienced team leaders and entrepreneurs transitioning their startups into growth-stage companies to level up their skills.
If you’re new to leadership, taking a fundamentals course, like Leadership Principles, may be a better option.
What Do You Learn in an Organizational Leadership Certificate Course?
An organizational leadership course can provide tools, frameworks, and strategies for dealing with the challenges of increased leadership responsibility, including:
- Managing organizational change
- Leading through crisis
- Shaping organizational culture
- Setting and communicating direction
- Motivating others to execute on a strategic vision
Course content varies by provider, instructor, and format, so research the specifics before committing.
The benefits of taking an organizational leadership course extend beyond the skills you can gain. Here are eight to consider.
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1. It Can Position You to Advance Within Your Organization
If you’re a leader in your organization, increasing your scale and scope can be daunting.
“What do we mean by scale and scope?” says HBS Professor Anthony Mayo in Organizational Leadership. “Scale refers to the sheer size and magnitude of what you’re leading—how many people, how large a budget, and how many teams, locations, and operations you oversee. Scope refers to the range and diversity of what you’re responsible for—people, teams, business lines, locations, operations, and facilities.”
An organizational leadership certificate can equip you with the skills to take on the challenges associated with increased scale and scope. It can also demonstrate your commitment to professional development and bolster your resume when being considered for a promotion.
2. It Can Broaden Your Career Prospects
In addition to helping you advance within your firm, an organizational leadership certificate can broaden your career prospects at other companies.
When applying for a role that requires taking on additional leadership responsibilities, a certificate on your resume can be a vote of confidence that you have the experience and skills to meet its requirements.
3. It Can Increase Your Earning Potential
Whether advancing within your organization or at another company, earning a certificate can increase your earning potential.
A study by City Square Associates found that 42 percent of HBS Online learners said their certificate course helped increase their salary by an average of $17,000—a 10-times return on investment.
The same study found that 20 percent of HBS Online learners reported that their course helped increase their bonus by an average of $14,000.
Not all certificate courses are created equal, but pursuing the right one can provide significant value.
4. It Can Improve Your Team’s Performance
Earning a certificate doesn’t just pay off personally but also financially. When you empower people to do their best work, they deliver.
Research by management consulting firm Gallup shows direct correlations between employee engagement and team- and organization-level outcomes, including higher sales and profitability, greater productivity, and lower turnover and absenteeism.
By creating an environment for your employees to thrive, they can work more efficiently and collaboratively to meet or exceed goals.
5. It Can Positively Impact Your Organization’s Culture
One of the skills you can gain from an organizational leadership course is shaping and building a strong company culture. When employees feel valued, aligned on purpose, and able to challenge deeply held positions, positive results can follow.
According to a Salesforce report, more than 70 percent of U.S. employees say connecting to their company's culture and values motivates them to do their best work.
“Leading at scale and scope requires you to treat communication as a tool to reach out to people, captivate heads, and move hearts,” says HBS Professor Joshua Margolis in Organizational Leadership, “so those you’re leading understand your actions and goals. And, perhaps more importantly, so they understand where they fit and why their work matters.”
6. It Can Help Foster Innovation
If you want to create a culture of innovation, an organizational leadership course can provide a framework for doing so.
As a leader, you help set the precedent for how to perceive mistakes. If your employees fear failing, they won’t test new ideas, thus missing out on potential innovations.
In Organizational Leadership, for instance, Mayo and Margolis outline rules for fostering innovation—including supporting experimentation and questioning sacred organizational rules—and detail how you can leverage each to shape your organization’s culture.
Pursuing innovation can benefit your organization by improving employees’ feelings toward their work. It can also help you identify how to set your product apart in the market.
7. It Can Enable You to Navigate Change Confidently
Gaining additional leadership responsibilities can come with burdens—not least of all guiding your organization through change and difficult times.
The challenges you manage may be small (for instance, switching to a new content management system) or much larger (for instance, navigating your employees’ safety and business’s future during the COVID-19 pandemic).
In these situations, confidence is key. An organizational leadership certificate course can provide skills and frameworks to handle whatever challenges come your way and build your confidence.
8. It Can Connect You to Other Leaders
Accepting more responsibility often means fewer places to turn for support. By taking an organizational leadership course, you open yourself up to a network of others in the same career stage who face similar challenges.
The HBS Online Community offers a place for you to connect before, during, and after your course, creating the opportunity to build a global network of supportive peers.
Selecting the Right Organizational Leadership Course for You
If you want to reap the benefits of earning a certificate in organizational leadership, ensure you choose the right course. During your research, consider:
- How the content aligns with the skills you want to gain
- The course’s format and schedule
- The instructor’s expertise
- Whether the course content actively engages you
- Whether it contains real-world business examples to learn from
- Whether you’ll have the chance to connect with fellow learners
Once you find the course that fits your needs, dive in and take your leadership skills to the next level.
Are you interested in elevating your leadership skills? Explore Organizational Leadership—one of our online leadership and management courses—and learn how to communicate direction and lead at scale. Not sure which course is right for you? Download our free flowchart.
