Corporate officers and other similar-level women executives who already have extensive functional skills and want to hone the other leadership capabilities necessary for securing a position at the very highest levels of an organization.

Download Past Participant Profile

The Kellogg Center for Executive Women and The Allstate Foundation developed the Women’s Senior Leadership Program to help talented women executives break through barriers that have historically impeded women’s career development, as well as to empower those who participate to become respected and highly effective leaders.

As a participant, you will gain the insights and skills you need to move purposefully toward the highest levels of corporate leadership. With research-based teaching from world-renowned Kellogg faculty and practical guidance from seasoned corporate leaders, you and your fellow program participants will expand your understandings of leadership and prepare to take on the challenges that every senior leader must face.

For sponsoring organizations, this program equips and inspires the kind of leaders required to ensure your company’s future success. By investing in your high-potential staff members, you not only enhance their leadership skills but also send a clear message that you believe in them and support their career advancement. Your investment in their development will help you retain your best and brightest and will pay substantial, long-term dividends.

Multiple Sessions, One Goal: Revolutionize Your Career

The structure of the Women’s Senior Leadership Program — three three-day in-person and four half-day live virtual sessions – is designed to maximize engagement and learning pull through. Sessions are spread over nine months — allowing participants time and opportunity to build relationships, learn and test new ideas collaboratively and receive all-important, constructive feedback from faculty and peers. The program focuses on four key areas divided across its sessions. Each session is geared toward different strategies and skills that will produce immediate results as well as help to achieve long-term success for your company and yourself.

Module 1: Gather Intelligence

• Develop your presence as a source of leadership strength
• Learn how to create and use networks as a source of intelligence and power
• Foster self-awareness: Launch the program’s 360° assessment and development tool and complete the self- and peer-evaluation components
• Build relationships with peers and strengthen learning groups
• Examine the importance of and techniques for confident self-promotion
• Review the results of your 360° and Hogan assessments with personalized feedback from a professional coach
• Begin to formulate your action plan for career advancement

Module 2: Create a Context for Success to Drive Results

• Bolster your ability to deal with internal politics and address the ethical challenges of today’s business environment
• Investigate culture as a hidden driver of organizational success
• Explore how to make effective decisions and sharpen your influence
• Polish your negotiation skills and learn how to better motivate staff
• Meet with your professional coach
• Leverage learning group meetings to tackle current challenges
• Practice and receive feedback on interpersonal and presentation skills

Module 3: Manage External Forces

• Learn to deal with external constituents, including stakeholders, Wall Street, and the investment community
• Learn to navigate crisis situations and VUCA environments through effective communication with constituents and personal resilience
• Revisit the results of your 360° assessment, evaluate progress over the past months and craft plans to sustain future growth

360° Assessment & Development: Define and Maximize Your Leadership Style
A key component of the program, the 360° assessment and development tool will help you identify and leverage your strengths, avoid pitfalls and missteps, create personal development plans and prepare to make an immediate and measurable impact in your organization. This tool has been developed especially for the Women’s Senior Leadership Program and has several distinct advantages over other self-assessments you may know:

• The feedback serves for learning purposes only, keeping it free of internal political biases that often affect appraisals done within a company.
• The perspective is specific to the experience of female executives, paying close attention to the differences and challenges you face in the business world.
• The personalized feedback sessions are augmented with program content customized to each group’s needs based on their collective feedback.
• One-on-one check-ins with professional executive leadership coaches during the program allows you to set specific development goals and evaluate your personal progress over the course of the entire year.

An admissions committee thoroughly reviews each application and considers the nature and scope of the applicant’s responsibilities. For the benefit of the class members, the sponsoring organizations and the integrity of the program, the committee seeks to admit individuals with comparable management responsibilities but with diverse skills and experiences.

Although the program has no formal educational prerequisites, proficiency in English is needed to comprehend the reading materials and to contribute meaningfully to classroom and study group discussions. Kellogg expects that participants will attend all sessions, immerse themselves completely in the experience and free themselves of all other obligations while the program is in session.

Will participants get a Certificate?
The Kellogg School of Management awards a certificate upon the successful completion of the Women’s Senior Leadership Program.

What is the fee?
The fee for the program is payable in U.S. dollars and covers tuition, class materials, accommodations, and most meals, coffee breaks, and receptions for the in-person sessions. Enrollment is not confirmed until full payment is received. Payment may accompany the application or an invoice may be requested. Full payment is due within 30 days of the invoice date. If the participant is enrolling within 30 days of the program’s start date, full payment is due immediately. Enrollments in Kellogg programs are highly competitive, and places will not be guaranteed until your payment is received.

It is expected that applicants have their own health insurance valid in the United States. The University is not responsible for medical expenses incurred by participants during the program.

What if participants have to cancel?
Because attendance at a Kellogg School executive program requires significant advance preparation and demand often exceeds capacity, it is important that you contact us in a timely manner if you must cancel or defer attendance. To receive a full refund of tuition, notice of cancellation must be received more than 30 days in advance of the program start date. Participants who cancel less than 30 days in advance will not receive a refund but may nominate an acceptable substitute or attend a future session of the same program within one year.

Gail Berger - Academic Director; Clinical Associate Professor of Management & Organizations; Deputy Director, Center for Executive Women; Associate Professor of Instruction, Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, McCormick School of Engineering

Michelle L. Buck - Clinical Professor of Executive Education

Timothy Feddersen - Wendell Hobbs Professor of Managerial Politics; Professor of Managerial; Economics & Decision Sciences; Chair of Personnel Committee

Victoria Medvec - Adeline Barry Davee Professor of Management & Organizations; Executive Director of the Center for Executive Women

Mitchell A. Petersen - Glen Vasel Professor of Finance; Director of the Heizer Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital

Sergio Rebelo - MUFG Bank Distinguished Professor of International Finance; Professor of Finance; Faculty Director, EMBA Program

Leigh Thompson - J. Jay Gerber Professor of Dispute Resolution & Organizations; Professor of Management & Organizations

Brian Uzzi - Richard L. Thomas Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change Co-Director, Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO)

“I found the program to be both professionally and personally enriching. It was a unique experience to learn and connect with a group of women that had similar interests, challenges, and opportunities. The focused education and lifelong connections I made through the program are invaluable. I’d recommend this program to any woman senior leader who is looking to take the next step in their career.”
Vice President, Marketing & Public Affairs, Itron, Inc.

“The Women's Leadership Program was a career-and-life-changing experience. The content was timely and relevant, and the power of networking with amazing women is unbeatable. I now have 35 mentors and friends.”
Vice President, Managing Director International, Oakwood

“This program is rich in content and relationships. It gives you the time and ability to create a robust network and to put into practice all of the concepts you learn throughout the year. The format and access to staff and peers gives you the lab to put it all into practice.”
Director Research & Development Global Family Care, The Proctor & Gamble Co.