If you’re an aspiring leader, taking advantage of professional development opportunities is essential.
According to job search site Zippia, 83 percent of business professionals agree leadership development is important at every level, but only five percent of organizations have implemented it. Because of this, many individuals transition to leadership roles with little to no formal training, which can result in:
- Poor decision-making
- Ineffective communication
- Decreased employee engagement
To ensure you’re positioned to take on today’s biggest business challenges and advance your career, you can turn to educational avenues, such as leadership certificate programs.
Here’s a breakdown of what a leadership certificate is and how earning one can enhance your leadership skills.
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A leadership certificate program is designed to provide the skills and knowledge to become an effective leader. Most programs focus on the fundamentals of guiding and managing teams—both small and large—and cover leadership topics such as:
- Communicating with your team and stakeholders
- Planning and implementing organizational change
- Elevating your leadership style and strategies
Instead of completing multiple semesters—like in a graduate degree program—you can choose a concentration and gain valuable knowledge in just several weeks.
If you want to be an effective organizational leader, here are five outcomes to expect from earning a leadership certificate.
5 Outcomes of Earning a Leadership Certificate
1. Improve Your Decision-Making Skills
By enrolling in a leadership certificate program, you can learn from business leaders and discover how to make difficult decisions to overcome your organization’s biggest challenges.
“In gray-area situations, there’s often no course of action that benefits everyone, or provides only benefits without risks or harm,” says Harvard Business School Professor Nien-hê Hsieh in the online course Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability.
In the course, Hsieh presents the three types of responsibility in business: economic, legal, and ethical. All three are important to aid decision-making in gray-area situations.
For example, healthcare companies often struggle to find a balance between management decisions and patient outcomes due to industry challenges, such as rapid technological advancements and increased competition. What’s best for business may not be what’s best for the patient, prompting leaders to make decisions by weighing their ethical, legal, and economic responsibilities.
Some leadership courses—such as those Harvard Business School Online offers—implement a case-based learning model that can bring these lessons to life with real-world examples to allow you to apply your knowledge in your own industry.
2. Advance Your Career
Earning a leadership certificate can make you a more valuable employee by providing the skills to lead effectively and advance your career.
You can improve your job performance by learning to adapt your communication style, manage teams, and make better decisions.
Investing in your education can also lead to increased responsibility or a promotion. This is because leadership training touches on professional competencies that can help you move up the corporate ladder, such as:
- Advocating for yourself
- Setting clear goals
- Taking initiative
According to a survey of more than 2,000 HBS Online learners conducted by City Square Associates, 31 percent got a promotion as a result of earning a certificate.
3. Increase Your Professional Network
Another benefit of pursuing a leadership certificate is the opportunity to network with other professionals. Doing so can lead to new job opportunities, partnerships, and collaborations. Your network can also reveal career interests you haven’t considered and help you become more well-rounded.
According to the Harvard Business Review, you need three types of networks:
- Strategic network: Individuals who help you stay on top of your industry’s trends so you can strategically plan for the future
- Operational network: Professionals outside your organization who help you succeed in your daily leadership responsibilities
- Developmental network: People who help you develop professionally by acting as mentors and providing thoughtful advice and aid based on their experiences
For instance, the HBS Online Community offers opportunities to build your network and connect with learners worldwide via discussion boards, events, and challenges.
Related: How Leaders Develop and Use Their Network
4. Enhance Your Skill Set
By enrolling in a leadership certificate program, you can enhance your skills and learn new ones. You can also gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a good leader and how to apply your knowledge to real-world situations.
Skills that can help you become a more effective leader and advance your career include:
- Emotional intelligence, to understand your emotions and those of your team to foster a positive working environment
- Communication, to motivate others, bring out their best performances, and achieve organizational goals
- Negotiation, to close deals and maximize value for your organization
Leadership certificates can provide these skills, improve your critical thinking, and make you a more well-rounded professional. They can also help ensure you’re a more marketable candidate if you ever leave your company for another opportunity.
5. Boost Your Earning Potential
You can reap several financial benefits by enrolling in a leadership certificate program, such as increasing your long-term earning potential.
For example, City Square Associates’ survey of HBS Online learners shows that 42 percent received an average $17,000 salary increase as a result of earning a certificate. In addition, 16 percent received a bonus, with an average increase of $14,000.
Another financial benefit of earning a leadership certificate is that it often costs less than other educational options. According to a report by the Association for Talent Development, the average organization spent $1,280 per employee on workplace learning in 2021. If your employer is willing to pay for your education, online classes can be intriguing when comparing overall cost.
Related: Are Online Classes Worth It? 12 Pros & Cons of Online Learning
A leadership certificate can provide all the benefits of advancing your education while keeping costs down.
Enroll in the Right Leadership Certificate Program
When considering a leadership certificate program, it's vital to choose one that fits your personal and professional needs.
For instance, HBS Online’s leadership and management certificate courses offer comprehensive curriculums in a flexible, online format. You can learn at your own pace and gain the skills and knowledge to become an effective leader without having to go back to school full-time or in person.
A leadership certificate can provide numerous benefits if you want to enhance your business skills and career. What you get out of earning one is up to you.
Do you want to further your education and become a better leader? Discover how our online leadership and management courses can enable you to develop in-demand business skills that advance your career. If you aren’t sure which course is right for you, download our free flowchart to explore your options.
This post was updated on August 23, 2023. It was originally published on March 23, 2023.
