9 Best Online Leadership Courses, Classes & Training  [Updated June 2023]

 

An able leader is someone who can accept his/her prejudices and work around a team with diverse thinking and tap into their talents and motivations for better decision making. To learn such inclusive leadership skills, the first one in our list of leadership courses online is the edX leadership course that is a part of a professional certificate in inclusive leadership. This beginner’s course aims to empower the present and future business leaders by teaching the crucial leadership skills required in this 21st century. This online leadership training will teach you how to use research and best practices to practice empowerment, accountability, courage, ad humility at the workplace to build successful teams.

 

The course uses stories of great personalities and everyday people around you to learn inclusive leadership. The course is also enriched with multiple short quizzes and case studies that will help you reflect upon and hone your leadership skills. With the help of such leadership courses online you will be able to meet like-minded people who, just like you, aspire to be great leaders at work.

 

The key takeaways of the leadership classes online under this course are:

 

• The success mantra of 21st-century leaders
• Developing and refining inclusive leadership skills with the ‘EACH’ framework – empowerment, accountability, courage, and humility
• Applying new leadership skills in real-life situations
• Weekly guidance for creating your leadership plan

 

The self-paced leadership classes online in this course have been created by the Catalyst, curator of some of the best leadership courses online on edX, and mentored by its Vice Presidents and Senior Director. The four-week-long leadership classes online require 1-2 hours of effort per week to complete the online leadership training. While this is one of the free leadership courses online, you will be required to pay an extra fee to obtain a verified certificate from the institution. You can also enroll for the professional certificate that includes two more leadership courses online – Get Beyond Work-Life Balance and Leading with Effective Communication. If you are just beginning you might want to just stick to the first course mentioned here. Irrespective, this is one of the best online leadership courses for beginners and 212, 799 students have already enrolled for this online leadership training.

 

Sign Up Here

 

Agile leadership has been termed as the leadership for the next-gen business leaders. Since the business environments are highly volatile and ever-changing, they require a leader who can acknowledge other employee’s perspective, involve them in decision making, and thus build stronger relations within the organization and with the stakeholders. This advanced-level course is one of the leadership courses online that will teach you to accelerate and improve team decisions by learning the agile leadership principles for improved team productivity, motivation, and problem-solving. Offered by the University of Maryland and the University System of Maryland, this course is a part of the professional certification in Agile Project Management. This course is the fourth course in the leadership courses online series and the focus of this online leadership training is on facilitation and communication skills that can set apart an agile leader form a conventional leader.

 

Bu undertaking the leadership classes online under this edX leadership course you will learn:

 

• Agile and key roles  overview – scrum master, product owner, and agile team members
• Building self-organizing teams for agile projects
• Decision-making tools for agile project managers
• Facilitating leadership and the power of play
• Decision science and human mind heuristics
• Negotiation styles and techniques
• Managing bias through mindfulness and emotional intelligence

 

This four-weeks-long course requires 2-3 hours of effort per week to complete the online leadership training. The best online leadership courses under professional certification will take around five months to complete. By undertaking these leadership training courses online you will also be eligible for 10 Professional Development Unit (PDU) credits that are recognized by the Project Management Institute.

 

The instructor for these leadership classes online is John Johnson, Strategic Program Manager and Faculty at Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland. The course is listed as a free edX leadership course. However, you will have to pay a fee to obtain a verified certificate signed by the instructor of this course. Around 30,040 students have already enrolled for this best online leadership training.

 

Sign Up Here

 

A leader is also a powerful motivator, but to be able to motivate and lead other team members, you need to set a strong foundation for yourself. This is one of the best online leadership training that aims to help you change your everyday habits to become a powerful motivator and efficient leader. This beginners’ course is fit for anyone who is involved in an organization and wishes to become a better and effective leader. New managers and entrepreneurs who want to grow their skills and develop a high-functioning workplace will also benefit from such leadership courses online.

 

By taking this course you will be able to:

 

• Implement actionable strategies to reprogram your mindset and become a successful leader
• Become a confident transformational leader at the workplace and personal life
• Create and track manageable business goals for yourself and your organization
• Build better relations with colleagues and diverse group of people

 

The leadership classes online in this course have been divided into eight modules and each module will introduce you to a core pillar of leadership that all great leaders possess. You will learn how you can channel these pillars to achieve big goals, plan effectively, work with different temperaments, and create an engaging team environment. These eight modules and the topics covered under each are:

 

Module 1- Vision

• Becoming a ‘Big Picture’ thinker
• Finding your vision
• Leading by example

 

Module 2 – Integrity

• Practicing leadership consistently
• Exploring your role models
• Determining your values

 

Module 3 – Strategic Planning

• Increasing your return on energy
• Setting and implementing goals

 

Module 4 – Project Management

• Developing self-discipline
• Maximizing personal productivity
• Mastering the art of delegation

 

Module 5 – Courage

• Taking risks as a leader
• Owning your accountability

 

Module 6 – Communication

• Understanding motivational leadership
• Empowering your team
• Active listening
• Leveraging constructive criticism

 

Module 7 – Teamwork

• Choosing cooperation over confrontation
• Hiring the right people

 

Module 8 – Taking Action

• Thinking solutions, not problems
• Exhibiting competence

 

The above modules have been spread over 62 leadership classes online that make up for three hours of on-demand video content. The creator of this course is Brian Tracy, a thought leader, speaker, and entrepreneur. This online leadership training course has a rating of 4.5 and has been enrolled by 11,673 students already. You can purchase this course with a one-time fee that comes with a 30-days money-back guarantee. You will also be granted a certificate on completing all the leadership classes online.

 

 

Sign Up Here

 

A majority of employers seek leadership skills and the ability to work in teams. According to BurningGlass, more than 500,000 jobs in the US seek candidates with skills such as leadership, decision making, teamwork, and management. Professionals like software engineers, account managers, business analysts, etc. are expected to possess leadership skills to be more employable. If you too wish to be more industry-relevant by acquiring or refining your leadership skills, this edX leadership MicroMasters program can be the most comprehensive and one of the best online leadership courses.

 

This MicroMasters program, offered by the University of Queensland, comprises four leadership courses online and one capstone project. These leadership courses online will help you develop a deep understanding of your organization, understand the people better and the context in which the organization operates, and also gain self-insight.

 

The five graduate-level leadership training courses online under this edX leadership program are:

 

Course 1 - Becoming an Effective Leader Under this best online leadership training, you will learn the importance of self-efficacy, social capital, and leadership style.

 

Course 2 – Leading the Organization In the leadership classes online in this course, you will learn the effective strategies for articulating and implementing organizational change initiatives.

 

Course 3 – Leading High-Performance Teams You will learn to build effective and high-performing teams by motivating, engaging, and empowering people.

 

Course 4 – Leading in a Complex Environment In these leadership classes online you will learn how to successfully lead your organization through challenging, present-day global issues.

 

Course 5 – Business Leadership Capstone Assessment Under the final leg of the program, you will have to undertake a capstone project that comprises a series of in-depth assignments to apply the leadership skills learned under the above leadership development courses online.

 

The entire series of leadership courses online takes approx. 11 months to complete by investing 8-10 hours of effort per week. The instructors of these best leadership training courses are the professors and lecturers from the University of Queensland. The leadership training courses online in this MicroMasters can be purchased with a one-time fee. You will have to complete the online leadership training of all the courses and earn a certificate in each to avail of the MicroMasters certificate. You will also be eligible for one semester of credit for two of the postgraduate degrees at the University of Queensland.

 

Sign Up Here

 

If you are searching for quick leadership training courses online, this is one of the best leadership training courses that you can enroll in. The best online leadership training, offered by the Harvard Extension Scholl for professional development, is designed for first-line and mid-managers (with 5-7 years of experience) who are or will soon be taking on significant leadership roles in their organization. Under this course, you will learn about the interdependent relationship between leadership and decision making.

 

The leadership classes online in this course combine a mix of theory and practice to demonstrate how to make the right decisions and avoid the bad ones. The course also takes into account the research in neuroscience on the dual aspects of the decision- making i.e. intuitive and rational. Since leadership is an acquired skill, the course elaborates on how this skill can be earned and how self-awareness can be used as a tool to become a better leader.

 

The two-day long leadership classes online require 3.5 hours each day to complete the Harvard online leadership training. Some of the benefits of taking this course are:

 

• Identifying your leadership style and blind spots
• Understanding psychological hurdles in decision making
• Coping with stress and pressure to maximize better decision making
• The importance of self-awareness, especially cognitive biases and the illusion of rationality

 

The instructor of this course is Laura Wilcox, who has an experience of over two decades in business, innovation, and education. While the other leadership courses online give the flexibility to take courses at your own pace, this course, however, will be available on stipulated dates and times that have been mentioned on the website.  The course can be availed by paying a one-time fee. You will also be awarded a digital certificate of participation by the Harvard University Division of Continuing Education.

 

Sign Up Here

 

This is an intermediate-level leadership courses online specialization that will help you lead in an ever-changing volatile business environment. The five best online leadership courses under this series will equip you with master key strategies to lead an organizational change and to leverage different roles and functions. The leadership courses online offered by Northwestern University will enable you to:

 

• Lead organizations through clarity of purpose and effective collaboration — by building and motivating teams
• Design and deliver powerful stories to communicate effectively
• Develop strategies to appropriately influence
• Understand underlying customer analytics
• Apply innovative approaches to deliver impact

 

The leadership development courses online in this specialization on Coursera are self-paced. The entire series takes approx. seven months to complete by dedicating two hours of effort per week. The five best leadership training courses under this specialization are:

 

• Course 1 - High-Performance Collaboration: Leadership, Teamwork, and Negotiation
• Course 2 -  Leadership Communication for Maximum Impact: Storytelling
• Course 3 - Leadership Through Social Influence
• Course 4 - Leadership Through Marketing
• Course 5 - Leadership Through Design Innovation
• Course 6 - Organizational Leadership Capstone

 

The instructors of these leadership courses online are a great mix of professors from different management and communication schools. All the leadership development courses online are enriched with video lessons and readings, practice quizzes, and graded assignments with feedback.

 

This is a subscription-based course; you can either subscribe to the entire specialization or select the leadership development courses online that you wish to undertake. However, subscribing to any of these best online leadership courses will subscribe you to entire specialization automatically. You can also avail of financial aid for this online leadership training. Each enrollee will earn a certificate only on completing all the courses and the capstone project. This online leadership training specialization has a rating of 4.6 and has been enrolled by 16,588 students already.

 

 

Sign Up Here

 

Organizations and businesses are always exposed to changes and uncertainty; hence it is essential to have rock-solid leadership acumen so that you and your organization are better placed for growth during these times.

 

This postgraduate diploma in leadership offered on Emeritus aims to help you develop your skills as a mentor and a team leader to drive your business goals effectively. The online leadership training in this course gives a holistic view of the three pillars of leadership – personal leadership, team leadership, and organizational leadership.

 

The leadership classes online in this diploma will take six months to complete if you invest 2-4 hours per week. The online leadership training is divided into four modules as follows:

 

Module 1 – Personal Leadership and Success Module 2 – Leadership: People, Teams, and Organizations Module 3 – Leading Organizations and Change Module 4 – Capstone Project

 

The course is one of the best online leadership courses as the modules are choc-o-block with 220 video leadership classes online, 30 assignments, 20 case studies, 10 live webinars, role plays, simulation, 360° assessment, and feedback.

 

This online leadership training diploma is offered by the Emeritus Institute of Management in collaboration with MIT Sloan, Columbia Business School Executive Education, and Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Apart from interacting with the lecturers from these reputed institutes, you will also have access to guest lectures taken up by industry experts focusing on data science.

 

The online leadership training diploma can be purchased by paying the fee in two equal installments. You will be awarded a verified digital diploma on undertaking all the leadership classes online. You will also gain access to the emeritus global network that has more than 7400 learners which include CEOs, presidents, vice presidents, directors, founders, and managing directors from across fields.

 

Sign Up Here

 

A great leader is the one who can inspire others towards a goal greater than themselves.  The five leadership training courses online specialization, offered by the Case Western Reserve University, aims at building leaders who can inspire and engage others. The course series focuses on how emotional intelligence and compassion can help build better relations at work. The courses explore the valued attributes and behaviors of women in the workplace, the difference between coaching for compliance and coaching with compassion. One of the leadership development courses online also elaborates on appreciative enquiry i.e. to value and to recognize that which has value.

 

By undertaking this online leadership training, you will learn:

 

• How to overcome stressful situations at the workplace
• How to renew your mind and body by building better relationships
• The positive approaches to leadership
• The power of asking questions to become an inclusive leader
• How to coach others towards sustained desired change
• How to increase motivation at work and in personal life

 

The entire specialization takes approx. eight months to finish. The five leadership development courses online offered under the specialization are:

 

Course 1 – Inspiring Leadership through Emotional Intelligence Course 2 – Women in Leadership: Positive Change Course 3 – Conversations that Inspire: Coaching Learning, Leadership and Change Course 4 – Leading Positive Change through Appreciative Enquiry Course 5 – Be a Leader, Develop a Leader

 

The courses are mentored by highly-experienced professors of organizational behavior.

 

This is an intermediate-level subscription-based specialization that allows you the flexibility to either select amongst the leadership training courses online or enroll for the entire specialization. You can also apply for financial aid if need be. The specialization has been rated a 4.7 and currently has 15, 216 students on board. You will be awarded a certificate of completion on completing all the courses in the specialization along with the capstone project.

 

Sign Up Here

 

If you have been on a look-out for leadership courses online to teach you practical and proven methods of leadership success, this masterclass covers it all. Mentored by the world-renowned business educator and coach, Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, this online leadership training will help you develop habits for better and positive outcomes at the workplace.

 

This beginners’ course is suitable for new managers, entrepreneurs, coaches and team leaders, and for people looking for a career change. The course is also apt for anyone seeking the best online leadership courses to reinforce positive and lasting measurable change in behavior in themselves and their teams. You will learn how your beliefs and the working environment can trigger negative behaviors and the practical ways to achieve and sustain positive behavioral change. The course elaborates on the importance of coaching and how it is effective only when applied to people who wish to improve.

 

The course has been divided into five modules that contain 37 lectures spread over 2.5 hours and 16 downloadable resources. The modules of this course are as follows:

 

• Teaching leaders ‘what to stop’
• Leadership is a contact sport
• Coaching for behavioral change
• Triggers

 

This is one of the best leadership training courses as the coach has also included several activities that will help you achieve your personal goals, a guide to his ‘daily questions’ spreadsheet, and a proven process for leadership development. This course can be bought with a one-time fee that also comes with a 30-days money-back guarantee. Enrollees will also get a certificate upon completing the course. The leadership classes online in this course have been rated a 4.4 and currently have 4618 enrollments.

 

 

Sign Up Here