Unite your creative background with world-renowned managerial and leadership expertise.
Oftentimes accomplished creative professionals rise to managerial positions with little leadership or management training. That’s why they join Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders—to develop the business acumen needed to be well-rounded, successful leaders.
From decision-making and leading teams to financial literacy and innovation, this engaging live online program equips participants with a comprehensive toolkit of foundational management and leadership skills. As a result, they communicate more effectively across functional areas and drive organizational success.
Simultaneously, they drive their careers forward. By cultivating deeper self-awareness, participants uncover the distinctive strengths that will advance their professional aspirations.
Experience the perfect blend of practical insights and powerful introspection, presented in a flexible and convenient format.
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 the way for team innovation. Truly life-changing.
About the Program
What to Expect
- Unearth key insights into your unique strengths and learn how you can build upon them to strengthen your leadership skills and achieve your professional goals.
- Develop foundational business skills that are key to building a creative organization: decision-making, leading teams, finance, innovation, and consumer understanding.
- Explore frameworks to tackle managerial challenges and high-impact business opportunities.
- Enhance your emotional intelligence to navigate high-stress situations and motivate your team.
- Effectively influence and negotiate with colleagues and clients to achieve more value for your organization.
- Understand the basics of business financials to better communicate with colleagues across functional areas.
- Build a powerful network of creative industry peers to support your ongoing professional development journey.
Who Should Attend
Designed for mid-career or senior professionals, this program is ideal for creatives striving to become better leaders and expand their network. Averaging between 40 to 45 participants per cohort, this experience is often described as the most valuable of their careers.
Live Online Experience
This program’s live online format enables participants to partake in a highly engaging and insightful learning experience without sacrificing time away from the job they love.
Every Thursday for six weeks, participants access our online learning platform to attend live sessions taught by Yale faculty and esteemed guest speakers. This cadence empowers the cohort to immediately put their newfound knowledge into practice at their respective workplaces, deepening their learning experience.
The online learning platform also facilitates networking; participants can discover what they have in common with their peers via participant profile galleries and connect further using the messaging feature. To foster these relationships, online networking activities are held every Tuesday.
Agenda
Your cohort meets weekly, on Thursdays, for a full day of learning. Sessions typically occur between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET, with some days running slightly shorter or longer depending on that day's agenda.
Online networking activities 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. Content and schedule are subject to change.
Leading from Within
- Understanding Your Leadership Impact and Debriefing Your Assessment: Reflected Best Self
- Emotional Intelligence: Awareness, Regulation, and Compassion
Marketing Yourself and Your Work
- Negotiations: Friendly Ambition and Value Claiming
- Influence and Persuasion
Decision-Making for Leaders
- Deciding to Decide: Decision Making for Leaders
Running Your Business
- Financial Accounting I: Understanding the Fundamentals of Accounting and Financial Statements
- Financial Accounting II: Financial Statements and Financial Health
Building Your Organization
- Employee Engagement and Motivation
- Building Courageous Learning Communities
Leading Innovation
- Organizing for Innovation
- Networks of Innovation
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; former Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Yale School of Management
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.”
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.
Zoe Chance
Senior Lecturer in Management
Areas of Expertise: Influence and Persuasion, Decision-Making, Behavior Change
Read the full bio
Zoe Chance is our resident expert on interpersonal influence. She's a member of the marketing faculty at Yale SOM, teaching the school's most popular elective, "Mastering Influence and Persuasion," as well as workshops for executives around the world. Her recent book, Influence Is Your Superpower, is an international bestseller being published in 28 languages. Zoe earned her MBA from USC and her doctorate from Harvard. Her framework for behavior change is the foundation for Google’s global food policy. Before joining academia, Zoe managed a $200 million segment of the Barbie brand. Now, she uses her influence to help out with the climate crisis and donates half her book profits to that cause. She wants to help you make great things happen too.
Emma Seppälä
Lecturer in 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.
Application Information
Program Details
Application deadline: December 18, 2024
Program dates: January 30–March 6, 2025
Networking activities will take place on Tuesdays, followed by full days of learning on Thursdays.
Location: Live online
Program fee: $5,850
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 Joanne Legler, Senior Director of Learning Partnerships.
Payment
Upon acceptance, you will be prompted for your payment preference. Prior to the start of the program, you will gain access to the online learning platform. We strongly recommend completing the necessary pre-work assignments before the program begins to get the most benefit from the experience.
Program Fee Assistance
Download the sample justification letter to guide conversations with an employer about 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 or 2U/GetSmarter.
Discounts cannot be combined.
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.
Additional Information
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
“Having originally enrolled in the in-person experience of the program, 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 this program was absolutely worth it at this point in my career.” —Chino Wong, Director of Product Design, Braze
Read more
“If you’re trained in the creative arts and finding yourself more and more immersed with business as you attain heights of seniority, this program is for you. It provides an instructional approach to various business disciplines for not only you but also your clients. A truly invigorating program with esteemed faculty and a diverse cohort coming from almost every discipline and industry. Highly recommended.” —Amel Afzal, Director of Brand Marketing, Hearst Corp
“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 session, 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
“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 program 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
“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
“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
“The sooner you take this program, the sooner you get to apply its wisdom.” —Amanda Assadi, Senior Creative Director, Xandr