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The Key Executive Leadership Certificate

Based on the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) developed by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Key Executive Leadership Certificate creates a participative and rigorous learning environment where students acquire contemporary public management knowledge, values, and skills; develop the personal leadership capacity needed to implement what they learn; transform themselves from good managers to extraordinary leaders; and become lifelong learners.

Key Advantages

Study with leading scholar-practitioners in the public sector who challenge you to put public administration principles into real-world practice.

Learn to be an authentic leader who works collaboratively, creates change, acts with integrity, and inspires others to act.

Work with a cohort of peers in a mutual learning environment and share information, make connections and form lifetime friendships.

Create an experimental cycle by learning new ideas in the classroom, applying the ideas to the workplace, and return to the classroom to discuss the results.

Apply the principles and techniques learned in the classroom within the workplace.

Assess your self-discovery, empowerment, and behavior changes through 360° evaluations and executive coaching sessions.

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Program Overview: Finding the Right Program

Aspiring Leaders

This sequential, four-course, 8-day program is designed based on the Office of Personnel Management Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) and provides participants with ideas, techniques, experiential exercises, and contemplative reflections to apply those competencies directly to the challenges they face in a complex federal workplace. Learners are challenged to grow their thinking capacity from a technical foundation to a more adaptive perspective as they seek to inspire and connect with others. The program is particularly appropriate for those leaders at any level who are looking to take on a larger role to enhance their leadership abilities and hone their capacity to create psychologically safe environments focused on mission accomplishment.

Open Enrollment

The training and development provided by the Key Open Enrollment Executive Leadership Program ensures that participants ultimately develop the foresight, insight, and emotional and social intelligence competencies needed to create vision, execute strategic goals, obtain innovative ideas from employees as a result of increased employee engagement, and develop the collective intelligence needed to address today’s complex challenges. This program draws from multiple federal agencies, bringing together leaders from across government for an experiential approach to learn from one another and collectively grow their thinking capacity.

Advanced Leader Program

Coping with volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) is the hallmark and the new normal of today’s interdependent world. VUCA challenges profoundly influence how leaders lead, make sense of the world, and take action to make a difference. In addition, today’s participatory workforce expects organizations to utilize their talent, drive, and skills in ways that are much more interactive, more collaborative, and less bureaucratic. They have a high need to work for leaders who inspire trust, nurture environments of psychological safety and belonging, and articulate a vision that connects the organization to a greater purpose.

SES Leader Program

Extraordinary leadership is a combination of consciousness and competence. The capacity-building and development provided by the Key Executive Leadership SES Leader Program focuses on both individual and collective leadership development. Those we lead today expect their agencies to utilize their talent and drive in ways that are welcoming, interactive, collaborative, and less bureaucratic. They need to work for leaders who inspire trust, nurture environments of psychological safety and belonging, and articulate a vision that connects them to their agency mission. Participants in the SES Leader Program hone their relational skills and thinking capacity to mentor and develop others and increase employee engagement. They also develop the foresight, insight, and competencies needed to create vision, meet their mission, execute strategic goals, obtain innovative ideas from employees, and foster the teamwork and conviction needed to address today’s complex challenges.

SES CDP Leadership Development Program

Extraordinary leadership is a combination of consciousness and competence. The capacity-building and development provided by the Key Executive Leadership SES Leader Program focuses on both individual and collective leadership development. Those we lead today expect their agencies to utilize their talent and drive in ways that are welcoming, interactive, collaborative, and less bureaucratic. They need to work for leaders who inspire trust, nurture environments of psychological safety and belonging, and articulate a vision that connects them to their agency mission. Participants in the SES Leader Program hone their relational skills and thinking capacity to mentor and develop others and increase employee engagement. They also develop the foresight, insight, and competencies needed to create vision, meet their mission, execute strategic goals, obtain innovative ideas from employees, and foster the teamwork and conviction needed to address today’s complex challenges.

Contact Us

Subhiya Idilbi Associate Director of Client Relations and Special Programs SPA | Key Executive Education IRC Programs

Sophie Idilbi is the Associate Director for the Key Executive Leadership programs; she joined the Key staff in the fall of 2007 as an advisor for the Key Executive Leadership Certificate Programs. Sop…

  si8400a@american.edu

  (202) 885-6256