New EMBA Leadership Development Elective Announced
The Michigan Ross Executive MBA Program is excited to announce “Executive EQ & Performance – Building Elite Teams,” a new leadership development elective that will be added to the EMBA curriculum this fall.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Whitney Williams, EMBA leadership development lead, to learn a little bit more about this new and exciting offering.
ERIC: Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do in your current role as EMBA leadership development lead.
WHITNEY: I'm a trained psychotherapist, executive coach, and organizational development consultant with a background in social work, which provides the basis of my strengths-based, systems-thinking approach when coaching executives.
In my current role as leadership development lead, I design and deliver leadership programming that helps students build emotional intelligence, lead high-performing teams, and grow into more self-aware, impactful leaders through coaching, experiential learning, and real-world application.
ERIC: Can you give us a sense of what the new leadership development elective will entail and how it will be structured?
WHITNEY: The new “Emotional Intelligence In Leadership To Drive Performance” elective is a 1.5-credit course that will provide EMBA students with tools, frameworks and resources to build high-performing teams by becoming more emotionally intelligent leaders.
The course will be divided into eight sessions across three terms (approximately 11 months). Sessions will occur both in-person during monthly residencies and during virtually synchronous sessions with Ann Arbor and Los Angeles cohorts when students are away from campus.
ERIC: The Ross Executive MBA Program is already known for its strong offering of leadership development training throughout the 21-month experience. Why has Ross included another leadership elective in the curriculum and how will this course further enhance the already strong leadership training currently offered?
WHITNEY: This course is designed to complement the Ross EMBA Program’s industry-leading Leadership Development Program curriculum by helping students become more emotionally intelligent leaders to develop better team culture and overall performance.
Students regularly tell us that one of the greatest outcomes they gain through our robust executive coaching is increased emotional intelligence and self-awareness. We created this course to enhance the transformational impact of our coaching by introducing emotional intelligence earlier in the program and providing opportunities to explore the topic more deeply with their individual coaches.
Frameworks from industry experts, such as Daniel Goleman and Ross professor Ethan Kross, will be foundational in this course as students identify everyday leadership practices to drive performance. Students will benefit from a learning environment that includes peer and group coaching, strong cross-campus connections, case studies, and real-world application through an action-based project.
ERIC: Is the new elective designed for specific EMBA students such as new C-suite executives, entrepreneurs, or students pursuing careers in executive or professional coaching?
WHITNEY: Honestly, this course is designed for any EMBA student interested in deepening their current leadership impact, whether they’re seasoned executives, newly stepping into senior roles, or preparing to lead large teams and organizations through complex change.
While the term “emotional intelligence” has become an often-used (and mis-used) buzzword in today’s business lexicon, it is a critical competency for effective leadership across industries and functions. This course will equip all leaders with the insight and tools needed to lead with greater self-awareness, empathy, and influence.
