Welcome to Leadership Principles!

Accessing Your HBS Online Course

You will receive an email from the HBS Online team on Wednesday, April 8, between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time with a unique link to access the course. In the week prior to the start of the program, you can expect a couple of emails from the HBS Online Engagement team with tips for getting started and planning for a successful course experience.

In Leadership Principles, you complete the coursework on your own time while meeting the required deadlines. There is no set time to log in. All course material is delivered through our innovative online platform; there are no additional materials required. Learn more about what you can expect to see when you log in to the online platform where learning is active, social, and case-based.

Disability Accommodations Information

Harvard Business School Online welcomes participants of all backgrounds and abilities. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), a person is considered to have a disability if that individual (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, (2) has a record of having such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment.  

If you are looking to apply for disability accommodations for your course, please first review our Requesting a Disability Accommodations article. Active communication is essential to our accommodations process. Late notification may result in a delay or inability to fulfill a request as, generally, retroactive requests will not be approved.   

Should you have questions, please contact the Accommodations Team as soon as possible and they will be happy to assist you. 

Earning your Certificate 

• Timely & thoughtful completion of all coursework by required deadlines
  • All work in each module must be completed by their deadline as indicated on the course calendar.
  • Though we do not expect that participants will always be able to provide a correct response to every question, you are expected to answer in your own words and to the best of your ability, which is an essential component of the HBS Online learning process. Skipping questions by providing insufficient responses such as Yes, Okay, or other one-word responses is considered incomplete participation. Citations are expected to be applied to your responses whenever you include outside information that is not from your personal knowledge, such as a website or Generative AI. This includes facts, statistics, definitions, and company information such as descriptions, earnings, and accounts. Please review the HBS Citation Guide for assistance with citing your sources. Improper citations or unauthorized use of Generative AI are considered a violation of the HBS Online Honor Code and are strictly prohibited. For more information regarding responses, properly cited sources, and acceptable Generative AI use, please consult the Academic Honesty Guidelines page.
• Active engagement and contributions
  • Comment on other participants' postings
  • Post to Peer Help to ask questions and engage with your peers' posts

Technology and Support

Please review our technology requirements before the course begins. Throughout the program, you'll have access to your peers for support and networking. In addition, you can always count on the HBS Online Support Team for any questions you may have. In order to ensure you stay up-to-date with announcements and information, please make sure HBSOnlineSupport@hbs.edu is added to your safe sender list and/or address book. We will be in touch with reminder emails that outline module release dates, deadlines, and special announcements.

• Supported devices
  • Courses on our course platform are designed to work on an internet-connected desktop or notebook computer. We highly recommend a reliable internet connection for the rich media content on the platform. Tablets and smartphones are not supported.
• Supported browsers
  • Be sure to access the course using an updated version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Please note that a broadband internet connection is highly recommended to access the rich media in the program.
• Peer-to-peer learning
  • Use the Peer Help tool in the course to engage with your peers as you ask and answer questions about the course concepts.

A Note About Faculty and Guest Experts

Our courses have been developed by some of the most renowned HBS faculty and guest business experts. While you will not have direct, real-time interactions with faculty and experts, you will hear from them throughout the course via short videos that explain key concepts and guide you through cases, exercises, and other interactive learning elements. As much as we expect you to learn from faculty and experts through this highly engaging learning environment, we expect you to learn as much (if not more) from your own thoughtful participation and from your peers. Additionally, please note that all HBS Online faculty and experts featured in our courses are not available to communicate with learners directly or participate in learner-organized events. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to beginning your program!

Take Your Learning a Step Further

Learning Tracks enable you to immerse yourself in a particular subject area and develop deeper insights and expertise to take your career to the next level. Those who successfully complete three courses from their selected Learning Track within 18 months will earn a Certificate of Specialization.

Participants who successfully earn a Certificate of Completion in Leadership Principles may put this coursework toward earning a Certificate of Specialization in Leadership and Management. Are you interested in this immersive offering? Visit our FAQ page to learn more about Learning Tracks.