Harvard Business School Launching Executive Education Program to Help Women Break Into the Boardroom

Harvard Business School has a new executive education program aimed at preparing high-achieving women for board service.

There remains a glass ceiling for women in the top ranks of business, with female directors holding only 15% of U.S. board seats. Lynn Paine, HBS professor of Business Administration and Co-Chair of the new program, Women on Boards: Succeeding as a Corporate Director, points out, “It’s a myth that there aren’t enough qualified women to serve on boards. There’s actually an ample supply. Through this program we aim to bring many of them together and increase their visibility.”

Designed for women in senior executive roles, this program will focus on the inner workings of boards, including ways of overcoming the obstacles women may face when seeking board appointments. It will include panel discussions, case-study discussions, presentations, and individual coaching sessions.

Program topics include:

Understanding How Boards Work
* Legal and regulatory environments affecting boards
* Roles and responsibilities of board members
* Formal and informal board dynamics
* What the next generation of board members needs to know
* The “gender” lens—how women are perceived in the boardroom
* Working with and evaluating the CEO

Developing the Board-critical Skills
* Reading between the lines of financial statements
* Leading through risk
* Making strategic, timely decisions
* Communicating effectively with diverse stakeholders
* Managing yourself in high-stakes situations

Navigating the Selection Process
* How executive firms match candidates with opportunities
* Disrupting the established lines of succession
* Developing your wish list
* Becoming the winning candidate

Raising One’s Profile
* Networking strategically within the organization
* Establishing connections with elite search firms
* Interacting with CEOs to benefit from their experience and perspectives

For more information on this new program, which takes place November 28 – December 2, 2016, visit the Harvard Business School Web site.

Albert & Company International, Inc. is a one-stop shop for Executive Development and talent management. Our vision is to help individuals gain the knowledge they need to excel, thereby increasing their efficiency and productivity, leading to better organizational growth. For more information on this and many other courses in our extensive Executive Education database, the most comprehensive and complete of its kind, visit us on the Web at http://albertconsulting.com, or email us at info@albertconsulting.com.