Essentials of Leadership

Introduction

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. 

Designed and taught by Professor Hannes Leroy and RSM’s expert faculty team, this six-month journey blends academic excellence with hands-on learning. You begin with an evidence-based 360° assessment, followed by a three-day in-person experience and six months of guided peer consulting sessions. During the small-group sessions, personal reflection, and feedback moments, you build practical skills in accountability, courageous conversations, and authentic communication.

Rooted in the latest research on moral humility and leadership development, this programme fosters long-term behavioural change and measurable workplace impact. As a graduate, you receive a certification from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, confirming your progress as a purposeful and effective leader. 

Learning goals

After this programme, you can add these strengths to your knowledge and skill set. 

• Apply a structured framework for accountability and goal setting to align personal and organisational objectives and drive measurable performance.
• Demonstrate ownership and responsibility by setting clear expectations and following through on commitments that strengthen trust within your team.
• Practise curious questioning – challenge assumptions, explore new perspectives and foster a culture of learning and innovation.
• Engage in courageous conversations to enhance collaboration, resolve tensions and reinforce psychological safety.
• Craft and communicate an authentic leadership narrative that connects values, purpose and vision, inspire confidence and commitment from others.
• Use storytelling and metaphors as leadership tools to motivate and influence others through meaningful communication.
• Clarify and articulate your core values – to make ethically grounded decisions and ‘walk the talk’ in complex or uncertain situations.
• Cultivate moral humility by recognising multiple perspectives, learning from feedback and strengthening ethical leadership practices.
• Integrate insights from self-reflection, peer feedback and mentoring sessions to create your personal leadership development plan, ensure continued growth and workplace impact.
• Translate learning into sustained behavioural change, contributing to a stronger leadership culture and measurable ROI for your organisation. 

This is a programme of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. For more information about the programme, visit our website: RSM.NL/EL