Learning to teach, teaching to lead: What executive classrooms reveal about leadership

By Professor Konstantin Korotov

“In executive education, we work on ourselves in the company of others.”

That phrase captures what I believe makes teaching executives both demanding and deeply rewarding. In my years of designing and leading programs at ESMT Berlin and elsewhere, I have seen how executive education transforms not only participants but also the people who teach them.

Yet for many talented academics and practitioners, the idea of teaching executives can feel daunting. They know their subject, they care about impact, but they often ask the same question: Where do I begin? The reality is that leading a classroom of senior managers is different from lecturing to students or advising clients. It requires a unique mix of design, empathy, and flexibility. Many new educators learn this through trial and error – sometimes painful ones. That challenge inspired the creation of Teaching Executive Education, a volume that aims to make the learning curve shorter and more intentional.

From instruction to transformation

Teaching executives is not about standing at the front of the room and sharing expertise. It is about facilitating reflection and transformation. Senior leaders do not come to class as blank slates. They arrive with decades of experience, deeply held views, and habits that have served them well. They expect to learn new models, but often the most valuable insights come from questioning their own assumptions.

As educators, our role is to design experiences that make that reflection possible. One of my colleagues in the book writes that “learning is not safe.” I agree. It requires stepping into the unknown – intellectually, emotionally, and sometimes socially. But those moments of discomfort are what make executive education transformative. Participants learn to see differently, and as teachers, we often do too.

Bridging theory and practice

The book goes beyond philosophy to offer practical guidance. Each chapter combines conceptual insight with tested tools for designing and delivering effective programs. Readers will find examples of session structures, classroom board plans, question typologies, and techniques for managing group dynamics.

Experienced educators will find new ways to integrate emotion and experience into their teaching – and to evaluate learning outcomes that go beyond satisfaction scores.

This blend of reflection and practicality mirrors what we strive for at ESMT: helping leaders connect insight with impact. Executive education, at its best, is a craft that can be learned and refined, and this book aims to make that process transparent.

Two perspectives, one purpose

Teaching Executive Education, co-written with Evgeny Kaganer, professor of digital transformation at IESE Business School, brings together leading educators who share their tested tools and methods. Our collaboration reflects the dual nature of modern executive education. Evgeny brings deep expertise in learning design and digital innovation. My work focuses on human development and leadership identity – the personal and relational dimensions of learning. Together, we explore how technology, pedagogy, and psychology intersect in the executive classroom.

This combination of perspectives allows the book to serve two audiences at once. For academics, it offers a bridge from research to practice – showing how to translate complex ideas into experiential learning. For practitioners and consultants, it provides frameworks for turning professional experience into structured, impactful teaching. We wanted to make sure that anyone who feels the call to teach executives can find both inspiration and method here.

The mirror in the room

Even with the best design, real learning happens in the moment. Every group of executives brings its own energy, expectations, and tensions. As educators, we serve as mirrors, reflecting those dynamics back to participants. We provoke, question, and sometimes simply stay silent to let insight emerge.

This kind of teaching requires presence and humility. It reminds us that leadership and learning are parallel practices. Both demand the ability to listen, to adapt, and to manage one’s own emotions in complex social systems. The mirror metaphor, which appears throughout the book, captures that interdependence. When executives see themselves clearly – and when we as teachers allow ourselves to be seen – transformation becomes possible.

Designing for transfer

One of the enduring challenges in executive education is ensuring that learning transfers beyond the classroom. Inspiration alone is not enough. Participants must be able to connect what they discover about themselves to the realities of their organizations.

In the book, we present approaches for designing programs that foster this transfer. That includes building reflection loops into assignments, using professional- and peer coaching to sustain momentum, and linking personal insights to measurable organizational goals. When programs are structured in this way, participants return to their workplaces not just with new ideas, but with the confidence and clarity to act on them.

In executive education, the classroom becomes a laboratory for leadership. It is where participants can test new ideas, experiment with behaviors, and reflect on what works before returning to their organizations. Teaching executives effectively means creating conditions for that experimentation – and giving educators the tools to guide it.

Teaching and leading as lifelong learning

One of the ideas that continues to shape my practice is that educators and executives share the same developmental journey. Both seek to enable others’ growth while remaining open to their own. Both must balance authority with humility and structure with spontaneity.

In Teaching Executive Education, we describe how reflection shapes both teacher and participant – a process of mutual learning I often call “double reflection.” As participants learn about leadership, educators rediscover what it means to lead. Every session becomes a laboratory for mutual learning. It is this reciprocity – the willingness to learn while teaching – that keeps executive education vibrant, human, and profoundly relevant.

Key takeaways for educators and leaders

• Leadership learning is identity work. True development begins with self-awareness, not just new models.
• Teaching is a learnable craft. The book offers step-by-step tools for designing and delivering high-impact sessions.
• Emotion and reflection drive insight. Effective programs integrate feeling and thinking to create lasting change.
• Learning transfer matters. Context and design determine whether insight becomes action.
• Educating and leading mirror each other. Both require curiosity, adaptability, and courage to keep learning.