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The Next Gen Leadership Series

Foundational Leadership Skills, Strategic Decision-making, and Business Acumen for the Modern Leader

Advance the leadership skills to confidently lead people, navigate change, and make stronger business decisions with RIT Executive Business Programs. Designed for working professionals, this cohort-based series combines practical instruction, collaborative learning, and a real-world practicum - so you leave with proof of what you can achieve.

Participants may register for either program individually or complete both for a comprehensive leadership development experience. Each, inclusive of a one-on-one coaching session, stands on its own while building toward a broader understanding of modern leadership. An RIT Executive Certificate will be earned upon successful completion.

Thinking about an Executive MBA down the road? Start building your executive foundation today with zero financial risk. 100% of your Leader’s Practicum tuition will be applied directly as a tuition rebate upon enrollment in the RIT Saunders Executive MBA program

Program 1: Foundational Leadership

Essential Skills for the Modern Leader

October 22 – December 17, 2026

Build the foundational skills needed to lead yourself, others, and teams effectively. Through four core modules, participants will develop practical leadership capabilities that can be applied immediately in the workplace.

Emotional Intelligence & Executive Presence

Assess personal leadership style and emotional-intelligence profile using multiple validated leadership assessments.
Identify personal leadership blind spots and draft an individual development plan.
Clarify core personal values to use as a decision-making anchor in high-stakes situations.
Establish a structured feedback-seeking habit so the development plan evolves.
Manage personal energy and across competing priorities.

Coaching, Feedback & Performance Management

Apply a structured coaching framework to real workplace scenarios brought by participants.
Deliver difficult feedback using a proven, low-defensiveness conversation model.
Design a performance-management approach that motivates and develops talent.
Practice delegation techniques that build team capability rather than create bottlenecks.

Communication, Conflict & Collaboration

Diagnose common sources of team conflict and select an appropriate resolution strategy.
Facilitate psychologically safe, high-trust team discussions.
Adapt communication style to different stakeholder audiences and contexts.
Apply inclusive-leadership practices to strengthen team cohesion across differences.
Inspire a shared vision to align team on key priorities

Project Management & Process Improvement

Apply core project-management tools (scope, timeline, resourcing, risk log) to a live initiative.
Identify process inefficiencies using basic frameworks, including AI-assisted analysis tools used responsibly.
Apply critical thinking to evaluate trade-offs in resource allocation under real-world constraints.
Translate a strategic goal into an executable, resourced project plan.

Included for every participant: one complimentary 1:1 coaching session to turn insight into action.

Built around your own Individual Development Plan
One-on-one with a dedicated program coach
Additional one-on-one coaching sessions available through the registration link

Program 2: Strategic Excellence

For Confident Decision-making in the Digital Era

January 15 – March 5, 2027

Take your leadership skills to the next level by developing a deeper understanding of the business and organizational forces that drive results. Through four advanced modules, participants will build the strategic, financial, and interpersonal skills needed to navigate complexity, lead change, and make a greater organizational impact.

Program 2 Schedule

Reading & Applying the Numbers

Interpret core financial statements — income statement, balance sheet, cash flow — for non-financial managers.
Practice data-informed decision-making using business metrics, ROI analysis, and AI as a thought partner.
Connect day-to-day management decisions to organizational financial performance.
Ask sharper financial questions in budget and planning conversations.

Frameworks & Executive Judgment

Apply strategic frameworks (SWOT, competitive analysis) to a live business case.
Connect strategic choices to financial performance.
Evaluate strategic trade-offs under uncertainty.
Translate strategic analysis into a clear executive recommendation.

Innovation, AI & Organizational Transformation

Evaluate the managerial implications of AI adoption and data-driven decision-making; apply a practical AI-ethics framework — bias, transparency, data privacy and accountability — to lead responsible conversations around AI and emerging technology.
Apply a change-management model to lead teams through transformation.
Identify sources of resistance to change and select strategies to build buy-in.

Reaching to Yes When Others Don't Automatically Agree

Apply core negotiation frameworks (e.g., BATNA, interest-based bargaining) to real workplace scenarios.
Build influence without formal authority, using credibility, reciprocity, and shared-interest framing.
Navigate difficult conversations and conflicting priorities toward win-win outcomes.

Included for every participant: one complimentary 1:1 coaching session to turn insight into action.

Built around your own Individual Development Plan
One-on-one with a dedicated program coach
Additional one-on-one coaching sessions available through the registration link

What Everyone Gains

Participants Gain

A personal development plan, built from a real self-assessment
A portfolio-quality business case, built and defended live
Difficult conversations, feedback, negotiation — practiced before they count
Sharper financial and strategic judgment, not just theory
A deliverable that's reusable for a review, a pitch, or an EMBA application
A cohort that pressure-tests their thinking every week
An RIT Executive Certificate

Organizations Gain

Team and performance issues get addressed early, before they escalate
Managers who delegate effectively, creating capacity without adding headcount
Projects properly scoped and resourced against real constraints, not run over budget
Sharper financial and strategic judgment distributed below the C-suite
Safer, more responsible AI adoption inside the functions actually using it
Higher adoption rates on whatever change initiative is already underway
Stronger negotiating outcomes