Innovative Leadership

At Chicago Booth, we recognize the challenges executives and their organizations face in adapting to rapid change. In response, this program is designed to help executives overcome organizational inertia and embrace an innovation mindset — ultimately, stewarding the changes needed to effectively respond to technology's accelerating pace.

By attending, you'll...

• Overcome individual and organizational resistance to change
• Uncover hidden obstacles hindering the success of innovation initiatives
• Learn how to lead a culture of agility, empowerment, and continuous development that drives successful transformation
• Enable effective decision-making around innovation efforts
• Acquire practical techniques to foster innovation, collaboration, and high-performance — achieving sustainable and long term growth

A High-Impact Learning Format
This interactive, collaborative program is a blend of self-paced classroom sessions, live-online sessions incorporating real-time practice, group discussions, a case study, assessments, and simulations. Each module builds on the last, ensuring an impactful learning experience that makes you confident in your new skills and ready to drive change.

Real-time group coaching
In the program’s live-online sessions, Justin Milano will lead participants through some of the same coaching techniques that have made him popular with top Silicon Valley and global executives.

Coaching platform
The program includes Abroad’s exclusive, high-impact executive coaching platform. You’ll take Abroad’s Awareness Assessment, developed in collaboration with top psychologists. This assessment provides deep insights into your workplace mindset and behaviors, focusing on 18 categories scientifically proven to influence individual, team, and organizational performance. Then, you’ll gain access to a library of audio-based learning content with paths tailored to your assessment results and professional growth. Participants who manage teams are also encouraged to utilize Abroad’s Leader Assessment and Simple 360 with their direct reports. Unlike traditional benchmarking, this tool emphasizes personal growth and improvement based on one's unique experiences, fostering a more tailored and meaningful development process.

Language
This program is offered in English and soon Spanish. All live-online sessions and platform experiences are delivered in English.

Program duration
Seven weeks, 5–6 hours per week. The program's two live-online sessions are 90 minutes each.

This program is for executives seeking to become "the leader their organization has been waiting for” — a leader who drives continuous and bold innovation, influences transformation at all levels, and creates an adaptable and high-trust environment of learning and growth.

This program empowers leaders across the globe. Participants from any industry — such as healthcare, manufacturing, government, retail, finance, and services — will benefit.

It is also designed for a variety of job titles including general management, operations, strategy, sales, marketing, business development, and those responsible for launching new processes, products, or services.

We recommend a minimum of seven years of work experience to fully capitalize on the program curriculum and coaching benefits.

Building a Personal Foundation

• Unlock an innovation-driven mindset for breakthrough leadership
• Build a personalized growth plan based on assessment results

Navigating Fear Dynamics in Decision-Making

• Learn to identify and overcome barriers such as attachments, identity constraints, and inner critics that hinder innovative thinking
• Acquire proven strategies to drive positive and resilient outcomes

Leading Through Identity Dynamics

• Implement techniques to address resistance to change and cultivate adaptability at all levels of your organization

Fueling Curiosity and Creativity

• Understand the neuroscience behind innovation to cultivate curious and creative teams
• Learn strategies for achieving sustainable and long-term growth

Decisive Innovation

• Develop strategies to mitigate fear and unconscious attachments to enable effective decision-making
• Balance 'System 1 and System 2 Thinking' for transformative results

Embracing a Growth Mindset

• Develop self-compassion as a foundational skill for maintaining a growth mindset
• Foster a culture of innovation, resilience, and continuous improvement

Building Thriving Teams

• Create the ideal conditions for innovation, collaboration, and high performance
• Overcome common challenges in managing people, change, and disruption

As we experience new leaps in technology, my profession needs to envision how these changes can increase public safety. This course has helped me see the potential when we start with innovation as our mindset. This program was just what I needed.

—Commander Brendan McCrudden, Executive Officer- Area One, Bureau of Patrol Chicago Police Department

This course was the exact class I needed as I continue my professional development. Pharmacy, and most healthcare, is in a state of flux with increasing workload and pressures coupled with decreasing reimbursement. These challenges require a leader to use an innovative mindset to make decisions and how best to lead our teams through the change. This course allowed me to understand the impact of fear and anxiety both on myself and my teams and create a true space of psychological safety as we rapidly evolve. It taught me tangible techniques to unlock my mind and processes to bring the team along with me in a time of uncertainty and change.

—Shawn Wilt, Director of Pharmacy Operations, Meijer

Months later, I find myself returning to my notes from Justin's program. The program material and Justin's engaging delivery continue to reveal new insights, just as truly great education should. I’ll continue to draw on what I learned as I navigate my next career move or life adventure.

—Michelle Fanzo, Executive Director at AIA Pittsburgh and Executive Director at the Pittsburgh Architecture Foundation

Justin's delivery and materials have exceeded my expectations. As our company navigates a rapidly evolving environment, Justin's course provided me with the insights needed to identify where resistance may be occurring. It also equipped me with effective strategies for engaging the C-Suite and addressing their struggles and fears. This has been incredibly powerful for coaching my team towards change and facilitating meaningful conversations about the anxiety surrounding it.

—Program participant