Time is at a premium for senior executives. Meetings, tough decisions, answering to stakeholders, and managing a company afford little time for much else. Yet the dynamic business world requires executive leadership to keep up with trends, discover new solutions, and build a better company.

Finding time to learn isn’t a new problem. It’s been derailing executive leadership training and development for as long as businesses have been around. However, the urgency of executive leadership programs has never been more integral.

Even if extra time eludes you, executive leadership training is still within reach. With experiential programs that offer in-person or online training, C-suite executive leaders can discover leadership development opportunities — often while maintaining a portion of their duties, enjoying a short sabbatical, or practicing a modicum of work-life balance.

What To Look for in Executive Leadership Training

Executive training catapults effective leadership. It bolsters your decision-making skills, reinforces general management principles, develops mentoring, and makes a profound impact on organizational change for the better. That’s to say — you can’t afford to ignore it.

In some cases, you have to look at the shortcomings of not going to executive leadership training to understand its importance. Failing to continue your education at the executive level can lead to a plethora of issues, including:

• Poor action plans
• Ineffective or outdated leadership styles
• Loss of leadership competency
• Lack of high-performing teams
• More employee turnover and difficulty attracting top talent
• Inefficiency of senior managers to think outside the box
• Lackluster leadership team
• Growth stagnation
• Loss of competitive edge and innovation

Without the right training, leadership challenges can mount, and without proper training, these issues can snowball. But you can’t go to training for the sake of training. This apathetic approach of going through the motions is counterproductive. Each learning experience and education program should have its purpose. As a leader, your duty is to embrace professional development. The hardest part of executive leadership training is constantly reminding yourself that it’s in your best interest; it’s not taking away from your other responsibilities.

The Top 4 Executive Leadership Training Programs

Budget and time are always concerns for senior leaders. Your leadership role requires your presence, and your company is a demanding mistress. But how you think about executive education can define you. Case studies demonstrate that executive leadership development plays a crucial role in overcoming business challenges and creating a roadmap to success.

Regardless of your time constraints, budget, and other concerns, these executive leadership training options should inspire you and allow you to develop  leadership skills, styles, initiatives, and frameworks to lift your company or startup to new heights.

1. Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management Executive Development Program

Duration: 2 weeks

Online or in-person: Hybrid and in-person options available

Cost: $37,350

What You’ll Learn: Northwestern’s Executive Development Program is a multi-modular program led by 15 of the school’s top business and management professors. Offering over 60 hours of immersive and interactive sessions, you’ll learn:

• The foundations of organizational and strategic leadership
• Team motivation
• Cross-cultural negotiating
• Essential communication tactics
• Data leveraging for business decisions

The Kellogg School of Management is one of the best and most exclusive in the world, so you’ll be in prestigious company throughout this event. Think of it as a great opportunity to rub elbows with other business and thought leaders from around the country.

2. LinkedIn Learning Executive Leadership Training Courses

Duration: Variable

Online or in-person: Online

Cost: Free with LinkedIn Premium

What You’ll Learn: If you need bite-size pieces of executive leadership training, LinkedIn Learning’s courses should suffice. Designed to help you build your presence, inspire employees, and build high-performing teams, these 38 courses allow you to navigate topics such as:

• Social media for executives
• Executive leadership for women
• Succession planning
• Changing roles in an executive position
• DEI awareness

While these courses aren’t as comprehensive or tailored as other options, you can’t argue with free. Plus, the format lends itself to convenience and the ability to learn independently.

3. Unicorn Labs Executive Retreat

Duration: Tailored to your needs

Online or in-person: In-person with online courses also available

Cost: Variable

What You’ll Learn: Unicorn Labs is one of the rare companies that tailor the entire executive experience to your needs. Yes, the executive leadership training has core facets, but our consultation allows us to adapt to your needs.

Combining socializing with learning, the Unicorn Labs executive retreat creates an atmosphere to unwind while growing your confidence and knowledge as a leader. Using an innovative format and hands-on activities, we combine leadership development, strategic planning, and team-building, making it accessible and building upon your current skillset.

4. Columbia University Chief Executive Officer Program

Duration: 8 to 10 months

Online or in-person: Both

Cost: $27,500 to $32,000

What You’ll Learn: The emergence of AI has created a new layer to executive leadership, yet training is still the foremost way to use it to your advantage. With the Columbia University Chief Executive Officer Program, you’ll learn how to apply AI, as well as a comprehensive understanding of global strategic management perspectives, sustainability and environmental responsibility, and leveraging data and tech.

Tips To Help You Prepare for Executive Leadership Training

The best executive leadership training programs and executive retreats come tailored to your individual and company needs. Nevertheless, you still need to know those needs to get the most out of executive leadership training. Before you choose a leadership development program, do your homework.

Online vs. In-Person

Accessibility is an integral part of any executive development course. In the post-pandemic era, virtual executive programs are widely available, offering unrivaled convenience for business leaders.

However, many of these courses lack several key aspects. Some leadership courses are self-guided, so you can’t ask questions on the fly and may not have an actual executive coach/leader. Still, the convenience of going at your own pace whenever you have time is hard to overlook.

In-person programs offer one-on-one meetings with experts, personalized coaching/mentoring sessions, and a hands-on experience. Whether you’re going solo or bringing a group of execs, the in-person touch can make a world of difference.

Program Length

Executive leadership training doesn’t necessitate lengthy coursework unless that’s what you’re aiming for. Seminars can last just one day and touch on specific topics, such as problem-solving, negotiation skills, or executive presence. Other programs last a weekend, a week, or up to a year, depending on your needs and goals.

Choose a program that overlaps with your personal leadership goals, your schedule, and your aims. Shorter programs can drive focus, while longer programs can provide a wealth of information for future use.

Organizational Needs

At some point, every company or startup has growing pains. To alleviate stagnation, fear, doubt, or uncertainty, you need to assess your company’s needs. Introspection is crucial, as well as the weaknesses within your company.

Get feedback from senior leadership, use data and surveys, and poll employees to gauge your biggest detractors from success. This enables you to select the right program to shore up problems within the organization.

Who Should Go?

Another consideration is who you should invite or if you’re better poised to do the training alone. Your organizational analysis should provide insight into this concern. If you’re aiming to develop new leaders and build a team, multiple company executives may attend.

If you’re focused on personal leadership and development, attending alone may prove more fruitful. Attending alone forces you to interact with other attendees and look inward, giving you insight into your strengths and weaknesses and what skills you need to develop as an executive.

Type of Program

You don’t necessarily need to go to business school or certificate program to gain vital knowledge. In some aspects, on-campus learning isn’t adaptive to your needs, mimicking academia and failing to provide applicable concepts to real-world situations.

Fortunately, executive leadership training programs are led by leadership experts, consulting groups, and other companies outside the classroom. This gives you multiple options to meet your needs without being tethered to a school or programs with generalized or narrow scopes.

You also don’t need to spend a lot of money to get the results you want. If pricing is a concern, shop around, pay attention to reviews, do some research, and contact executive training companies. High-dollar executive leadership programs aren’t always the answer.

Unicorn Labs: Leaders in Executive Training

After conducting your research and deciding the “why” of your executive leadership training, you’re well on your way to choosing a program. Sifting through each one is a taxing process, but it’s mandatory. You can’t go into executive training without concrete ideas of what you want to achieve.

At Unicorn Labs, we pride ourselves on applicable, informative, and transformational executive training and retreats. If you aren’t sure what you aim to achieve, we can help with that too.

By scheduling a meeting with us, we can determine your personal and business challenges, how to alleviate your concerns, and discuss the material that will catalyze success. Contact us today to find out how Unicorn Labs can meet your executive leadership training needs.