Unite your design background with world-renowned managerial and leadership expertise.
Taking this program changed me and how I lead in ways I never expected. I started implementing what I learned right away. Many of my colleagues and leaders have taken notice and love the change. I also walked away from the program more aware of who I am as a leader and how I can better serve my team. I learned a lot about how I can get different subject matter experts to work harmoniously together, ultimately paving way for team innovation. Truly life-changing.
About the Program
What to Expect
- Develop personal career aspirations with practical insights and inspiring perspectives.
- Think strategically to meet the challenges of management, take advantage of business opportunities, and drive innovation for growth.
- Develop soft skills to better influence, persuade, and negotiate with colleagues and clients.
- Connect to a powerful network of creative professionals who share a passion for leadership and innovation.
Who Should Attend
Designed for mid-career or senior professionals, this program is ideal for designers and other creatives looking to become better leaders, drive innovation, navigate change, expand their network, or optimize their teams to drive growth. Averaging between 20–40 attendees a year, this experience is consistently ranked one of the most valuable experiences of participants’ careers.
Agenda
Your cohort meets weekly, on Thursdays, for a full day of learning. Sessions typically occur between 10 a.m.–4 p.m. EDT, with some days running slightly shorter or longer depending on that day's agenda.
Social hours are held on Tuesdays to facilitate meaningful peer interactions and deepen learning.
Below is a sample of what you can expect to experience in the Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders Live Online program.
- Reflected Best Self
- Emotional Intelligence: Awareness, Regulation, and Compassion
- Negotiations: Friendly Ambition and Value Claiming
- Influence and Persuasion
- Organization for Innovation: The Threadless Case Study
- Deciding to Decide: Decision Making for Leaders
- Networks of Innovation
- Employee Engagement and Motivation
- Organizational Change
- Managing, Developing, and Retaining the New Generation of Talent
- Financial Accounting I & II
- C-Suite Perspective Panel
- Organizing for Innovation
- Team Building: Making High-Quality Connections
Faculty
Faculty and lecturers are subject to change.
Faculty Director

Rodrigo Canales
Kelli Questrom Associate Professor of Management and Faculty Director, Social Impact Program at the Boston University Questrom School of Business
Areas of Expertise: Economic Development, Emerging Markets, Entrepreneurship, Globalization, Organizational Behavior, Social Enterprise
Read the full bio
Rodrigo Canales does research at the intersection of organizational theory and institutional theory, with a special interest in the role of institutions for economic development. Rodrigo studies how individuals can purposefully change complex organizations or systems. Rodrigo's work explores how individuals’ backgrounds, professional identities, and organizational positions affect how they relate to existing structures and the strategies they pursue to change them. His work contributes to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that allow institutions to operate and change. Rodrigo has done work in entrepreneurial finance and microfinance, as well as in the institutional implications of the Mexican war on drugs. His current research is divided into three streams. The first focuses on the structural determinants of the quality of startup employment. The second explores the conditions under which development policies and practices integrate rigorous evidence. The third, with generous support from the Merida Initiative, explores how to build effective, resilient, and trusted police organizations in Mexico.
Rodrigo is faculty director of Questrom’s Social Impact Program. Before, he was Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Yale School of Management, where he taught the Innovator Perspective. He sits on the advisory board of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT; he spent the 2014-2015 academic year advising the Mexican government on the US-Mexico bilateral relationship; and sits on the Board of Trustees of the Nature Conservancy.

James Baron
William S. Beinecke Professor of Management
Areas of Expertise: Careers, Entrepreneurship, Human Resources, Labor Issues, Leadership, Nonprofit Management, Organizational Behavior, Organizational Design, Social Enterprise, Social Networks, Startups, Strategy, Women in Leadership, Workplace Issues
Read the full bio
Professor Baron’s research interests include human resources; organizational design and behavior; social stratification and inequality; work, labor markets, and careers; economic sociology; and entrepreneurial companies. Before coming to SOM in 2006, he taught at Stanford's Graduate School of Business from 1982-2006. At Stanford, he taught the MBA core course, Human Resource Management. He was co-director of the Stanford Project on Emerging Companies (SPEC), a large-scale longitudinal study of the organizational design, human resource management practices, and financial and non-financial performance measures of entrepreneurial firms in Silicon Valley. Papers based on the project appeared in leading disciplinary journals, and an overview of the project in California Management Review won the 2003 Accenture Award for making “the most important contribution to improving the practice of management.”
He is the author, with Stanford economist David M. Kreps, of a textbook, Strategic Human Resources: Frameworks for General Managers (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). Baron is also a regular contributor to leading sociology and organization journals, such as the American Sociological Review and Administrative Science Quarterly. His research has also been published in influential journals in economics and social psychology.

Daylian Cain
Senior Lecturer in Negotiations & Leadership
Areas of Expertise: Behavioral Economics, Conflicts of Interest, Corporate Governance, Ethics, Leadership, Negotiations, Organizational Behavior, Social Enterprise
Read the full bio
Daylian M. Cain, Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer of Negotiations & Leadership at the Yale School of Management. Prior to joining Yale in 2007, Cain was the Russell Sage Fellow of Behavioral Economics at Harvard. Originally hailing from Nova Scotia, Cain is a former Canada science scholar. He has three master’s degrees and —from Carnegie Mellon— a Ph.D. in Business. He likes to say that he focuses on “why smart people do dumb things.”
Fun Facts: Cain has appeared as a special guest on National Geographic’s TV show Brain Games, and his poker avatar (“Raising Cain”) is one of the opponents you may face at AdvancedPokerTraining.com.

Zoë Chance
Senior Lecturer in Marketing
Areas of Expertise: Influence and Persuasion, Decision-Making, Behavior Change
Read the full bio
Zoë Chance helps smart people become more influential. At the Yale School of Management, she teaches a popular elective called Mastering Influence and Persuasion, aka "Doing Uncomfortable Things That Make You a Better Person." Her research has been published in top academic journals like Proceedings of the National Academy of Science and Psychological Science, and covered in media outlets like the New York Times and the BBC. She has appeared on CNN and written for Harvard Business Review. Google uses her behavioral economics framework as the basis for their global food policy. Zoë speaks internationally for Fortune 500 firms and leading NGOs, and her TEDx talk, "How to Make a Behavior Addictive," has over half a million views. Prior to Yale, Zoë managed a $200 million segment of the Barbie brand at Mattel, acted on stage and film, and earned her bachelor's from Haverford College, MBA from USC, and doctorate from Harvard Business School. Her first book was published by Random House on February 1, 2022. It's called Influence Is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen.

Emma Seppälä
Lecturer, Yale School of Management
Areas of Expertise: Positive Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Well-being, Social Connection
Read the full bio
Emma Seppälä, Ph.D., is a best-selling author, Yale lecturer, and international keynote speaker. She teaches executives at the Yale School of Management and is faculty director of the Yale School of Management’s Women’s Leadership Program. A psychologist and research scientist by training, her expertise is the science of happiness, emotional intelligence, and social connection. Her best-selling book The Happiness Track (HarperOne, 2016) has been translated into dozens of languages. Seppälä is also the Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education.
Seppälä’s research has been published in top academic journals and featured in major news outlets like the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, and CBSNews. She speaks and consults internationally for Fortune 500 companies like Google and Facebook and contributes to Harvard Business Review, the Washington Post, Psychology Today, and TIME, among others.
A repeat guest on Good Morning America, she also spoke at TedX Sacramento and TEDx Hayward. Her research on breathing for military veterans with trauma was highlighted in the documentary Free the Mind. She is also featured in documentaries like The Altruism Revolution, What You Do Matters, and Bullied.
Seppälä is the recipient of a number of research grants and service awards including the James W. Lyons Award from Stanford University for founding Stanford’s first academic class on the psychology of happiness and initiating other well-being programs for Stanford students.
She graduated from Yale (BA), Columbia (MA), and Stanford (PhD). Originally from Paris, France, she is a native speaker of French, English, and German and conversant in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.
Application Information
Program Details
Join our Stay Updated mailing list to be notified of future program dates and information.
Location: Live online
Program fee: $5,580
Contact: Joanne Legler, Senior Director of Learning Partnerships
How do I explain the benefits of the certificate program to my supervisor?
Download the sample justification letter.
How to Apply
Interested applicants will need to submit:
- A current résumé
- A statement of intent explaining why you are applying to this program, how your experience has prepared you to enter this program, and how it will benefit you professionally.
Both documents can be uploaded as either a PDF or word document to the application form. Professional achievement and organizational responsibility are the main criteria for admission. There are no previous formal education requirements for admission. Acceptance is subject to the approval of the Yale School of Management Executive Education program committee. Applications are reviewed in the order they are received, and you can expect to be notified within 1-2 weeks from submitting a completed application.
If you have any questions about applying, please contact Xiuling Li, Managing Director of Learning Partnerships.
Payment
Upon acceptance, you will be prompted for your payment preference. Course materials are distributed when the Learning Platform is live and once payment is received in full. We recommend completing some pre-work before attending to get the most benefit from the experience.
Program Fee Assistance
Yale SOM Executive Education offers a 15% reduction in program fee for:
- those who work in the nonprofit sector. (Apply NONPROFIT code at time of registration.)
- those who work in government. (Apply GOV code at time of registration.)
- Yale University alumni. (Apply YALEGRAD code at time of registration.)
- groups of 3-6 participants. Groups can be from an organization or be self-formed.
- those who have previously participated in a Yale Executive Education program with Yale SOM, ExecOnline, or 2U/GetSmarter.
Discounts cannot be combined.
Download the sample justification letter to guide conversations with an employer about fee assistance.
Yale School of Management is proud to offer funding support for veterans interested in this program. For more information about financial aid options and eligibility please visit the Executive Education Veterans Benefits page.
Refund & Cancellation
Refunds are allowed for live online and in-person programs if requested in writing to the Yale Executive Education Registrar. The Yale Executive Education Cancellation Terms are as follows:
Request for change in registration/cancellation | Refund provided |
---|---|
30 days, or more, prior to Program start date | 100% Program Fee Refund Provided |
15-29 days prior to Program start date | 50% Program Fee Refund Provided |
14 days, or less, prior to Program start date | No Refund Provided |
Yale reserves the right to cancel or reschedule programs if enrollment is deemed insufficient or health and safety would otherwise be jeopardized. Yale School of Management is not responsible for any travel or incidental costs incurred by a registrant if a program becomes canceled. If a program is canceled by Yale, a full refund of fees paid will be processed within 30 days.
While it is our goal to deliver our programs as scheduled, we may postpone programs, deliver them online, or cancel them. If one of our programs has a scheduling change, we will notify those affected as soon as possible.
Program Collaborator

Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders began in 2008 through a partnership between Yale Executive Education and AIGA, the professional association for design. As the profession’s oldest and largest professional membership organization for design—with more than 70 chapters and more than 15,000 members—AIGA advances design as a professional craft, strategic advantage, and vital cultural force.
Testimonials
“If you’re trained in the creative arts and finding yourself more and more immersed with business as you attain heights of seniority, this course is for you. It provides an instructional approach to various business disciplines for not only you but also your clients. A truly invigorating course with esteemed faculty and a diverse cohort coming from almost every discipline and industry. Highly recommended.” —Amel Afzal, Director of Brand Marketing, Hearst Corp
Read more
“The sooner you take this course, the sooner you get to apply its wisdom.” —Amanda Assadi, Senior Creative Director, Xandr
“There is something magical about being involved in a design process with others, in a team in unison, where ideas grow exponentially, time pressure fades, and problems seem easy to overcome. This class shows you how that is possible, how it is constructed, and most essentially how it is led.” —Mark Faulkner, Associate Principal, Practice for Architecture and Urbanism
“Having originally enrolled in the in-person experience of BPCL, I was very concerned that the quality of instruction, and opportunities for networking and active learning with the cohort would be disappointing. I am so happy I was wrong. The cadence of instruction actually aided in deeper reflection, as each of us in the cohort was able to go back to our respective workplaces throughout the week to put theory into practice. I never pictured needing to return to in-depth academic instruction after I earned my Master’s degree, but BPCL was absolutely worth it at this point in my career.” —Chino Wong, Director of Product Design, Braze
“There are so many programs that will give you business information and frameworks, but this is the only one that relates to those of us with creative backgrounds and truly gives practical frameworks for use in your career immediately after a full day of sessions.” —Amanda Smith, Graphic Design Manager, Illinois State University
“I applied for this program because after 8 years of being a designer for a large health system, I was ready for a leadership role. I had never taken a business course before and wanted something that spoke to me as a creative transitioning into an executive position. Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders did not disappoint. It helped me discover more about myself, what kind of leader I am built to be, and how to take that foundation and enhance it. From the first class, I could take what I learned and immediately apply it to my everyday work. I see more clearly now how to tackle even the trickiest leadership situations, which makes me more confident about the future of my career.” —Valerie Thompson, Executive Director, FAIRWAYS Women's Initiative, ProMedica
“Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders does not disappoint! I came out of this program motivated and with the clarity to institute change by exploring perspectives that drive innovation and decision-making.” —Heidi Morrow, Multimedia Animation Designer, Associated Press