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Inclusive Leadership

Executive education program in English

Inclusive Leadership (ILS.2)

Duration: 4 Days
Location: Berlin
Dates: 20. - 23. May 2025
4,800 €

Inclusive Leadership (ILS.3)

Duration: 4 Days
Location: Berlin
Dates: 16. - 19. Sep 2025
4,800 €

Creating environments where leaders inspire success for all

Inclusive leadership goes beyond delivering business objectives—it’s about creating workplaces where everyone feels safe, seen, appreciated, and connected. Inclusive leaders understand the importance of nurturing such environments for sustainable and holistic impact. 

To lead inclusively, one needs both specific skills and a mindset built on the appreciation of diversity. These leaders, like conductors, orchestrate diverse teams to achieve harmony. However, leveraging diversity is not easy. Historical, systemic, and individual unconscious biases can lead to inequities and feelings of exclusion unless actively addressed. 

Inclusive leaders continuously strive to ensure everyone is seen, heard, and valued, in order to foster a sense of belonging in the workplace. Are you one of them? If so, ESMT Berlin’s Inclusive Leadership program could be the perfect fit for you. 

Inclusive Leadership (ILS.2)

Duration: 4 Days
Location: Berlin
Dates: 20. - 23. May 2025
4,800 €

Inclusive Leadership (ILS.3)

Duration: 4 Days
Location: Berlin
Dates: 16. - 19. Sep 2025
4,800 €

Your profile

  • You are an experienced leader with at least 5 years of indirect leadership experience and able to make a significant impact across your organization. 
  • Ideally, you should have first-hand experience dealing with diversity or inclusivity challenges or be part of a transformation effort in this area. 
  • You are committed to embracing your role as a change agent and striving to make the workplace more inclusive and better for everyone
  • Suitable for former ESMT students in our degree programs or participants from our customized executive education programs. 

Benefits

  • Gain deeper insights into yourself, your leadership impact, and potential in the realm of DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging). 
  • Develop clarity on how to lead inclusively within your specific organizational context, identifying the necessary skills and mindset shifts to realize these aspirations. 
  • Enhance your understanding of societal and organizational dynamics that shape DEI issues, challenges, and opportunities, with an appreciation for both local and global contexts. 
  • Increase your confidence in pursuing your inclusive leadership vision and driving the change you want to see in your organization. 

Topics

  • Diversity: Dimensions of diversity and their impact on interactions, biases and untapped potential in personal diversity profiles. 
  • Equity: Historical and systemic power dynamics and strategies to address inequities in business and society. 
  • Inclusion: Verbal and non-verbal actions and leading in challenging, emotional, or controversial situations. 
  • Belonging: Organizational and psychological barriers to belonging and creating environments where everyone feels valued and included. 

Why ESMT?

  • Top business school in Germany and ranked among the best in the world by the Financial Times. 
  • Located in Berlin, a diverse and dynamic hub for global business and culture. 
  • World-class faculty with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)
  • Access to a global network of executives, change-makers, and thought leaders. 

Meet our teaching staff

The programs have been 
designed – and will be led –
by ESMT faculty members 
and ESMT visiting faculty. 
They will also guide and 
advise you throughout 
your studies.

Program structure

Day 1: Discovering self

Your journey begins with a focus on understanding yourself as a leader. The day opens with an introduction to diversity profiles and positionality, helping you recognize the unique perspectives each participant brings. Through small group discussions, you'll explore your own positionality and the impact it has on your leadership approach.

You'll then undergo an interactive workshop that dives deeper into these reflections. The day wraps up with an inspiring keynote on reinventing yourself and driving complex, sustainable change.

Day 2: Exploring opportunities for change

On the second day, the focus shifts to understanding the broader context of DEIB. You’ll engage with real-world mini-cases and scenarios that highlight challenges and opportunities in diversity and inclusion. Our faculty will guide you through key academic concepts, enriched by global examples, such as high-profile DEI initiatives and events.

The afternoon brings a case study on adaptive leadership and a deep dive into your own inclusive leadership vision. You will end your day with an optional city tour, offering insights into Berlin’s diverse communities, from queer to migrant perspectives. 

Day 3: Creating inclusive environments for change

Day three is all about practical application. You’ll delve into concepts like discrimination, privilege, and allyship, and apply them to real-world situations. Through case discussions, you'll identify actionable steps for fostering inclusion in your organization. The day includes sessions on leading effectively in tense or non-compassionate environments.

By the end of the day, you’ll have a clearer understanding of the psychological and organizational challenges that come with ensuring a sense of belonging and wrap up with reflection and networking. 

Day 4: Day One of being the inclusive leader you want to be

The final half-day is dedicated to setting your course as an inclusive leader. You'll practice building credibility within your teams and receive peer feedback on how you’ve shown up as a leader throughout the program. Individual action planning helps you create a concrete path forward, ensuring that the insights and skills you've developed will have a lasting impact on your leadership and organization.

The program concludes with a reflective session, giving you the space to consolidate your learning and commit to your leadership vision.

Postgraduate Diploma in Management

Participate in multiple programs and earn ESMT's postgraduate diploma in management — a university-level certificate that formally recognizes your professional development.

Your Program Advisor

Your program advisor

​​​​​​​Beatrix Becker
Head of Business Development, ESMT Berlin

Phone: +49 30 21231 6205

Request a call back

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