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Leadership Principles vs. Organizational Leadership: Which Course Is Right for You?

Business leader standing in front of conference table
  • 26 Jan 2023
Catherine Cote Author Staff
tag
  • Leadership
  • Leadership Principles
  • Management
  • Organizational Leadership

Leadership is an elusive quality some innately have and others don’t. Yet you can develop it through education, hard work, and practice.

If you want to advance your career, Harvard Business School Online offers two courses dedicated to building your leadership skills: Leadership Principles and Organizational Leadership.

Taught by HBS Professors Joshua Margolis and Anthony Mayo, each course provides the skills and frameworks needed to lead at different points in your career.

Here’s a breakdown of each and the HBS Online learning experience to help you select the best leadership training course for you.


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Course Comparison: Leadership Principles vs. Organizational Leadership

Leadership Principles

Leadership Principles is a six-week online course. If you’re an early- or mid-career professional, new leader, or early-stage or aspiring entrepreneur, this is the course for you.

In Leadership Principles, you'll:

  • Develop your leadership style by understanding your motivations, emotional intelligence, and communication methods
  • Learn how to handle challenging leadership situations and pivot your style when necessary
  • Explore how to coach colleagues to bring out their best performances
  • Drive your professional development as you transition from an individual contributor to a leader

“When I think about the audience for Leadership Principles, I think it’s anybody who’s currently in a leadership role or somebody who’s stepping into that role,” Mayo says in a video interview about the course. “For individuals who are stepping into that role, it gives them the tools, techniques, and approaches to be able to see themselves as a leader. For people who are in a leadership role already, it helps them reaffirm what things they’re doing well, what things they might want to improve, and what blind spots they may have.”

Margolis adds that the course is an effective primer for individual contributors who want to be considered for leadership roles. He also notes that it can benefit professionals managing new leaders who want to refresh their knowledge of foundational leadership concepts.

Abby Katz, a senior manager at influencer marketing organization Mavrck, enrolled in Leadership Principles at her supervisor’s recommendation to build the skills to become a team leader.

“I found the content of the course to be extremely informative and applicable to the real challenges of being a leader,” Katz says. “I loved the frameworks and the case study model of the course, and I thought it was very manageable on top of a full-time job."

If you, like Katz, aim to develop your leadership style or skill set, Leadership Principles can help you achieve your goals.

Leadership Principles: Unlock your leadership potential. Learn more.

Organizational Leadership

Organizational Leadership is a seven-week online course designed for experienced team leaders and entrepreneurs who want to take their leadership skills to the next level.

In Organizational Leadership, you’ll learn how to:

  • Communicate purpose and vision and inspire others to execute effectively
  • Identify misalignments between your organization and its broader market dynamics
  • Evolve your leadership style to guide others and meet the challenges of managing dispersed teams
  • Shape organizational culture to leverage diversity, maximize performance, and drive innovation
  • Craft strategies for planning and executing organizational change

“This course will prepare you to set and communicate direction, influence through other managers, drive innovation, and engineer change,” Mayo says in a video about the course.

While Organizational Leadership is a standalone course, it’s also a logical next step for those who took Leadership Principles and want to continue developing and expanding their leadership scope.

Take Your Organization to the Next Level | Learn More

Types of Leadership Training Courses

When considering which leadership training course to take, you’ll likely encounter a variety of formats. An in-person course can be a good fit if you know you learn best in that environment and can commute to a campus location. If you want a more flexible, global experience, an online course is the right choice for you.

Online courses are more than just substitutes for in-person ones; they provide a host of benefits, including:

  • Time and location flexibility
  • Potential cost savings
  • Self-paced learning
  • Global connections

Not all online courses are created equal. If benefits such as peer interaction, world-class faculty, and engaging content are important to you, research programs that include those, like HBS Online’s offerings.

The HBS Online Learning Experience

By taking either course, you’ll experience what makes the HBS Online learning experience unique. All courses feature:

  • World-renowned HBS faculty
  • Self-paced coursework with deadlines
  • Engaging, interactive content
  • Social interaction with fellow learners
  • Examples of real business challenges faced by experts
  • The HBS Online Community, a global network of lifelong learners

You can also experience a return on your investment; a recent survey shows that 42 percent of HBS Online learners earned a $17,000 average salary increase after completing a course—a 10-times return on their investment.

The HBS Online learning model’s combination of flexibility, quality, connection, and real-world examples sets you up for success, regardless of which leadership and management course you choose.

If both Leadership Principles and Organizational Leadership fit your career path, consider pursuing a Learning Track. Doing so enables you to take three courses in the leadership and management subject area and earn a Certificate of Specialization upon completion.

Which HBS Online leadership and management course is right for you? Download your free flowchart.

Selecting the Right Leadership Training Course

Because there are many types of leadership training courses, it’s important to consider your experience level, educational goals, and career aspirations when selecting one.

Take stock of the skills you’d like to build: Which course will provide the tools and frameworks to do so?

If Leadership Principles or Organizational Leadership align with your experience and aspirations, they’re effective ways to gain the skills needed to advance your career.

Are you interested in developing your leadership skills with HBS Online? Explore Leadership Principles, Organizational Leadership, and other leadership and management certificate courses. Download our flowchart to determine which is right for you.

About the Author

Catherine Cote is a marketing coordinator at Harvard Business School Online. Prior to joining HBS Online, she worked at an early-stage SaaS startup where she found her passion for writing content, and at a digital consulting agency, where she specialized in SEO. Catherine holds a B.A. from Holy Cross, where she studied psychology, education, and Mandarin Chinese. When not at work, you can find her hiking, performing or watching theatre, or hunting for the best burger in Boston.
 
All FAQs

Top FAQs

How are HBS Online courses delivered?

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We offer self-paced programs (with weekly deadlines) on the HBS Online course platform.

Our platform features short, highly produced videos of HBS faculty and guest business experts, interactive graphs and exercises, cold calls to keep you engaged, and opportunities to contribute to a vibrant online community.

Are HBS Online programs available in languages other than English?

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We expect to offer our courses in additional languages in the future but, at this time, HBS Online can only be provided in English.

All course content is delivered in written English. Closed captioning in English is available for all videos. There are no live interactions during the course that requires the learner to speak English. Written English proficiency should suffice.

Do I need to come to campus to participate in HBS Online programs?

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No, all of our programs are 100 percent online, and available to participants regardless of their location.

How do I enroll in a course?

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All programs require the completion of a brief application. The applications vary slightly from program to program, but all ask for some personal background information. You can apply for and enroll in programs here. If you are new to HBS Online, you will be required to set up an account before starting an application for the program of your choice.

Our easy online application is free, and no special documentation is required. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the program.

After submitting your application, you should receive an email confirmation from HBS Online. If you do not receive this email, please check your junk email folders and double-check your account to make sure the application was successfully submitted.

Updates to your application and enrollment status will be shown on your Dashboard. We confirm enrollment eligibility within one week of your application.

Does Harvard Business School Online offer an online MBA?

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No, Harvard Business School Online offers business certificate programs.

What are my payment options?

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We accept payments via credit card, wire transfer, Western Union, and (when available) bank loan. Some candidates may qualify for scholarships or financial aid, which will be credited against the Program Fee once eligibility is determined. Please refer to the Payment & Financial Aid page for further information.

We also allow you to split your payment across 2 separate credit card transactions or send a payment link email to another person on your behalf. If splitting your payment into 2 transactions, a minimum payment of $350 is required for the first transaction.

In all cases, net Program Fees must be paid in full (in US Dollars) to complete registration.

What are the policies for refunds and deferrals?

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After enrolling in a program, you may request a withdrawal with refund (minus a $100 nonrefundable enrollment fee) up until 24 hours after the start of your program. Please review the Program Policies page for more details on refunds and deferrals. If your employer has contracted with HBS Online for participation in a program, or if you elect to enroll in the undergraduate credit option of the Credential of Readiness (CORe) program, note that policies for these options may differ.

 

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