Leading Sustainability: High Impact Leadership online short course

The Leading Sustainability: High Impact Leadership addresses the need for future-focused leadership training and development, by exposing you to new perspectives, knowledge and tools to maximise your personal leadership skills.

You'll gain an approach to leadership that underpins its value in delivering meaningful outcomes across any business and industry.

The Leading Sustainability: High Impact leadership online course is designed for business leaders who want to take their leadership skills to the next level and pioneer sustainable change within their organisations. It's also suited to sustainability practitioners, and those working in related fields, who want to develop their leadership skills to progress their career.

Gain the skills and confidence to lead with impact in a sustainable way. You'll also be equipped with tools and resources to support you in your sustainable leadership journey.

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CISL's courses are delivered in collaboration with digital education provider GetSmarter, a brand of 2U, Inc. This link will take you to their site.
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Course start dates

  • 7 October 2026

Sector

  • The course is applicable to any business or industry

Language

  • English

Format

  • Online, tutor-assisted

Length 

  • 8 weeks online, 8–10 hours per week

Who should attend?

Future-focused current and aspiring business leaders who want to pioneer meaningful change in any context.

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Study high impact leadership and learn how leadership challenges affect your organisation

Through a series of eight online modules, you'll explore how becoming a high impact leader can empower you to implement leadership and sustainability strategies and drive positive change. You'll develop an understanding of the key leadership skills needed to champion sustainable development and address sustainability challenges that are exacerbated in an environment of heightened volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

Module 1: High impact leadership and its importance

Module 2: Exploring the context for leadership

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

An online executive education that sets you apart

Gain valuable and relevant skills, and walk away with:

  • High impact leadership capabilities: Analyse the values, thinking, and business practices that need to be developed to be a high impact leader.
  • Communication skills for influence: Create an effective approach to communications and stakeholder engagement to drive high impact change.
  • A certificate of completion from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership as validation of your newfound high impact leadership knowledge and skills. 

CISL Connect: Online live sessions

CISL has developed three bonus CISL Connect: Online Live Sessions for all students joining any of our ten business sustainability leadership courses. Through these sessions, you’ll get direct access to CISL's leading voices on today’s most urgent business topics – competitiveness, AI and resilience.  This format gives you the chance to connect, collaborate and exchange ideas with a far broader global network of professionals beyond your cohort.

CPD certified

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.

Learn to lead in a changing world

This University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership online short course is delivered in collaboration with digital education provider GetSmarter.

Join over 24,000 students globally who have already benefited from the opportunity to:

  • Gain verifiable and relevant competencies and earn invaluable recognition from a top-tier university, entirely online and in your own time.  
  • Enjoy a personalised, people-mediated online learning experience that consistently achieves over 90 per cent course certification rate.
  • Experience a flexible but structured approach to online education as you plan your learning around your life to meet weekly milestones.

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Delivered in Collaboration with GetSmarter

The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) is collaborating with digital education provider GetSmarter, a brand of 2U, Inc., to provide an interactive and supported online learning experience.