Leading Strategically combines the art of strategy with the art and science of leadership that will inspire you toward future self-development so that you can grow into a more effective Leader every day. Leadership is more art than science, and what separates effective leaders from ineffective ones is their ability to understand the puzzle of people and interaction to achieve a higher purpose. Leading Strategically will take you on a personal journey to improve your artful leadership practice by increasing your understanding of the science of strategic interaction.

During two immersive days at the SMU Cox School of Business, Leading Strategically will prepare you for leadership roles across various teams and organizations regardless of your current level of responsibility. Your ability to accomplish objectives – yours and your team’s – depends not only on your behaviors, choices, and actions but also on those of others. Leading Strategically will enhance your understanding of how to align the decisions of others with yours to achieve common goals for shared purposes.

Leading Strategically is a highly experiential program. You will actively engage with your fellow participants as you draw on and share your experiences through large group discussions, small group conversations, and practical exercises. A basic premise is that Leaders need analytic (scientific) and interpersonal (artistic) skills to lead teams of people effectively. Leading Strategically will provide you with unique opportunities to improve your understanding of human behavior through useful analytical frameworks that you can begin to use immediately.

Objectives

  • To know the essential elements of strategy and their application to leadership.
  • Understand the general principles of strategic interaction, which will enable you to act and make decisions more quickly and confidently.
  • To further develop your strategic skills and use them more thoughtfully and deliberately while leading.
  • Recognize your instinctive expertise and build on your experiences, which will refine your leadership style.
  • To update your personal leadership philosophy.

Course feature Course detail
Dates: April 22, 2025 – April 23, 2025
Topic: Leadership
Format: On Campus
Location: On Campus
Credentialing: CPE Hours: 16
Price:

In person on campus - $3,200 

Most companies offer tuition reimbursement for SMU programs, check with your HR department for details.

Questions?

Questions? 
Call 214.768.3335 or email exed@smu.edu

Topics

  • Rethinking strategy and strategic thinking
  • Unpacking competitive thinking
  • Understanding how value is created
  • Introduction of the competitive value model
  • Deep dive on who you serve and what you know about them
  • Getting to a reality-based view of what the market is telling you
  • Articulating who you are, your POV and your ambition
  • Identifying unique strengths and real obstacles
  • Seeing and evaluating better opportunities based on your unique position
  • Crafting dynamic strategies to compete competitively
  • Building a case for change and influencing the organization to act
  • Adapting at the pace of the market

Who Should Attend?

  • Professionals and individual contributors who have been promoted into management roles for the first time or aim to become managers.
  • Managers who are adapting to new teams or new team infrastructure.
  • New and aspiring managers in various areas including the corporate sector, government, health care, international agencies, and nonprofit groups.
  • Middle-level managers.

Examine Our Other Offerings

Finance

To compete and succeed, companies need leaders in every department who can speak the dollars-and-cents language of business. Managers who can interpret financial reports, assess the impact of decisions and communicate operating strategies have a definite career advantage.

Leadership

Leadership

Our Leadership series teaches the skills and tools you need at critical junctions in your corporate career. Whether you're moving into your first managerial job or already at the senior executive level, we'll help you refine your essential competencies, business acumen and soft skills.

Multidimensional Diversity

Multidimensional Diversity

Diverse perspectives open doors to enhanced business success. A recent Boston Consulting Group study suggests that greater leadership diversity spurs innovation and boosts financial performance. On average, diverse companies enjoy a 19% increase in revenue compared to their less diverse counterparts, and SMU Cox Executive Education offers award-winning programs to raise up the diverse perspectives within your own organization.


Want To Keep Exploring?

See the Course Calendar

collins center

Next Steps

Questions? Not sure which program fits your needs? Reach out to our team.