Stanford LEAD’s 8-course curriculum helps leaders develop an innovation mindset and the skill sets needed to implement

change.
Start with two foundation courses, add on one leadership course, and then customize your experience with your choice of five
electives to build your skill sets and reach your personal and professional goals.

Foundations (Required)
CRITICAL ANALYTICAL THINKING This course will cover the key techniques of financial valuation
a n d c a p it al b u d g e tin g us e d by m aj o r c o r p o r atio n s .
Haim Mendelson Understanding these techniques is critical for project sponsors
The Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Professor of to make sure their ideas get the attention—and funding—they
Electronic Business and Commerce, and Management deserve. No matter your level or role, identifying the financial
drivers of a project’s success will help you ensure it is
resourced effectively and creates the most value for your
organization and its stakeholders.
Critical Analytical Thinking is essentially the language of
strategy. It adds structure and transparency to the analysis In this course, you will gain experience building an actual
and formulation of strateg y and helps executives make financial model to assess a proposed new product launch. We
decisions in a collaborative, logical, and fact-driven fashion. will consider key financial metrics that are often applied and
learn which ones are reliable (and which are not). We will also
This course will help you develop and hone skills necessary to
look at how we can use the financial model to guide our
analy ze c omplex proble ms, for mulate well-re as on e d
attention as project managers in order to maximize the impact
arguments, and consider alternative points of view. It will help
of our efforts. Along the way you will gain insight into how
you assess innovative business models, identify critical issues,
financial markets work and how investors evaluate stocks.
develop and present well-reasoned positions, and evaluate
Finally, we will learn how to use these skills to understand the
evidence. You will apply those skills to address a variety of
drivers of a company’s stock price, or its value in an
management problems in both this and subsequent courses in
acquisition.
the LEAD Certificate program.
Key topics include:
Key topics include:
• Interpreting balance sheets and income statements
• Foundations of logical reasoning
• The difference between earnings and cash flows
• Using and interpreting evidence
• Measuring value using NPV
• Designing experiments
• ROI & IRR: Uses and abuses
• Using analogies
• Interest rates, risk, and the cost of capital
We will use a combination of lectures and case studies to • DCF/WACC valuation models
prepare you to present written and video arguments for your • Building a financial model
positions, and to critique and debate those of your peers. • Valuing companies: Comps vs. DCF

In addition, you will have the opportunity to explore a bonus

module on startup valuation and VC financing, applying the
FINANCING INNOVATION: THE CREATION OF VALUE skills you’ve acquired throughout the course to understand the
drivers of a company’s stock price and its value in an acquisition.
Peter M. DeMarzo
The Staehelin Family Professor of Finance; In this course, we will use a combination of lectures, quizzes,
Director, Stanford LEAD and individual and team assignments, together with a final
team project, to prepare you to build a valuation model for a
business. At the conclusion of the course you will have built your
own financial model for a project or investment, as well as for
Even the best and most innovative ideas will go nowhere unless evaluating an ongoing business or a startup venture.
we can convince others to commit the necessary resources.
Doing so almost always requires that you make a compelling
case that the value of the opportunity far outweighs the
upfront costs.

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S TA N F O R D L E A D O N L I N E BUS I N ES S PROG RA M / F OUNDATION C OUR SES

Leadership Core (Select 1 of 3 Courses)

INTENTIONAL LEADERSHIP: A 360 APPROACH STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

Sarah A. Soule William P. Barnett

The Morgridge Professor of Organizational Behavior; Thomas M. Siebel Professor of Business Leadership,
Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Professor Strategy, and Organizations; Affiliated Faculty,
of Sociology (by courtesy), School of Humanities and Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford
Sciences; Director, Stanford LEAD

Brian Lowery Jesper B. Sørensen

The Walter Kenneth Kilpatrick Professor of The Robert A. and Elizabeth R. Jeffe Professor, and
Organizational Behavior Professor of Organizational Behavior; Professor of
Sociology (by courtesy), School of Humanities and
Sciences

How do you build a sustainably successful organization? Why

Successful leadership in today’s fast changing and challenging
are some organizations more competitive than others? To be
environments requires leaders who are intentional about
successful, a leader must be able to diagnose the reasons
developing their leadership competencies and successful at
behind success and failure and be able to effectively improve
building their personal support systems.
performance in the future. This course helps you learn to think
This course is designed to introduce participants to a number strategically: how to identify opportunities and challenges, how
of topics and skills that are central to leadership, many of to develop a viable course of action, and how to execute strategy
which will be covered in more depth in additional courses that so that your team is guided and motivated to achieve success.
will be taken as part of the certificate. As part of the course, Our goal in this course is to hone your strategic thinking skills so
participants will complete 360 evaluation, and the topics of that this thought process becomes second nature.
this course will reflect leadership competencies measured
Great leaders deliver results, for their teams and for their
with this tool.
organizations. An effective leader therefore has to understand
In this course you will: why an organization succeeds or fails, identify solutions, and
• Complete a 360 evaluation to help identify and understand create an environment in which others can contribute to its
your strengths and weaknesses as a leader. success. No matter what your role in the organization, you will
benefit from understanding its logic of success, and from being
• Discover and hone skills and competencies that are central
able to lead positive changes in its performance.
to leadership.
• Explore ways to enhance your effectiveness as a leader in Key topics include:
order to maximize your team or organization’s potential. • Improving your strategic thinking skills: your ability to
• Develop an action plan for improving your leadership diagnose and evaluate an organization’s strategy
impact and personal growth. • Enriching your ability to shape the context for strategic
execution through the levers of organizational design and
leadership

• Strengthening your ability to lead through strategic change

2 Courses subject to change. stanfordlead.com

S TA N F O R D L E A D O N L I N E BUS I N ES S PROG RA M / F OUNDATION C OUR SES

VALUES-BASED LEADERSHIP

Ken Shotts
The David S. and Ann M. Barlow Professor of Political
Economy

Neil Malhotra
The Edith M. Cornell Professor of Political Economy

How do we lead with our values? How do we respect the values

of others in a diverse organization? How do we design
organizations that help ourselves and others act in line with
our values? This course explores ethical issues faced by
managers and organizations, and provides analy tical
frameworks as well as the latest findings on human behavior to
inform ethical decisions and strategies. No matter our level in
the organization, we all make decisions that af fect our
customers, colleagues, and communities. Our values are
revealed in these decisions.

Readings involve controversial case studies, insights from

psychology and behavioral science, and a brief introduction to
philosophical perspectives. Through exercises, surveys, online
discussions, and personal reflection participants will clarify
their own values, think through managerial dilemmas, discover
the diversity of viewpoints among their classmates, practice
articulating recommendations compellingly, and find out how
to avoid social and cognitive pitfalls that get in the way of
values-based leadership.

Key topics include:

• Re sponsibilitie s an executive has to shareholder s,
employees, customers, and society
• Identifying, understanding, and resolving values-based
disagreements
• Overcoming psychological impediments to ethical decision-
making and implementing values-based leadership in one’s
own life
• Shaping an organization’s values

3 Courses subject to change. stanfordlead.com

S TA N F O R D L E A D O N L I N E BUS I N ES S PROG RA M / ELEC TIVE C OUR SES

Electives (Select 5 of 20 Courses*)

A NEW TYPE OF LEADER: BUILDING POWER TO LEAD
ANCHORED ON PURPOSE, FUELED BY HUMOR
Jeffrey Pfeffer
Jennifer Aaker The Thomas D. Dee II Professor of
The General Atlantic Professor Organizational Behavior

Innovation means doing new things, and doing some of the

Naomi Joanne Bagdonas same things differently. But, regardless of the benefits or
Lecturer in Management desirability of the change, many individuals and groups have a
stake in the status quo. That is why getting things done —
particularly new things — requires skill in building power and
exerting influence. This course will develop both your skill at
diagnosing organizational dynamics and also your ability to
Imagine a world where our leaders, teams, and institutions are develop and use power to get things done.
driven by a higher purpose. Where they are defined by
Key topics include:
authenticity, compassion, and radical agility to adapt to the
rapid transformation of today’s society. • Becoming comfortable with power
• Developing the personal qualities that create power
We believe the world needs you to be this new type of leader.
To blaze a trail toward a new model of leadership that is • How to create valuable resources
visionary, effective, inspired – and inspiring. • Attracting allies and supporters

In this course, we empower you with tools to unlock higher • Speaking and acting with power
purpose in yourself, your teams, and in your organizations. • Handling opposition and conflict
Then, drawing on insights from leaders who cultivate levity in
The course will employ short lecture videos, multimedia case
their organizations as well as professional comedians, you’ll
studies, and both synchronous and asynchronous exercises on
learn how to use your sense of humor as a secret weapon in
which you will receive feedback from your classmates and the
business and life to persuade, influence, and lead.
teaching staff. The materials are designed to build your power
Through this journey, you will challenge your current approach skills and willingness to use these skills to get things done.
on how to lead in this new environment of constant change,
and learn to:

• Anchor on purpose by gaining insight into how to develop

personal moonshots (defined as a bold, specific goal
tailored to your passions, strengths, and what the world
needs) to tackle your leadership challenge and goals
• Discover the power of humor and find opportunities for
levity in your stories and life by embarking on secret
missions that help you authentically unlock your sense of
purpose and humor
• Play using comedy techniques, incorporating levity into
your bio and redesigning miserable experiences (e.g.,
baggage claim, budget meetings, any meetings for that
matter) with your colleagues
• Lead with a mindset of purpose and humor by defining your
team’s inspired mission, authentic voice, and strategies for
activating your inspired team mission with levity

Ultimately, this course is about doing things that are

important in work and life, using the two superpowers of
purpose and humor. Purpose provides the why, and humor
provides the how for this endeavor. Thus, whether you’re an
entrepreneur growing a new company or an executive at the
helm of a massive organization, if you want to bet ter *The two additional courses from Leadership Core can also be
understand how to lead with purpose – while using humor as a taken as electives.
secret weapon – this course is for you.

4 Courses subject to change. stanfordlead.com

S TA N F O R D L E A D O N L I N E BUS I N ES S PROG RA M / ELEC TIVE C OUR SES

BUSINESS MODEL ANALYSIS AND DESIGN COMMUNICATING WITH IMPACT

Haim Mendelson Francis J. Flynn

The Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Professor of The Paul E. Holden Professor of Organizational Behavior
Electronic Business and Commerce, and Management

Just as you wouldn’t build a house without first creating a Communication may be the most critical component of
blueprint, effective commercial innovation requires a blueprint effective leadership. To achieve shared goals, a leader must be
of the business that will be supported or generated by your able to craft a compelling message, articulate an exciting
innovation. That blueprint is the business model, which vision, or galvanize a group around a course of action.
comprises three elements: the value creation model, which This course is designed to help participants become more
sp e cif ie s h ow th e inn ov ation will cre ate an d delive r savvy communicators – leaders who can get things done.
differentiated value to its customers, and who these customers Throughout this course, par ticipants will sharpen their
will be; the profit model, which specifies the sources of communication skills through experiential activities, role
revenue, the cost structure, and the drivers of profitability; plays, and practical lessons they can apply immediately.
and the logic of the business, which ties together the value
creation and profit models and explains how the business will Key topics include:
meet its growth and profitability objectives. • Communication biases
Iterating on business model development helps innovators • Managing the meeting
follow a structured process for planning and building new • Becoming more persuasive
businesses on a standalone basis or within established • Personalizing for the audience
enterprises. In this course, we’ll discuss the process of
• Modeling your message
structuring business models, address the core elements of a
business model, and practice the design of innovative business • Building rapport
models for new and established companies from multiple • Accounting for mistakes
industries. We’ll do that by analyzing case studies, studying
• Delivering praise
innovative business models, discussing the topic with
entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, and building our own
business model.

Some industries that we cover include:

• Mobility
• Apparel
• Online services
• Retail
• Industrial B2B
• Hospitality
• Biotechnology (Moderna)
• Information technology
• Mobile devices and apps

When we cover these industries, we focus on general lessons

that apply to virtually all industries.

Key topics include:

• Purpose of a business model
• Elements of business model design
• Adoption and business model development
• Business model archetypes and the associated logic
• Sharing economy business models
• Business model transformation
• Profit models and unit economics
• Platform-based business models and ecosystems

5 Courses subject to change. stanfordlead.com

S TA N F O R D L E A D O N L I N E BUS I N ES S PROG RA M / ELEC TIVE C OUR SES

CREATING A LIFE OF CONSEQUENCE: CRISIS MANAGEMENT

HOW HAPPY, MEANINGFUL, AND SUCCESSFUL
Steven Callander
LIVES REALLY HAPPEN
The Herbert Hoover Professor of Public and Private
Roderick M. Kramer Management Professor of Political Economy

The William R. Kimball Professor of

Organizational Behavior
A crisis can strike an organization at any time. They often
arrive when you least expect it, and when one hits, it can shake
an organization and its leaders to the core. All too often,
The goal of this course is to change the way you think about
leaders are unprepared for a crisis.
your life and its possible impact on the world. In particular, we
will explore what it means to live a more consequential life. To They are caught flat-footed and end up like a deer in the
unpack this somewhat abstract-sounding idea, we will examine headlights. As a result, organizations bear a heavy cost to
cutting-edge concepts from the exciting and still emerging their reputations and to their bottom lines, and the careers of
science on human flourishing. the leaders themselves are damaged. The good news is that
you can do better. The purpose of this class is to understand
By engaging the most powerful concepts from contemporary
the nature and origins of crisis and to develop the tools and the
research on happiness, meaning, and achievement, you will
frameworks to manage them effectively. We will also develop
have an opportunity in this course to develop a personalized
the individual skills it takes for you, as a manager and leader,
framework for thinking about how you can pursue such a life
to perform well in a crisis.
for yourself. To enhance your personal exploration and
learning, the course will include insightful readings, case In this class we’ll deal with crises of all shapes and sizes.
studies, and illustrative videos. Although crises are often big and in the public eye — think an
oil rig explosion or a car recall — they need not be so dramatic.
Key topics include:
A crisis can also be purely internal to an organization —
• Mastering life’s moments: We will explore how to make the employees are injured or killed, a union goes on strike, or the
most of life’s “best” moments, using proven techniques for core mission of the organization comes into question — and
promoting psychological flourishing and well-being. these crises can be just as important for an organization to
• Managing expe c t ations: Many p e ople, p er haps manage well.
paradoxically or ironically, entertain such high expectations We’ll develop the mindset of crisis and put your new skills to
regarding their lives that those expectations become a use through experiential learning. A rich set of case studies
psychological burden and creative obstacle, making it and crisis simulation exercises complement the theoretical
more difficult for them to enjoy their present moments and and conceptual frameworks. This combination will help your
to plan most creatively for their future. improve your strategic thinking as well as your team
• Resilience: Understanding how to be a more resilient management and communication skills in high-stress
human being when facing some of life’s more difficult situations, so that when your next crisis hits — as it inevitably
m om e nt s is vit al to succe s s at p ur suing a life of will — you’ll be ready.
consequence, including learning how to cope more
Key topics include:
creatively and effectively with life’s disappointments,
setbacks, and other forms of adversity. • Understand the origin and nature of crises.
• Exploring the role other people play in a consequential • Develop strategies for managing stakeholders, public
life: Research shows that pursuing a happy and meaningful opinion, media relations, and public officials.
life depends not only on what we do individually, but also • Learn how to anticipate crisis and to scan one’s business
how we engage with other people around us. Accordingly, practices for political and social risks.
the course will enhance your understanding of how other
• Practice techniques for successfully solving problems in
people make you feel about your life, especially how
high-pressure crisis situations.
positive social relations can enhance your overall happiness
and sense of well-being.
• Crafting a more consequential life story: Drawing on
research on the benefits of generative writing about life-
stories, we will explore how the way we tell our life stories
influences how we feel about ourselves, the particular lives
we are living, and our appraisal of their ultimate significance.
• Exploring your own legacy: You will have a chance to explore
how to think more creatively and expansively about the
impact of your life on other people around you and the world
writ large, including those closest to you as well as those who
are in more remote or “distant” relationships to you.

6 Courses subject to change. stanfordlead.com

S TA N F O R D L E A D O N L I N E BUS I N ES S PROG RA M / ELEC TIVE C OUR SES

DESIGN FOR DISRUPTION DECISION MAKING

Stefanos Zenios Paul Pfleiderer

The Investment Group of Santa Barbara Professor The C.O.G. Miller Distinguished Professor of Finance
of Entrepreneurship and Professor of Operations,
Information & Technology

This course takes a unique view on disruption by combining What makes a decision a good decision? Since chance or “luck”
disruption theory research, innovation strategy, and the ways almost always has a hand in determining what happens after we
that business practitioners and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs make a decision, making a good decision doesn’t necessarily
have redefined disruption over the last decade. We’ll bring these guarantee a good outcome. Similarly, obtaining a good outcome
perspectives together in a framework for gauging the disruptive doesn’t prove that a good decision was made.
potential of an innovation – that is, how likely the innovation is to
Roughly speaking a good decision is one that is more likely than
fundamentally change the structure of an industry. You’ll learn
the alternative courses of action to lead to a good outcome.
the critical roles that customers, value chains, and technologies
Good decision making is all about following a disciplined
play in driving such changes.
process that helps select the course of action that is most likely
In some cases, we’ll take a very futuristic view of disruption in to lead to good outcomes.
which you will see how a very recent discovery can lead to
We face many different types of decisions daily. Some decisions
fascinating possibilities for disruption that may be 10-20 years
are of little consequence like What should I wear today? or Which
down the line. Distinguishing between developments that will
restaurant should I go to? Others involve much higher stakes
last and drive changes vs. developments that are temporary
like Should I buy a house? or Should I look for a new job?
fads is something the frameworks in this course will help you
unpack. In this course, you will learn tools and frameworks to help guide
your decision making so that you can make (or become more
Finally, you’ll work on a capstone mini project in which you will
likely to make) good decisions when faced with different types
apply the course frameworks to develop a disruption hypothesis
of decisions. Unfortunately, because of the role lady luck plays,
for the industry of your choosing. This could be the industry you
we can make no promises about the outcomes of your decisions.
are currently working in, an industry that you may want to
disrupt, or simply an industry that’s compelling to you. Key topics include:
The companies and cases we’ll use in this course to learn • Identify different aspects of a decision — the quantifiable
about disruption include Impossible Foods, Starbucks, aspects and the fuzzier aspects.
w hiskey m a n u f a c t ur in g, War by Par ke r, Pe loto n, HIV • Learn tools and frameworks that can be used in situations
t r e a t m e n t p h a r m a c e u t i c a l s , C a li f o r n i a H e a l t h C a r e where most components of the decision can be quantified
Foundation, Amazon Web Ser vices, Microsoft, Walmart, and the risks can be measured.
Uber, Airbnb, Kodak, Fundbox, Dow Corning, and Fastbrick
• Apply some of the insights from using these tools and
Robotics, and Pokémon Go.
frameworks to decisions that are less quantifiable.
Key topics include: • Think critically about the value of information and the
• The Disruption Framework and the Three Pillars of value of flexibility.
Disruption • Explore cognitive biases that influence our decision
• Disruption via new entrants making.
• Incumbent self-disruption, and when incumbents miss the • Develop principled ways of approaching decision making
disruption as an individual and in a group setting.
• Nonprofit vs. for-profit disruption
• The Five Forces Framework
• Designing a disruption hypothesis

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S TA N F O R D L E A D O N L I N E BUS I N ES S PROG RA M / ELEC TIVE C OUR SES

DESIGN THINKING: FROM INSIGHTS TO VIABILITY DESIGNING ORGANIZATIONS FOR A CULTURE

OF INNOVATION
Stefanos Zenios
The Investment Group of Santa Barbara Professor Sarah A. Soule
of Entrepreneurship and Professor of Operations, The Morgridge Professor of Organizational Behavior;
Information & Technology Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Professor
of Sociology (by courtesy), School of Humanities and
Sciences; Director, Stanford LEAD
It is becoming increasingly recognized that innovations that
succeed follow a systematic, rigorous process of need Many of us have heard the phrase, “Culture eats strategy for
identification, hypothesis generation, testing, learning, and breakfast.” Attributed to management educator, Peter
iteration. Drucker, the phrase simply means that even the best strategy
In this course, you will learn and follow a systematic innovation will not guarantee results; we must also have a strong and
process that is both a toolbox for stimulating creativity and a healthy organizational culture to achieve our strategic goals.
methodology for defining and solving problems. This process Increasingly, leaders realize that their strategies require them
involves applying the concepts of design thinking and to be innovative and agile, yet their cultures are not set up to
hypothesis-driven innovation (popularized by the term, lean foster innovation and agility. While building a strong and
startup) to design and test new ideas that address a real world innovative organizational culture may seem easy enough, it is
need. not. This is because most leaders do not fully understand what
culture is and they do not understand how the levers of
Early in the course, you will identify your own real world need organizational design can work together to create strong
to examine through this process. Whether you choose an organizational cultures (or conversely to work against each
internally-facing need within your organization, or a customer- other to undermine the strong cultures that leaders need to
facing product or service, you will focus on understanding the fully execute on their strategic goals). Moreover, many leaders
n e e d de eply by eng aging in m e aning f ul, empath etic believe that the work of building or changing organizational
interactions with users, creating and testing low-resolution, culture lives in the C-suite; thus they feel powerless to change
rapid prototypes, and building and testing key aspects of your organizational or team cultures that can drive innovation.
business case. Much of your coursework will be completed
individually, however you will be coming together with team This course is essential for leaders at all levels of organizations.
members at key junctions to generate ideas and hypotheses. It is designed to help leaders understand that we all can work
on building and changing the cultures of our teams and our
Key topics include: organizations if we embrace a mindset of innovation and work
• Human-centered design on our creative confidence. The course starts by introducing a
framework for understanding the basic building blocks of
• Needs finding
organizations and how these building blocks can work together
• Interviewing and empathy-building techniques to create strong cultures of innovation. It also introduces tools
• Making sense of observations and insights to diagnose the roots of the common organizational problems
• Defining a point of view that undermine innovation (e.g., high turnover, low trust, costly
mistakes and errors, silos, employee disengagement, toxic
• Ideation
work environments, misaligned incentives, and so on). Finally,
• Developing and testing prototypes the course provides a hands-on way for you to improve your
• Minimal viable products team or organizational culture, so that you can foster
• Defining and testing business models and business cases innovation and better achieve your strategic goals.

Key topics include:

• Understanding organizational dynamics and connecting
these to organizational strategy
• Driving strong cultural change through effective diagnosis
of problems and creative solution generation
• Using creative confidence to inspire leaders at all levels to
build stronger organizational cultures, which are
increasingly necessary to achieve strategic goals

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S TA N F O R D L E A D O N L I N E BUS I N ES S PROG RA M / ELEC TIVE C OUR SES

GETTING (MORE OF) WHAT YOU WANT: INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP FOR INNOVATION
NEGOTIATING, COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM AND EXCELLENCE
SOLVING, AND VALUE CLAIMING
Margaret Ann Neale
Margaret A. Neale The Adams Distinguished Professor of
The Adams Distinguished Professor of Management, Emerita
Management, Emerita

Sarah A. Soule
One of the most common associations that executives have The Morgridge Professor of Organizational Behavior;
when thinking about negotiations is a battle. Almost with the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; Professor
thought about negotiating, negotiators are already starting to of Sociology (by courtesy), School of Humanities and
put on their armor, ready to do battle with their counterparts. Sciences; Director, Stanford LEAD
The goal is to take from them resources that they do not wish
to share, and to keep them from taking resources that you do The relationship between diversity and performance has recently
not wish to share with them. While there are negotiations that received an enormous amount of attention, not only in the
fit this description, most of our negotiations are not battles — behavioral and social sciences but also in organizations
unless by expecting a battle, you create one. struggling with the challenge of creating and maintaining a
diverse workforce.
Negotiation is all about influence. In our daily lives, we rarely
have the opportunity for successful command and control. In this course, we will explore the barriers and potential solutions
When we negotiate, you cannot command a solution. to creating and maintaining a diverse workforce using a
Negotiating is an interdependent process; you cannot force combination of pedagogical tools including (but not limited to):
the other side to agree. Rather, you need to create proposals • Role simulations
that engage them as a willing partner in your solution.
• Participant-organizational observations and explorations
In this course, the objective is to develop negotiating fluency: • Case analyses
knowing when to prepare for battle and when to engage in
• Team assignments
collaborative problem solving. However, not just any solution will
do. Rather to get (more of) what you want, you are looking for a • Self-reflection
particular type of solution — one that makes you better off than We will also explore practical methods for creating a workplace
your status quo or your alternatives while, from your counterpart’s culture in which all people feel valued and included.
perspective, keeps them whole or makes them better off.
Key topics include:
Relying on decades of empirical research, the purpose of this
• The Value of Diversity in Innovative Teams and
course is to provide you with a set of tools and a theoretical
Organizations
understanding of the strategies and tactics that can improve
the quality of your negotiating outcomes and your ability to get • Barriers to Diversity: Not enough qualified people
(more of) what you want. The course combines experiential, • Barriers to Diversity: Non-conscious bias
hands-on negotiations with the development of empirically
• Barriers to Diversity: Malleable or inappropriate recruiting
derived frameworks that can improve the quality of your
criteria
negotiations — whether you are negotiating with your
colleagues, your boss, your subordinates, friends, family • Barriers to Diversity: Differential Evaluation criteria
members, and even strangers. • Solutions for Designing for Diversity: Hiring

Key topics include: • Solutions for Designing for Diversity: Evaluations

• Making the choice to negotiate • Solutions for Designing for Diversity: Culture of Inclusion

• The infrastructure of negotiation • Solutions for Designing for Diversity: Internships, “Try-
Outs,” Networking, and the Strength of Weak Ties
• Creating value vs claiming value
• Solutions for Designing for Diversity: Virtual organizations,
• Steps to effective preparation for negotiation
virtual teams
• How and when to walk away
• Power — how to get more when you have it, and when
you don’t
• When there is more than one person across the table:
teams and coalitions in negotiation

We will employ both self-paced video and hands-on negotiation

exercises to help you gain mastery of various negotiating tools
and to develop a strategic framework for getting (more of)
what you want in your negotiations.

9 Courses subject to change. stanfordlead.com

S TA N F O R D L E A D O N L I N E BUS I N ES S PROG RA M / ELEC TIVE C OUR SES

LEADERSHIP AGILITY LEADING WITH INSIGHT:

SELF-AWARENESS AND TEAM DYNAMICS
S. Christian Wheeler
The StrataCom Professor of Management and Brian Lowery
Professor of Marketing The Walter Kenneth Kilpatrick Professor of
Organizational Behavior

Effective leadership requires the ability to flexibly respond to

constantly changing and unpredictable environments with This course explores the question “What does it take to be a
ease and agility. gre at le ader and manager of te ams? ” Org aniz ational
effectiveness is directly tied to the quality of teamwork that
In this course, you will participate in active and engaging
occurs within the organization, but it is not uncommon to miss
exercises to help you embrace spontaneity, work effectively
a key reflection: “How am I contributing to the negative and
with others, and tailor your behavior to the needs of your
positive outcomes the team is experiencing?”
audience and the situation. You will gain an understanding of
what drives others to act and learn how to effortlessly engage Leading Effective Teams is designed to teach you a series of
others in meaningful and enjoyable interactions. You will skills and frameworks that will help you diagnose, personally
additionally practice techniques designed to maximize your and collectively, the key barriers and strengths that are leading
creativity and problem solving . Combining approaches from to your current outcomes. You will be expected to use teams
improvisational theater and research from social psychology, you are currently a member of as a laboratory to try some of
this class provides a highly interactive and research-based the techniques, and be prepared to report back to the other
foundation for maximizing your agility across the myriad roles participants about the effects you observed.
you assume as a leader.
Key topics include:
Key topics include:
• How to identify key features of teams which enable you to
• Embracing spontaneity, adaptability, and risk become a more astute observer of groups
• Working with others to build ideas work ef fectively • How to analyze your leadership style and teams in your
as a team own context to enable flexibility in your management
• Maximizing your creativity techniques and strategies
• Accurately perceiving others and understanding how you • How to apply these analyses and tools to strategically
are perceived enact change
• Understanding the underlying motivations and values that • Managing conflict in teams
drive you and your team • Team structures and norms
• Easily building rapport and connecting with others
This cour se will use vide o le c ture s, exercise s (te am
• Modulating status to effectively lead experiments and reflection pieces), and assessments.
Although being on a working team is important, you do not
necessarily need to be the leader to take this course. In fact,
you may even use your family or friends for some of these
exercises to understand how you operate more broadly.
Regardless of the team, you must be willing to leverage the
course content to honestly, and authentically, engage your
team in new ways.

10 Courses subject to change. stanfordlead.com

S TA N F O R D L E A D O N L I N E BUS I N ES S PROG RA M / ELEC TIVE C OUR SES

MOBILIZING FOR SUCCESSFUL CHANGE: NEUROSCIENCE AND THE CONNECTION

A TOOLKIT TO EXEMPLARY LEADERSHIP

Hayagreeva Rao Baba Shiv

The Atholl McBean Professor of Organizational The Sanwa Bank, Limited, Professor of Marketing
Behavior and Human Resources; Professor of Sociology
(by courtesy), School of Humanities and Sciences

With the world today facing serious problems, yet offering

Many new initiatives fail and lead to a downward spiral of
enormous opportunities thanks to rapid scientific advances,
disinterest and distrust. Yet, by employing a thoughtful
the need for exemplary leaders has become greater than ever
methodology to mobilize for change, you can avoid common
before. These exemplary leaders need to have a clear and
pitfalls and navigate the challenges that often accompany
energizing vision for a better future. But having a vision is not
change initiatives.
enough — the key is turning the vision into a reality and
This course provides an array of simple but powerful tools for deploying that energy as an agent of change. This requires the
managers to lead and implement change. It employs a leader to be effective at two things, among others, day in and
framework developed from four decades of social science day out. First, they need to be an effective decision maker,
research identifying five subprocesses for change: Persuading, making tough decisions that involve a lot of risk and
Recruiting Support, Energizing New Behavior, Staffing a uncertainty but are very consequential for both the leader and
Change Team, and Sequencing Change (PRESS). At the end, their organization. Second, the leader has to be an effective
you will understand each of these processes and apply them decision shaper, influencing the decisions of key stakeholders
to your own change initiative via a 100-day plan. both within and external to the organization. And, importantly,
doing all this work day in and day out requires sustained
Key topics include:
excellence, which means that it is also essential for exemplary
• Overcoming change blindness leaders to build and maintain the mental resilience and
• Tools to undertake change readiness of different internal vibrancy to win both the outer game and the inner game.
constituencies
Framed as a retreat and adopting a systems-level approach, this
• Persuading your organizational superiors, peers, and course leverages simple yet powerful frameworks grounded in
subordinates neuroscience to give you practical tools to build the skills and
• Recruiting support and overcoming resistance habits that will get your brain and body working together to
• Energizing new behavior through information, incentives, manage stress, shape your personal success narratives, and
and empowerment build the sustained excellence necessary to become an
exemplary leader.
• Staffing a change team
• Sequencing change Key topics include:

• Developing your 100-day change plan • Neuroscience frameworks that underpin key elements of
exemplary leadership
We will use a combination of lectures and case studies to • Type 1 and Type 2 mindsets and the X-Framework
develop your to olkit for change, an d th en provide a
• Neurobiology of stress
collaborative space for you to share and receive feedback on
your work. • Techniques to manage stress
• Importance of narratives
• The IKEA effect
• Tribal instincts
• Ambidextrous organizations
• The triangle framework
• Decision confidence
• The placebo effect

This course will use video lectures, journal prompts, and

exercises to provide you with time for reflection as well as the
opportunity to build the skills and habits essential for exemplary
leadership.

11 Courses subject to change. stanfordlead.com

S TA N F O R D L E A D O N L I N E BUS I N ES S PROG RA M / ELEC TIVE C OUR SES

PERSUASION: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE POWER OF STORY

Zakary Tormala Jennifer Aaker

The Laurence W. Lane Professor of Behavioral Science The General Atlantic Professor
and Marketing

Persuasion refers to the act or process of shaping people’s Studies show that we are wired to remember stories much
thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Understanding more than data, facts, and figures. Stories galvanize — they
persuasion is essential to having influence in virtually any tell the why, creating common understanding, engagement,
environment — at home, at work, in a sales pitch, or in the and excitement. They paint a picture of what could be for
marketplace. everyone — they fuel the personal and professional journeys
for both yourself and those around you. By creating powerful
The aim of this course is to provide insight into the psychology stories, you’ll see how to gain momentum by helping your
of persuasion. We will take an evidence-based approach and employees and customers become more connected and
explore classic and cutting-edge research and theory to driving growth for your organization.
understand effective persuasive strategy, and we will put this
understanding to practice using live discussions, practical In this course, Dr. Aaker will illuminate the power of story in
activities (e.g., writing an email that grabs attention and business by revealing why story is important and how story
engages the recipient), and role-playing. can be harnessed to fuel connection, innovation, and growth
for leaders. She will demonstrate how leaders build a bank of
Key topics include: Signature Stories and bring them into play to build high-
• Relevance: How do you make your message feel relevant? performing teams and companies. Throughout the course,
How do you engage your audience? you will find best practices by CEOs and leaders from
• Credibility: How do you establish expertise and gain companies like Salesforce, Celo, Warriors, Tory Burch, and
people’s trust? Zoom to illuminate how to harness story as an asset. This
course is designed to give leaders the tools to highlight their
• Resistance: How do you disarm your audience and
own Signature Stories in a way that can provide value to both
overcome their resistance?
their companies and people’s lives.
• Self-Persuasion: How do you get people to persuade
themselves? You will engage with lectures, industry examples and case
studies through videos and graphic novel depictions. You will
• Certainty: How and why should you build certainty?
also listen to leaders share their tips and strategies for using
• Uncertainty: When is uncertainty persuasive? story in business and life through podcast-style interviews. At
the end of this course, you’ll leave with the ability to curate,
craft, and tell stories effectively — and to harness story to
drive growth.

Key topics include:

• Behavioral research on the power of story
• How to build a signature story
• Role of purpose stories to create culture and customer
stories to drive growth
• How to craft personal Leadership stories to lead
• Industry and leader examples of stories in action

12 Courses subject to change. stanfordlead.com