University of Cambridge
Leading Sustainability: High Impact Leadership
Gain new insights into leadership as you acquire the ability to rally teams towards achieving organisational objectives.
Start date
23 July 2025
Course duration
8 weeks
Excluding orientation
Language
English
Access resources from start date
Effort
8–10 hours per week
Self-paced learning online
Course overview
The percentage of HR professionals who feel their companies have high-quality leadership.
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The amount spent globally on leadership-development initiatives in 2019, illustrating its importance in business.
Training Industry (Nov, 2020).
Duration: 8 weeks (excluding orientation)
In today's evolving business landscape, marked by constant technological disruptions, industry leaders are increasingly significant in shaping an environment that ensures sustainable growth.
Register for the Leading Sustainability: High Impact Leadership online short course to learn the skills necessary to lead with influence in any business setting. This course allows you to explore different leadership styles, frameworks, and best practices and discover new perspectives and strategies. Gain a deeper understanding of the value of high impact leadership in individual, team, and organisational contexts.
Equip yourself with key competencies and tools to unite teams around a shared goal and find your own purpose as a leader. The course is facilitated by industry experts and faculty members from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), who bring many years of experience in supporting business leaders worldwide to drive transformational change in their organisations.
Is this course for you?
This online course is designed to help individuals enhance their leadership abilities in various settings, equipping them with the essential knowledge and skills needed to create team harmony and engage stakeholders more effectively. Aspiring leaders can use this course to develop greater self-confidence and self-awareness by evaluating their leadership style and identifying tactics to improve their visibility as effective leaders, preparing them for future career opportunities. Established leaders can use this course to refine their leadership approach and explore ways to maximise team performance through team alignment, influence, and collaboration.
This course is certified by the United Kingdom CPD Certification Service, and may be applicable to individuals who are members of, or are associated with, UK-based professional bodies. The course has an estimated 80 hours of learning.
Note: should you wish to claim CPD activity, the onus is upon you. CISL and GetSmarter accept no responsibility, and cannot be held responsible, for the claiming or validation of hours or points.
This is your opportunity to unleash your potential for extraordinary impact. By completing a course with CISL, you'll develop the skills, confidence, and network to lead change in your sector, organisation and sphere of influence to make significant contributions to society. Extraordinary change happens when passionate and inspired individuals share a common purpose to drive meaningful impact for the collective good.
Course overview
Introduction
Duration: 8 weeks (excluding orientation)
In today's evolving business landscape, marked by constant technological disruptions, industry leaders are increasingly significant in shaping an environment that ensures sustainable growth.
Register for the Leading Sustainability: High Impact Leadership online short course to learn the skills necessary to lead with influence in any business setting. This course allows you to explore different leadership styles, frameworks, and best practices and discover new perspectives and strategies. Gain a deeper understanding of the value of high impact leadership in individual, team, and organisational contexts.
Equip yourself with key competencies and tools to unite teams around a shared goal and find your own purpose as a leader. The course is facilitated by industry experts and faculty members from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), who bring many years of experience in supporting business leaders worldwide to drive transformational change in their organisations.
Is this course for you?
This online course is designed to help individuals enhance their leadership abilities in various settings, equipping them with the essential knowledge and skills needed to create team harmony and engage stakeholders more effectively. Aspiring leaders can use this course to develop greater self-confidence and self-awareness by evaluating their leadership style and identifying tactics to improve their visibility as effective leaders, preparing them for future career opportunities. Established leaders can use this course to refine their leadership approach and explore ways to maximise team performance through team alignment, influence, and collaboration.
This course is certified by the United Kingdom CPD Certification Service, and may be applicable to individuals who are members of, or are associated with, UK-based professional bodies. The course has an estimated 80 hours of learning.
Note: should you wish to claim CPD activity, the onus is upon you. CISL and GetSmarter accept no responsibility, and cannot be held responsible, for the claiming or validation of hours or points.
This is your opportunity to unleash your potential for extraordinary impact. By completing a course with CISL, you'll develop the skills, confidence, and network to lead change in your sector, organisation and sphere of influence to make significant contributions to society. Extraordinary change happens when passionate and inspired individuals share a common purpose to drive meaningful impact for the collective good.
Get this course for your team
Leading organisations recognise the value of this course and invest in it to enhance their employees' skills and expertise.
What will set you apart
An understanding of the values, thinking, and practices needed for high impact leadership.
The ability to effectively communicate, influence, and engage with stakeholders to drive change.
Your own ambitious leadership action plan to grow your capabilities and apply high impact leadership in any context.
Access to the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) alumni network, consisting of over 9,000 senior leaders and leading practitioners who represent business, the public sector, and civil society in every industry, on every continent.
Unlimited access to 2U’s Career Engagement Network, offering you exclusive resources and events to support your professional journey and drive your career forward.Course curriculum
Orientation module
Welcome to your Online Campus
Module 1
High-impact leadership and its importance
Module 2
Exploring the context for leadership and related challenges
Module 3
What does high impact leadership look like?
Module 4
The future we want, the leadership we need
Module 5
High-impact leadership capabilities
Module 6
Communicating for influence
Module 7
Developing the mindset and skills for innovation
Module 8
Rewiring your leadership to achieve your goal
What past students
think
Antonio Potenzai
Managing Partner, YellowDoor Impact
It was very high quality for the money and I have 100 per cent enjoyed myself. I am very satisfied, and convinced the course will positively impact my career going forward. I strongly recommend that anyone interested in high impact leadership, sustainability and social impact takes this course. It is very challenging, compelling, yet delivers on its promises. It is delivered by very competent people and from one of the most reputable higher education institutions in the world.
Course Convenors
Zoë Arden
Fellow and Leadership Consultant, CISL
Martin Roberts
Director of Digital Learning, University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
About the certificate
Discover the art of successful leadership and earn an official certificate of completion from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
Assessment is continuous and based on a series of practical assignments completed online. In order to be issued with your digital certificate, you’ll need to meet the requirements outlined in the course handbook. The handbook will be made available to you as soon as you begin the course.
Get more information
Want to know more?
Why choose GetSmarter?
GetSmarter operates as edX's partner for premium online short course products from the world's leading universities and institutions. With edX, we leverage our people, technology, and resources to power your education and your potential.
We deliver market-led courses that equip working professionals with the expertise required to upskill, reskill or kickstart a completely new career. Through a data-driven approach, we analyze future skills requirements and ensure all courses address this need. We ensure that leading universities and institutions are your expert guides and our people, technology, and resources are your engine – together we power more than just education, we power your potential.
Read more about GetSmarter here and edX here.
Find out more about GetSmarter’s approach to digital learning, course design, and online delivery here.
Payment options
You can pay your course fees before the course starts, or you may opt for a split payment plan on courses that are nine weeks and shorter. For courses 10 weeks and longer, there is a three-part payment plan available. To find out more about payment options please visit our Payment and Financing page, or contact an Enrollment Adviser, to find out which option you qualify for.
Manage your time
GetSmarter's learning model is designed to help you, as a working professional, improve your skills without compromising on work and family responsibilities. The course work is broken up into weekly, manageable bite-sized modules, with incremental deadlines, designed to help you pace yourself over the duration of the course and allow you the legroom to work when it suits you best.
At the beginning of each module you'll be presented with the course content and assignments necessary for completion. You also have access to your Success Adviser who will help you manage your time, and support you with any administrative or technical queries you might have.
Seek employer assistance
By improving your skills and industry knowledge, you'll have an influence on the success of your organization. Why wouldn't you ask your boss to help you fund your studies if it's going to have an impact on the way you do business?
Of our past students, 37 percent have received financial assistance from their employers. You can ask for help, too. Here is a guide to show you how to request financial assistance from your employer.
If you are a Learning & Development (L&D) manager, or involved in training and upskilling for an organization, you can request information regarding our corporate offering on our GetSmarter for business page.
How to change your start date
As part of our commitment to your professional development, GetSmarter offers you a two-week period to change your course start date or request your money back if you’re not fully satisfied.
To qualify for a deferral of your course start date, or to cancel your enrollment and receive a refund of your course fee, your request would need to reach our Success Advisers before the release of Module 2. For more information, please read our Terms and Conditions.
Discover the Online Campus
The Online Campus will be your virtual classroom for the duration of your course. Through its easy-to-use interface you'll have access to a diverse variety of course content formats including: interactive videos, module notes, practice quizzes, presentations, assignment briefs, and additional web resources.
On the Online Campus, you'll also be able to ask questions and interact with your fellow students and teaching team through the discussion forums. If you are looking for your Online Campus login, please visit your Account page here.
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