In RSM’s leadership programmes, you will learn to bring out the best in yourself and others while developing a broader understanding of your leadership ability through practical leadership skills training, evidence-based insights and professional executive coaching.
According to the World Economic Forum, by 2027 you will need to generate innovative ideas quickly, adopt an evidence-based approach to your work, stay up to date with the latest tech trends, all while maintaining strong leadership qualities. Lifting your leadership skillset is crucial to a sustainable career.
Leadership is not a linear progression, but a shift in the nature of challenges as responsibilities grow, as outlined in Prof. Hannes Leroy's framework.
At RSM we use this perspective to guide leadership development across career stages. Download the executive guide to explore what this means for your next step.
Next available date: 1 July 2026
Leaders like you, at every level, face increasing pressure to deliver results while inspiring others and staying true to their values in today’s ever-changing business environment. You may feel you have mastered technical expertise, yet you struggle to lead with confidence, clarity and authenticity. At RSM Executive Education, we recognise this challenge and have developed the Essentials of Leadership programme to you strengthen the foundations of your leadership impact.
Next available date: 18 May 2026
In the past fifty years, cognitive scientists have gained a deep understanding of how we make decisions, how we go wrong, and how we can do better. Armed with the right concepts, you can vastly improve the quality of your decisions.
In this two-day programme at RSM, Dr Philip Eskenazi leads you through the Decision Quality (DQ) framework. This simple framework allows you to approach decision-making in a structured, rational way. You will learn to work with six basic concepts, which together constitute the language your mind needs to reason about decisions. The process is easy to use and so flexible that it applies to all decisions: what to have for lunch, who to hire, or whether to invest in that new technology. During the programme, you will apply the method to a decision you’re facing in real life.
Next available date: 8 June 2026
In RSM’s two-day course Leading with Presence, you will learn how and why presence in everyday interaction is a vital component of impactful leadership. Leading with Presence is essential for business, to understand the science behind body language while exploring and practising leadership presence. You will boost your non-verbal communication skills, including elements such as posture, facial expressions and gestures, and the voice. Through theory, practical tools and exercises, you will increase your skills at being confident, persuasive and inspiring.
Stepping into leadership marks a shift from individual contribution to guiding others. The focus is on building the foundations for leading people and taking responsibility beyond your own work.
What does effective leadership require from you now that your role has changed?
Leading a team introduces new complexity. Success depends on your ability to align people, manage performance, and create the conditions for teams to deliver results.
How do you balance performance and people as expectations around your role increase?
Next available date: 29 June 2026
Do you have the skills to be an effective team leader? Are you struggling with team leadership challenges and issues, or need to boost your skills to manage your team to collective excellence?
In RSM’s three-day course Team Leadership, you will learn relevant team leader skills from RSM Executive Education's top faculty members. Your new knowledge and tools to deal effectively with motivational problems, dysfunctional team members, conflicts and lack of a common direction can be applied into your work immediately.
Next available date: 26 October 2026
As you step into your leadership role, you realise that you need more than technical expertise, you need the confidence, perspective and tools to lead people, sound decision-making skills, and deliver results. This programme equips you with exactly that: the skills, mindset, and network to navigate your next career step with clarity and impact. The RSM Diploma Programme in General Management gives you a powerful, practice-oriented learning experience that bridges knowledge and action. Over the course of several months, you move through the core modules of Team Leadership, Leading Change and Finance for Non-Financial Managers, and complement them with an elective tailored to your interests.
Next available date: 9 June 2026
Even when a deal is not optimal for all parties, a negotiator often still focuses on haggling over the price. But under financial constraints, even the most effective negotiator strives to achieve integral deals to meet everyone’s business needs, and deliver real value rather than just a good price. This approach builds effective business relationships and respect, and the key words are ‘needs’, ‘value’, and ‘relationship’, or in short NVR.
Business change and training specialist Paul Hazell will lead you through this intensive and practical workshop, developed by RSM Executive Education, to boost your negotiation skills. You will explore how you can find alignment when negotiating integral deals, identify how to improve your styles and negotiation techniques, and practise in simulated negotiating scenarios to build your confidence in the NVR approach.
Our courses integrate out-of-the-box learning methods, self-awareness development, 360-degree feedback and coaching, with innovative knowledge on contemporary leadership topics to challenge your perspective, confront your leadership weak spots in a safe environment, and strengthen your character.
Our mission to be a force for a positive change is embedded in everything we teach, meaning that its our utmost priority that we develop leaders that contribute to the betterment of society.
Our leadership programmes are built by leading experts, innovative academics, and seasoned practitioners so that the insights and tools embedded in our courses are truly at the forefront of knowledge in the field of leadership.
Hannes Leroy is a full professor of leadership development at RSM and academic director of the Erasmus Centre for Leadership. Hannes’s expertise lies in developing authentic and inclusive leadership and in facilitating personal development by bringing people out of their comfort zones. Published in top-tier journals, his research reflects on effective leadership in organisations, particularly on how to develop leaders. He holds a PhD in applied economics and organisational leadership from the University of Leuven in Belgium and has taught at renowned business schools worldwide (e.g., Johnson School of Business, Cornell University).
Daan Stam holds the endowed chair of Leadership for Innovation in the department of technology and operations management at RSM, where he leads the innovation management group. Daan’s research focuses on leading innovation and change, and he is particularly interested in understanding why some people are able to gather strong support for innovation and change while many others struggle to do so. He has searched for answers by studying the behaviours of leaders making plans using a psychological perspective, and found that identity issues are key to solving this mystery. Daan Stam is a member of the Erasmus Centre for Leadership Studies and the Erasmus Centre for Innovation Management.
Next available date: 16 June 2026
During this four-day intensive programme from RSM Executive Education, you will explore how to bring out the best in yourself and others – to deliver exceptional performance for your company. By unlocking the organisation’s collective intelligence and working with emerging ideas, you will move your company forward, motivate your team, and successfully reach business goals. You will gain the latest insights and tools for leadership and change, and you can apply them immediately to your own business challenges.
Next available date: 3 September 2026
If your goal is to move into a sustainability-centred role, bring sustainable practices into your existing position, or amplify your contribution at work, a deep understanding of sustainability and its place in business is key. With Leading Sustainable Business Transformation , you’ll gain the confidence, frameworks and practical skills to apply in an evolving sustainability landscape. Customise your journey and apply learnings in a hands-on project.
Next available date: 23 November 2026
You want to enhance your leadership capabilities and learn to better manage power dynamics and lead with purpose, integrity and empathy. Being effective at higher management levels is as much about knowing how to use hierarchical power status as it is about horizontal and upward influence tactics. A delicate balance is essential for maintaining authority, driving strategic alignment, and fostering a thriving organisational culture. RSM’s Mastering Power and Influence programme addresses these challenges by equipping you with the insights to effectively manage and balance hierarchical power and influence tactics to maintain authority and foster a thriving culture.
Next available date: 11 May 2026
In this three-day programme Dr Barbara Banda, a change expert with business and academic experience, will teach you how to manage uncertainty and to make it easier for your staff to adapt to change. This programme on leading and managing change, will bring you hands-on knowledge about the complexity and messiness of change, and how to lead it effectively. It provides practical tools and theoretical foundations, as well as a confidential and safe forum for you to learn and exchange experiences.
Next available date: 3 June 2026
This three-day HR training from RSM Executive Education empowers you to think differently about strategic culture and change. It challenges you to look beyond the obvious and supports you to create greater value in your organisation. Where other courses simply lecture you on HR strategy, this programme takes a unique and distinctly RSM approach, with highly interactive workshops based on innovative research insights. Your learning journey is guided by RSM’s professors and lecturers. Experts who will teach you to think differently and provide you with practical tools and techniques you can use immediately. By sharing in each other’s pitfalls and successes, your interactions with peers also form a critical part of the learning process. At the end of the training programme, you can lead people and culture into the future with an advanced and strategic HR skillset that prepares you to elevate your role in your organisation.
Next available date: 1 September 2026
RSM's Advanced Management and Leadership Programme is an intensive modular management programme that will sharpen your critical thinking skills and enhance your impact as a leader. Based on real issues, economic realities and global shifts and megatrends, AMLP will challenge the way you view yourself and the way your organisation operates. You will take a step back from day-to-day tasks so that you can be equipped with new skills and capabilities to adapt, thrive and succeed. With 15 days of classroom experience spread over four innovative modules, your choice of an in-depth elective, and an impact project to put your learning in practice, this journey will enable you to dramatically enhance your leadership skills and impact.
As scope expands, leadership becomes more organisational. Navigating stakeholders, priorities, and ambiguity requires stronger judgement and broader perspective.
How do you lead effectively when challenges extend beyond your team and into the wider organisation?
At senior levels, leadership is defined by direction-setting, decision-making under uncertainty, and shaping organisational outcomes over the long term.
How do you ensure your leadership creates clarity and direction in complex and uncertain environments?
Next available date: 22 September 2026
Together with a select cohort of peers, you will master systems thinking, decision-making under uncertainty, stakeholder engagement, and non-market strategy — building the capabilities to lead both within and beyond the organisation. Intensive on-campus modules are complemented by continuous online learning and faculty mentoring, ensuring that insights are translated into immediate impact in your organisational context. This flagship journey combines academic rigour with immersive experiential learning and culminates in a certification in Strategic Leadership from RSM, marking the end of your training as a highest-level leader
The Essentials of Leadership programme was an enjoyable and enriching challenge that exceeded my expectations. I chose RSM based on its reputation and the experience of the trainers, and for a holistic approach to leadership development. What stood out was the focus on scientific context and practical self-management tools that enabled me to shape my unique leadership style and to mobilise and nurture the talents within my team. I appreciated the emphasis on effective non-verbal communication for leading under pressure. I learned to consciously use my presence with body language and voice for difficult communications and decision-making, making me a more effective leader. It was a transformative journey that has empowered me to connect, inspire, and motivate. I highly recommend it.
Christian Pille - CX Design Strategist at Philips
As a first-time manager I wanted to learn how to create a strong and efficient team, and empower team members to grow, develop themselves and work confidently. RSM's Team Leadership Programme really exceeded my expectations. The professors did a really good job balancing theory with practice, and I learned a lot from the other participants’ diverse experiences and backgrounds.
Rohini Persad-Bhaggoe - Marketing Manager at REISinformatiegroep|9292
My recent experience with the Challenge of Leadership programme at RSM was truly transformative. I chose RSM because of its global reputation for combining academic excellence with practical insights, particularly in leadership. What stood out to me was the interactive nature of the sessions, where real-life scenarios were explored in depth, allowing me to reflect on my own leadership style. Throughout the programme, I gained a deeper understanding of emotional intelligence and how it plays a crucial role in effective leadership. The programme equipped me with tools to better navigate complex interpersonal dynamics, and I now feel more confident in driving innovation and collaboration within my team. The insights I gathered will allow me to inspire and motivate those around me to not only achieve their goals but to also embrace positive change.
Igor Zygharev - Operations Director at Smit Lamnalco Ltd.
Having started it during a company merger, the Advanced Management and Leadership Programme (AMLP) offered me a brilliant upgrade in management and leadership skills that captured the essence of how to lead. I enjoyed the modules, unlocked my skills and improved my confidence. Diverse modules shed light on various leadership angles. It enhanced self-awareness and interpersonal skills and gave real-time insights for practical application. I learned to not just embrace change but to lead it. Post-AMLP, I confidently navigated the merger, grateful for RSM's expertise and the professionalism of their lecturers. If you’re ready for a leadership leap, AMLP is the transformative step you need.
Yulia M. Efimova - Senior Global Regulatory Affairs Lead at DSM-Firmenich
I chose RSM because of its international status as a top business and management school. The three-day Team Leadership programme was a compact, logical and balanced mix of theory, interactive group exercises and time for reflection. We started with the basics of leadership, and it quickly became intense and insightful. The course pushes you out of your comfort zone. It was exactly what I needed to explore strengths and opportunities to further develop my own personal leadership style such as behaviour and non-verbal communication. It was a first-hand experience of trying to be cool, calm and collected in an unfamiliar, yet safe, setting. Knowing when and how to intervene in leadership and sharing personal goals were important lessons to apply in my day-to-day work. The course is professionally run by very experienced coaches. I highly recommend it to new and developing leaders.
Dr Adrian Cohen - Senior scientific policy advisor at Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam
A great learning experience! The Advanced Management and Leadership programme combined new theoretical support and tools with discussions with like-minded professionals. I liked the different approaches within each module, the varied faculty and the focus on three core areas: leadership, finance and strategy. The modular flexibility suited me and it was good to network. Also, RSM’s reputation is appealing and delivered its promise. I’m certain that this will help me in my current role and support my development in the future.
Jolanda Landman - Regiomanager at ArboNed
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) is one of Europe’s top-ranked business schools. RSM provides ground-breaking research and education furthering excellence in all aspects of management and is based in the international port city of Rotterdam – a vital nexus of business, logistics and trade. RSM’s primary focus is on developing business leaders with international careers who can become a force for positive change by carrying their innovative mindset into a sustainable future. Our first-class range of bachelor, master, MBA, PhD and executive programmes encourage them to become critical, creative, caring and collaborative thinkers and doers.
At Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM), leadership development is central to all our programmes. Our open programmes offer focused, flexible ways to strengthen your leadership skills, while those seeking a more immersive experience can further develop their capabilities through our MBA programmes, including the Executive MBA and International Full-time MBA. Across all formats, RSM equips professionals to lead with confidence and create positive change in their organisations and beyond.
Programme advisor
It's my priority to help you identify how you can meet your professional objectives, so reach out and let's make a plan for your personal development.
Programme advisor
It's my priority to help you identify how you can meet your professional objectives, so reach out and let's make a plan for your personal development.