IMD business school for management and leadership courses
Sharpen your enterprise thinking to lead the whole business
Foundations for Business Leadership
Sharpen your enterprise thinking to lead the whole business
Most managers excel within their function. But stepping up to general management demands something bigger: the ability to see the whole business, make decisions across disciplines, and lead in a world of increasing complexity and disruption without a roadmap.
Foundations for Business Leadership is designed to close that gap. Over 20 intensive days, you broaden business acumen to gain a solid cross-functional understanding. You learn to set, challenge and defend strategy. You develop an enterprise mindset to lead a business end-to-end, and you hone managerial effectiveness to get results through people.
You harness AI as a practical management tool, engage with the latest thinking on ecosystems and non-market strategy, and apply the new insights directly to your own business context. Hands-on simulations plus integrative and reflective exercises ensure what you learn stays beyond the classroom.
You leave confident and equipped to set direction, lead across functions, and perform at a significantly higher level. See full content.

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Join a complementary masterclass or information session and dive into topics such as leadership, AI, strategy, and more. You’ll discover more about how we teach and explore our executive programs along the way. See all upcoming IMD events.
Length: 3 weeks (20 intensive days including weekends). Offered four times a year.
Looking to explore more?
This program is part of our broader General Management portfolio for ambitious executives, designed to strengthen strategic leadership, drive organizational performance, and prepare leaders to navigate complex business challenges.