Orientation Guide: Leadership Principles Nov 4 2026

Orientation Guide: Leadership Principles

Welcome to Leadership Principles! Our team is delighted to welcome you to the cohort and looks forward to getting started soon! Read on or utilize the navigation buttons to view key program dates, learn details about earning the certificate, and review technology requirements and support channels to ensure your success in the program.

Course Calendar

Course Syllabus (PDF)

Accessing Your HBS Online Course
Program Overview
Technology and Support
Earning Your Certificate
Withdrawals and Deferrals

Accessing Your HBS Online Course

You will receive an email from the HBS Online team on Wednesday, November 4, 2026 between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) 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.

Program Overview

Leadership Principles, taught by Professors Joshua D. Margolis and Anthony Mayo, consists of a two-week pre-work period followed by a four-week coursework period. You can expect approximately 30 hours of material delivered over the coursework period. Within the program, you will build greater self-awareness and enhance the versatility of your leadership style and approach through self-assessments, 360° feedback from colleagues, and the perspectives of fellow learners.

Prework and Modules: Things to Know

During the prework period, you'll be asked to complete a self-assessment and solicit feedback from colleagues, such as managers, peers, and direct reports. The evaluation will take approximately one hour of your time and roughly 30 minutes for each colleague who participates. Please be sure to start the prework as soon as you are given course access to give your reviewers enough time to submit their input. The deadline for the prework period cannot be extended.
- ***Please note: In response to recent sanctions, our vendor for the Emotional Social Competency Inventory (ESCI) and Personal Values Questionnaire (PVQ) surveys in Leadership Principles, Korn Ferry, will no longer be providing services to individuals located in Russia. If you will be located in Russia while taking Leadership Principles, you will not be able to complete the ESCI survey located in the prework period, or the PVQ survey located in Module 3. Please contact the HBS Online Support Team for more information.
After the prework period, the coursework is broken down into 4 modules. All modules must be completed by 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, December 16, 2026. All course deadlines are shown in Boston’s local Eastern Time (ET), but it is your responsibility to convert these deadlines to your local time zone as needed. We recommend spending approximately 7-9 hours per module, each of which opens upon completion of the previous module. Make sure to stay on track with the modules as you move through the course alongside your peers.
Throughout the course, you will be presented with leadership scenarios and asked to video record yourself reacting to various leadership challenges. You can record yourself on a phone, computer, or another video recording device and then upload the recording to the course. Video uploads occur in Modules 1, 3, and 4.

Requesting an Exception

HBS Online has a process by which you may request an exception to our course policies due to extreme circumstances and life emergencies. Please see more details in our Requesting an Exception to Our Policies section on our Support Portal.

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!

Technology and Support

Technical Requirements

Our courses are designed with specific technological standards in place. Please review our technical requirements before the course begins:

Supported Devices

Courses on our course platform are designed to work on an internet-connected desktop, notebook computer, or mobile device. We highly recommend a reliable internet connection for the rich media content on the platform.

Supported Browsers

Be sure to access the course using an updated version of your web browser. Please note that a broadband internet connection is highly recommended to access the rich media in the program.

Technical Requirements

Support

Throughout the program, we hope that you will engage with your peers as you ask and answer questions about the course concepts. However, if you encounter any issues with the course, the HBS Online Support Team will be available for any questions you may have. In order to ensure you stay up-to-date with course 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.

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

To earn the certificate, you must meet all of the following requirements, which are outlined in further detail in the Leadership Principles Certificate of Completion Requirements:

Timely & Thoughtful Completion of All Coursework by Required Deadlines

All coursework must be completed by the required 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

We expect you to engage with your peers to uphold the social components of the course.
Throughout the course you will be able to see the reflections and insights from other participants. We encourage you to read and interact with these posts. While we do not have a specific number that we expect from each participant, we value the quality of each contribution.
To foster a supportive online learning environment, you must uphold the HBS Online Community Values throughout Leadership Principles.

Post-Course Certificate Process

Certificate eligibility is determined within 30 days of the final deadline of the course.
Certificates are available in digital and printed formats. Please visit our Certificate Guidelines page for a detailed overview of the certificate process, and our Certificates, Credentials & Credits page to see what your certificate will look like.

Develop Your Expertise

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 comprehensive Certificate of Specialization in Leadership & Management.
Are you interested in this immersive offering? Visit our FAQ page to learn more about Learning Tracks.

Withdrawals and Deferrals

You may request a withdrawal with refund up to 24 hours after the start of the program, or an enrollment deferral at any time before your program starts, and up to one week after the start of your program. For further information, please refer to our program policies.

If you are a company-sponsored participant enrolled in a program through your organization, you may not defer or withdraw with a refund. If you wish to withdraw, please contact the appropriate representative at your organization so they may inform HBS Online.

Program Policies

Still can't find what you're looking for? Please refer to the HBS Online FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), or visit the HBS Online Support Portal for any questions, comments, or concerns about your Harvard Business School Online experience.

Site Map

Orientation Guide: Leadership Principles

Contents

Accessing Your HBS Online Course

Program Overview

Prework and Modules: Things to Know

Requesting an Exception

A Note About Faculty and Guest Experts

Technology and Support

Technical Requirements

Support

Disability Accommodations Information

Earning Your Certificate

Timely & Thoughtful Completion of All Coursework by Required Deadlines

Active Engagement and Contributions

Post-Course Certificate Process

Develop Your Expertise

Withdrawals and Deferrals