We often hear people talk about the importance of leaders—how leadership is essential to inspire change, make a lasting impact, and grow both personally and professionally. In today’s fast-moving and competitive world, leadership development is more than a desirable trait—it’s a necessity. Whether you’re navigating uncertainty, managing diverse teams, or leading digital transformation, the ability to evolve as a leader is what sets you apart.
From leadership development coaching and leadership training to immersive leadership development programs, the path to becoming an impactful leader is multifaceted. If you’re looking to cultivate leadership skills, engage with effective programs for managers, or explore new approaches to leadership development, this article provides key insights to help you get started.
Looking to fast-track your journey? Discover how the Online MBA program at EDHEC Business School supports your growth as a purpose-driven, future-ready leader.
What Is Leadership?
Leadership is the ability to influence, inspire, and guide individuals or teams toward shared goals. True leadership goes beyond task management—it’s about setting a vision, building trust, and motivating others to grow and perform. Great leaders navigate complexity with resilience, empower those around them, and act as catalysts for meaningful, lasting change.
Leadership Development and Management
Leadership development is the ongoing process of building the mindset, behaviours, and skills needed to lead effectively. It focuses on strengthening core abilities such as communication, decision-making, adaptability, and self-awareness. This growth often happens through formal training, coaching, mentoring, or real-world experience.
In today’s ever-changing professional landscape, leadership development is essential. It equips individuals with the confidence and tools to lead teams, influence strategy, and make an impact—whether in their current role or at the next level of their career.
The Role of Leadership Management
To turn leadership potential into real-world impact, management skills are essential. Leadership management involves guiding teams and organisations with strategy, emotional intelligence, and purpose—while ensuring that goals are achieved and day-to-day operations run smoothly.
Leadership development and management help professionals lead confidently and effectively—key parts of EDHEC’s Online MBA.
What Are the 5 Steps of Leadership Development?
Leadership development is not a one-time activity—it’s a continuous process that evolves with your career. It’s not a simple task or a chronological traditional process to become a leader. Leadership is a challenging journey that evolves through personal growth and professional development. Here are the five key steps that can help you throughout this roadmap:
- Self-Assessment
Understanding your strengths, blind spots, and leadership style is the foundation of growth. - Goal Setting
Clarifying where you want to go helps align your development journey with career ambitions. Make sure you set SMART goals so that you can easily assess your progress. - Skill Acquisition
Whether through leadership courses, seminars, or coaching, building specific capabilities is essential. - Practical Application
Real-world experience, supported by mentoring, allows you to put your skills into action. - Continuous Evaluation
Feedback and reflection help refine your approaches to leadership development and ensure progress over time.
This step-by-step model is widely adopted in programs for managers, from emerging leaders to seasoned executives.
Climbing Maxwell’s Leadership Ladder
While there are many ways to structure this journey, one of the most enduring and practical frameworks is John C. Maxwell’s 5 Levels of Leadership. A globally recognised leadership expert, Maxwell outlines a model that not only highlights how leaders grow but also how they can expand their impact over time.
Outlined in his influential works Developing the Leader Within You and The 5 Levels of Leadership, Maxwell’s model is built on five progressive stages:
- Position – Leadership Based on Rights
Leadership begins with a title or formal authority. At this stage, people follow because they have to. It’s a starting point—important, but limited in influence. - Permission – Leadership Based on Relationships
Leaders earn trust and respect, creating meaningful connections. People follow because they want to. This stage emphasises emotional intelligence, empathy, and the ability to inspire voluntary commitment. - Production – Leadership Based on Results
Influence is reinforced through the ability to drive outcomes. Leaders deliver tangible results, which boosts their credibility and creates momentum. This is where leadership training and experience come together to generate performance. - People Development – Leadership Based on Reproduction
True leadership is about multiplying your impact. At this stage, leaders focus on developing others, mentoring teams, and building future leaders—core principles in many leadership development programs. - Pinnacle – Leadership Based on Respect
This highest level is about legacy. Leaders are followed not only for their results or relationships but for who they are and what they represent. Their influence extends beyond their organisation, shaping the culture and values of future generations.
Maxwell’s model is a guiding framework for programs for managers and emerging leaders alike. It reminds us that leadership is not static—it’s an evolving process that moves from managing tasks to empowering others and, ultimately, to leaving a legacy.
When integrated into a structured development journey, such as the one provided by the Online MBA program at EDHEC, these principles can be brought to life through reflective learning, mentoring, and hands-on experiences. Each stage of Maxwell’s ladder reinforces the idea that leadership is a skill set to be continuously refined.
Leadership Styles: Choosing the Right Approach for Impact
Leadership styles refer to the behavioural approach a leader takes to influence, motivate, and guide their team. They shape how leaders communicate, make decisions, implement strategy, and consider the well-being of stakeholders. The effectiveness of a leadership style often hinges on one key element: trust. When teams trust their leaders, they are more likely to share ideas, exceed expectations, and actively contribute to success.
A leader’s chosen style is often a reflection of their personality, emotional intelligence, life experiences, and decision-making preferences. Understanding your own leadership style is an essential part of leadership development, as it helps you identify when to take the lead with authority and when a collaborative approach may work better. In fact, research featured in the Harvard Business Review by Daniel Goleman found that leadership style can account for up to 30% of an organisation’s bottom-line profitability.
Popular Leadership Styles
Here are some of the most commonly used leadership styles—each with its own advantages and considerations:
- Democratic Leadership: Involves collaboration and shared decision-making. Leaders actively seek input but retain final responsibility. This style can improve engagement, creativity, and job satisfaction but may slow down decision-making when quick action is needed.
- Autocratic Leadership: The leader makes decisions unilaterally, offering clear direction with little team input. While useful in time-sensitive or high-risk situations, overuse may lead to frustration and reduced team morale.
- Laissez-Faire Leadership: A hands-off style where leaders offer resources but give teams full autonomy. It works well with highly skilled, self-motivated individuals but can lead to confusion or underperformance without adequate guidance.
- Transformational Leadership: Focuses on inspiring team members to grow beyond their limits and embrace change. Transformational leaders create a shared vision and foster innovation, often seen in fast-paced, high-growth environments.
- Transactional Leadership: A structured, reward-based style where performance is tied to incentives or penalties. While this style can increase clarity and short-term productivity, it may hinder creativity and intrinsic motivation.
- Bureaucratic Leadership: Emphasises rules, policies, and procedures. Common in highly regulated industries or routine-based roles, it ensures consistency but can suppress innovation and flexibility.
- Servant Leadership: Prioritises the needs and development of the team. Servant leaders lead by example, cultivate trust, and create inclusive and ethical environments. However, it may be less effective in highly competitive or fast-paced settings.
Other styles include coaching leadership (focusing on individual strengths), charismatic leadership (relying on communication and personal magnetism), and strategic leadership (balancing operational efficiency with long-term growth).
Applying Leadership Styles Effectively
There is no universally ‘best’ style. Effective leaders often blend different approaches depending on the organisation, team dynamics, and situation.
Effective leadership development programs often encourage participants to explore different styles and develop the ability to apply them flexibly based on the situation.
As Gustav Ekström, Sales Manager at Vestas and current Online MBA participant, shares: “Pursuing the MBA at EDHEC will help me obtain the necessary leadership skills, think from a strategic point of view, and incorporate different leadership styles.”
This ability to reflect, adapt, and evolve one’s leadership approach is a key outcome of EDHEC’s Online MBA program, which blends theory, practice, and coaching to help participants grow into agile, authentic leaders.
What Are Leadership Skills, and Why Are They Important?
Leadership skills are the abilities that allow individuals to influence, guide, and support others in working toward a shared vision. These skills are essential for building strong teams, making sound decisions, and leading through change with confidence.
Effective Leadership Skills
Key leadership skills include:
- Communication – Clearly articulating ideas, actively listening, and fostering open dialogue
- Decision-Making – Assessing situations and making informed, timely choices
- Adaptability – Remaining flexible and effective in changing or uncertain environments
- Emotional Intelligence – Understanding and managing your own emotions, while empathising with others
- Team Leadership – Inspiring, motivating, and managing individuals to collaborate and perform at their best
- Strategic Thinking – Seeing the bigger picture and aligning daily actions with long-term goals
These skills are not only valuable—they’re essential in today’s complex and fast-moving business world. Leaders who invest in developing them are better equipped to drive results, foster trust, and create environments where people and organisations can thrive.
This perspective highlights how the Online MBA can empower professionals to refine their leadership approach while thinking more strategically and effectively managing teams.
Leadership Development Coaching and Training
Coaching lies at the heart of leadership development. By understanding yourself, you gain the ability to understand others—guiding, inspiring, and making a meaningful impact. According to Inge De Clippeleer, Head of Faculty, Management & Humanities and a key faculty member in EDHEC’s Online MBA program, self-awareness is a critical starting point for people to manage themselves and others.
“If you look at research, self-awareness is one of the first foundational competencies people need—not only to manage themselves, but also to connect with others,” she explains.
Ultimately, the better you understand and manage others, the more effective you become as a leader. Leadership is not only about vision—it’s about building strong relationships, motivating teams, and creating environments where people thrive.
The Role of Leadership Training and Coaching
Investing in leadership training and coaching helps professionals strengthen self-awareness, improve emotional intelligence, and navigate complex environments with confidence. Personalised coaching supports individuals in unlocking their potential, overcoming limiting behaviours, and boosting their overall impact. It also fosters adaptive thinking—an essential skill when leading across different cultures, time zones, and digital contexts.
While coaching offers introspection and behavioural insight, leadership training provides structure, expert guidance, and peer exchange. Together, they create a strong foundation for sustainable growth and leadership influence.
“When we look at leadership today, we see that authenticity is what truly matters,” adds Inge. “We no longer expect leaders to play a role; we expect them to embrace who they are, connect with people, and ensure their employees feel seen.”
Leadership Coaching in EDHEC’s Online MBA
Before diving into the leadership coaching experience, it’s important to understand the program’s broader vision. As Loick Menvielle, PhD, Academic Director of the EDHEC Online MBA and Associate Professor of Marketing at EDHEC Business School, explains:
“The EDHEC Online MBA delivers an innovative and flexible learning experience, with a focus on leadership and professional development. The program is a transformative journey crafted around real-world challenges to go beyond the basics and learn how to think critically.”
This transformative approach is embedded throughout the 24-month Online MBA program, which combines cutting-edge courses, hands-on consulting projects, and a comprehensive leadership development journey.
One of the core pillars of this journey is Boost360—a personalised leadership development program that supports participants in building leadership capabilities and gaining strategic clarity. It begins with a three-day induction seminar, where participants attend a masterclass on leadership led by Inge De Clippeleer. This session marks the starting point of their leadership development path and sets the tone for continuous growth.
Through Boost360 and the program’s broader structure, EDHEC equips professionals with the skills, mindset, and confidence to lead in complex, real-world environments—helping them become the reflective and resilient leaders tomorrow’s world demands.
Leadership Development Program in EDHEC’s Online MBA: Boost360
Boost360 is grounded in expertise from occupational psychology, management development, and leadership coaching. It’s integrated across the entire MBA journey to help participants gain clarity on their career goals, enhance self-awareness, and develop the emotional intelligence required to lead with impact.
A standout feature is the 360-degree assessment, which evaluates each participant across 25 key competences, spanning self-management, strategic skills, relational, and functional skills. This helps participants build a clear understanding of how they are currently perceived—and identify opportunities for growth.
By consistently encouraging reflection, feedback, and real-world application, Boost360 ensures participants develop not only the skills but also the mindset to lead with authenticity and influence. The result is a leadership journey rooted in continuous growth—helping ambitious professionals unlock their full potential and reach the next level in their careers.
How Does Boost360 Help You Reinvent Your Leadership Style?
Boost360 is more than a leadership module—it’s a transformative journey designed to help you redefine how you lead, grow, and connect. Here’s how it supports your evolution as a leader:
- Develop Key Soft Skills – Strengthen essential leadership capabilities such as emotional intelligence
- Gain Self-Awareness – Identify your strengths, weaknesses and leadership style to unlock greater personal impact
- Shape Your Career Direction – Clarify your goals and align your leadership journey with a purposeful career path
- Unlock Your Full Potential – Build confidence, resilience, and clarity to lead more authentically and effectively
- Lead with Emotional Intelligence – Cultivate empathy and relational awareness to inspire trust and manage teams successfully
Leadership Courses in the Online MBA Program
Leadership development is embedded across the core curriculum of EDHEC’s Online MBA program, equipping participants with the mindset and capabilities to lead effectively in a fast-paced, interconnected world. Several fundamental courses directly support this goal,including:
- Strategy in a Fast-Moving Business World – Helps future leaders evaluate opportunities and make strategic decisions across diverse business contexts
- Ethics and Corporate Responsibility – Builds ethical awareness and decision-making skills essential for responsible, purpose-driven leadership
- Digital Leadership – Managing People in the Digital Age – Prepares leaders to guide teams within complex, evolving organisational structures, with a focus on sustainable performance
Together, these courses complement the coaching and leadership training components of the MBA, offering participants both theoretical frameworks and practical insight to support their development as adaptable, impactful leaders.
Beyond individual modules, leadership training is reinforced through the Spotlight Seminar Series, Consulting Projects, and the fully integrated Boost360 leadership development program—ensuring that leadership is not a one-off topic, but a consistent thread that evolves throughout the experience.
These leadership courses are designed to equip participants with the tools and mindset needed to lead real change, implement ethical transformation, and deliver sustainable impact in today’s global business environment.
Why an MBA Can Boost Your Leadership Potential
If you’re serious about becoming an effective and impactful leader, an MBA can provide the structure, tools, and experiences to accelerate your growth. It helps you build the confidence, strategic mindset, and self-awareness needed to lead in today’s fast-changing world.
But not just any MBA will do—the right program provides both academic excellence and personal transformation.
Here’s why pursuing an MBA is a smart move for leadership development:
- Structured Learning and Strategic Thinking
MBA courses sharpen your analytical and decision-making skills—two essentials for leadership. You’ll learn how to approach complex challenges strategically and make confident, data-informed decisions. - Exposure to Diverse Leadership Challenges
From managing global teams to addressing sustainability and innovation, MBA programmes present real-world leadership scenarios that reflect today’s business landscape. - Leadership Coaching and Personal Growth
Through personalised coaching and leadership development tools, MBAs support deep self-reflection and help you build lasting behavioural change. - Peer Learning and Networking
Surrounded by motivated professionals from diverse industries, you learn to lead by collaborating, sharing perspectives, and building a strong global network. - Practical Application
Projects, case studies, and hands-on learning ensure your leadership growth is grounded in real business situations—not just theory.
Why EDHEC’s Online MBA Is the Right Choice for Future Leaders
EDHEC’s Online MBA brings together everything ambitious professionals need to grow as leaders—while allowing them to balance full-time work with studies. Here’s what sets it apart:
- A flexible 24-month learning journey that supports leadership development alongside your professional commitments
- Research-led teaching from world-class faculty, including international academics and experienced business professionals
- Boost360: A personalised leadership development programme designed to help you grow through coaching, reflection, and practical tools
- Hands-on exposure to real-world business challenges, including learning expeditions and consulting projects with global impact
- Expert-led seminar series to keep you informed on emerging trends and critical leadership topics
- A global alumni network of 60,000+ professionals, offering connections across industries, roles, and regions
Ultimately, the Online MBA at EDHEC equips you with the leadership skills to not just manage change—but to drive it. You’ll leave with the tools, mindset, and confidence to take on greater responsibilities and lead with purpose in a world that demands more from its leaders.
Your Next Step Towards Impactful Leadership
In a world shaped by constant change—technological innovation, sustainability imperatives, and global uncertainty—the demands on leaders are evolving. Today’s successful leaders must blend strategic thinking with empathy, resilience with adaptability, and vision with action. This is precisely where a transformative program like EDHEC’s Online MBA and on-campus MBAs make a meaningful difference.
Whether you’re looking to accelerate your career, transition to a new industry, or create broader change, EDHEC’s Online MBA provides the tools, perspective, and leadership mindset to help you succeed in a fast-moving global environment.
For professionals specifically looking to strengthen their soft skills and grow into confident managers, EDHEC’s Online Executive Master Management program may also be an excellent fit—offering a targeted approach to leadership and personal development.
