Leadership reinvented: Johns Hopkins Executive Education offers new certificate in organizational leadership

Successful leaders need the skills to recognize problems and develop evidence-based solutions. That’s why Johns Hopkins Executive Education has launched a new Executive Certificate in Organizational Leadership.

The new certificate offers research-backed knowledge in key management and leadership areas. In three courses–Foundations of Leadership and Management, Manager’s Toolkit, and Applied Leadership Capstone—the program’s transformative learning journey identifies leadership strategies, language, and insights for making difficult decisions and crafting better solutions.

“We want to enrich participants’ understanding of how organizations work, how to get the most out of their people, and how to effectively lead teams. And we want to develop their ability to apply that knowledge when solving problems as they appear in real time,” said Erik Helzer, an expert in organizational management and faculty in the Executive Education program.

“The courses integrate conceptual, theoretical knowledge with direct application and concrete use,” he said.

The certificate minimizes lecture to focus on the participant experience, building an environment for participants to engage with their peers, the instructors, and themselves in classroom exercises.

Helzer also says the certificate is a mix of self-reflection to identify personal growth areas and best practices from organizational management literature.

“There's been a lot of thought given to the design and experience that really is trying to meet learners where they are and allow them to take from the course what they need for their next step in their management or leadership journey,” Helzer said.

A three-part story

The Executive Certificate in Organizational Leadership follows a set structure. And some participants could be more than halfway there without realizing it. Anyone who has taken Foundations of Leadership and Management and one of the courses in the Manager’s Toolkit only needs to take the Applied Leadership Capstone to complete this certificate.

Foundations of Leadership and Management lays the foundation for effective team leadership. Helzer says the content is related to motivating people, decision-making, leading teams, and organizational culture.

One of the key factors that makes this program unique is the ability for participants to select one of the several courses in the Manager’s Toolkit to tailor the certificate to their personal strengths and professional goals. The current list of courses include: Essentials of Leadership Coaching, Executive Presence, Strategic Negotiation, Data Visualization: Storytelling and Sensemaking, Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certificate, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certificate, and Project Management.

The Applied Leadership Capstone is Carey Executive Education’s newest course, offered in-person in Baltimore. The course brings participants together to work in teams and solve a real-world problem.

“We’re not only giving participants exposure to topics like leading change and leading inclusively, but we’re also trying to create teams that work better to solve organizational problems,” Helzer said.

On an individual level, engaged learning includes a guided leadership portfolio, which provides an opportunity for goal-setting, reflection, and professional planning that participants can use to shape their leadership course.

“It gives people a chance to apply course knowledge to specific problems as they show up at work,” Helzer explained. “Successful management and leadership in contemporary organizations really does involve the interplay between abstract, conceptual knowledge and concrete, specific tools and practices. If you can utilize these tools and practices based on the conceptual knowledge you now possess, that is a winning combination for leading and managing.”