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Leadership Development Programs

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Cornell strives to develop leaders who inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more. Organizational Development & Effectiveness (ODE) aims to help people to discover their leadership potential and advance in their leadership roles. To learn more about the programs offered and how to register, please click on the links below:


Program Comparison Snapshot
Programs Number of Days Prerequisite Course Fee
Turning Point 5 Approval by people leader $260
Executive Harold D. Craft Leadership Program (HDCLP) 5 $355
Harold D. Craft Leadership Program (HDCLP) 5 $355
Leading Cornell 13 $2,000
Building Teams & Leading Change (BTLC) 4 HDCLP $325
Developing Facilitation Skills (DFS) 4 HDCLP, Turning Point, or ELP $450

Discovering Leadership at Cornell

“Discovering Leadership at Cornell” is a three-program leadership academy for supervisors and managers:

The programs are designed to provide individuals with the self-awareness, skills, tools, action plans, and commitment to be proactive leaders of and within their organizations in meeting new challenges, gaining a deeper understanding of the Cornell culture, and developing a stronger line of sight between the work they do and the university’s mission.

The goals of the academy for people leaders are to:

  • Increase self-awareness of participants about their personal leadership style, attitudes, skills, and behavioral impact on others;
  • Improve communication and relationship-building skills for inspiring, engaging and motivating others;
  • Create new experiences in developing and leading project teams and complex organizations;
  • Design an individualized learning plan that makes a difference to the individual and organization;
  • Develop and practice a methodology for facilitating and leading groups, managing projects, and supporting change;
  • Build campus-wide networks and increase partnership, collaboration and alignment with Cornell’s mission.

As the name indicates, the discovery process is the core of the program. In the various programs, each participant works through a series of developmental exercises and activities to discover personal competencies and new ways of thinking about leadership and influencing others. The developmental emphasis is on understanding and tapping into individual experience, information, knowledge, and energy to develop responses to organizational challenges. Personal development occurs through working with others to meet challenges, evaluating and reflecting on this experience, and distilling the lessons learned for future application – all within the supportive context of the group.