Day One begins by understanding what has led you to be the kind of leader and manager you are today and how you can be a more authentic leader based on your own background and values. The faculty then present a set of tools and techniques for overcoming what the research tells us holds women back in organizations—and for navigating worlds that are mostly designed by and for men. This will help you better understand the work for which you have both passion and skill, and which your organization values. Collectively, these tools and perspectives will also help you achieve the specific goal(s) you have set for yourself.
Day Two provides you with the opportunity to consider your network and the importance of your network to your success. We will diagnose your current network, assess its strengths and weaknesses, and develop strategies to fill gaps and reshape your network to meet your leadership goals. Faculty turn to the issue of power, explaining the four types of power, why women need all four in order to succeed, and offering tips and tools to help women gain power in meetings, conversations, and presentations. This leads to a session on how to communicate with impact, which leverages research on effective communication for leaders. Later, you'll join faculty for a fireside chat with a panel of esteemed women—MIT alum and women from within the faculty’s own network—who have been highly effective at using their networks and different types of power in their own careers.
Day Three is an opportunity to learn and then practice how to deliver your message more effectively in audiences from five to five hundred. In this very practical, hands-on session, you will gain confidence in their ability to perform as a leader. And because communicating with impact won’t always be enough to persuade people and achieve your goal, you will spend the afternoon exploring what the latest research teaches us about effective negotiation strategies, with a special focus on the key lessons for women—because they will sometimes be different from the key lessons for men.
Day Four is an opportunity to put your learning into action. You will prepare a plan and a pitch for how to achieve your goal, using the new tools and knowledge acquired during the course. The cohort will also give some thought to how power and influence can be used to change entire organizations—so that other women can benefit from these ideas as well and have a better chance of achieving their own goals. You will understand the factors that sometimes prevent this change from happening and how to avert those impediments. These final “commitment” exercises are proven to increase the chances that you will succeed in achieving the goals you set during the course.
