What the top-selling short courses reveal about leadership

The top-selling short courses at Melbourne Business School tell a surprising story about the skills in highest demand.

In an unstable and disrupted world, effective leadership is more critical than ever to the success of an organisation.

But what surprises Melbourne Business School Chief Executive Education Officer Magnus Gittins, is there’s often a lack of formal leadership development in many organisations.

“Managers are regularly thrust into leadership roles with no training or experience,” he said.

“Gone are the days where organisations were insulated, strategies were locked in and markets were stable. Bad leaders were once tolerated and people worked around them,” Mr Gittins said.

To solve this problem, Melbourne Business School has designed a suite of short courses targeted to leaders of all levels, from aspiring leaders to CEOs of ASX listed companies, to help them succeed and achieve their leadership potential.

Of the 26 short courses available, the ones which consistently sell out tell us an interesting story about the skills leaders need in 2025.

Executive Presence and Storytelling

In a tech-driven world, there’s been a shift in emphasis onto technical expertise and digital skills over the past few years.

However, it’s the “soft skills” that are seeing a surge in demand. “During volatile times these skills are really important to getting the most out of people and motivating them to accomplish great things,” Mr Gittins said.

In a digital first world the emphasis has swung back towards interpersonal skills and what is innately true about human beings, which is our empathy, how we work at our best, and how we work with each other.”

The highest selling short course last year was Executive Presence and Storytelling which Mr Gittins said consistently sells out.

The two-day course teaches leaders how to command a room, tell inspiring stories, build meaningful connections and manage nervousness.

“Being able to take your team on a journey, articulate your strategy into a powerful and motivating narrative is an important skill,” Mr Gittins said.

Leaders who can create psychological safety and make people feel included are more likely to invite productive conversations, improve the way teams work together and spark greater innovation.

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

Another course that’s generated a huge following through word of mouth is Negotiation and Conflict Resolution.

When we think of negotiation, we commonly think of deal-making - and as we approach performance reviews these skills are useful – but this course looks at negotiation in the broadest possible sense.

“It’s how can we get good outcomes that benefit multiple stakeholders, how can we discuss and agree on a plan of action, manage disagreement constructively and maintain team effectiveness through persuasion,” Mr Gittins said.

The two-day immersive short course provides participants with strategies on how to have constructive conversations with stakeholders to achieve better outcomes and resolve conflicts.

“Having an empathetic understanding where you look at what the other side is thinking about and how to navigate to outcomes that everyone is willing to accept is a very useful skill,” Mr Gittins said.

The course teaches leaders how to increase their emotional intelligence, develop active listening and strategic thinking to handle a wide range of interpersonal scenarios.

For leaders who already have some negotiation experience and looking to master more complex, high-stakes negotiations, there is a new Advanced Negotiations short course designed by global expert in power, status and negotiations Professor Jen Overbeck.

Core leadership training

The core leadership short courses are also seeing continued demand, particularly for people who’ve recently been promoted to new leadership roles.

“There’s a genuine desire for people as they think about stepping into a new role with more responsibilities, to best equip themselves to get a running start,” Mr Gittins said.

The core leadership short courses include the flagship 5-day MBS Leadership Program for mid to senior leaders, the 5-day General Management Program for general managers and the 11-day Advanced Management Program tailored to senior managers with just two intakes per year.

Mr Gittins said an important aspect of these courses was matching participants with the right peer group from a diverse range of industries and organisations.

“Whether it’s an online short course or face-to-face, you’re learning with a group of leaders who are experiencing the same challenges and opportunities as you are,” he said.

“The benefit is you’re also learning from people from different organisations who will have a slightly different perspective on leadership from their context that’s enriching.”

Mr Gittins said every learning experience was designed with practical case studies so learning could be applied into work.

The learning experience

The courses varied from one day face-to-face and four-week online courses designed to fit around work commitments to longer residential courses.

But Mr Gittins said the best payoff came from being face-to-face and eliminating any distractions to focus on developing skills.

“What we find is a two-day course is the sweet spot because you come to the school, turn off your phone, you’re not on email and it allows you to focus on acquiring a new skill and truly hone your leadership practice,” he said.

As people look towards the end of financial year and have their performance reviews, it’s an opportune time to discuss how to take the next step in your leadership career.

And for managers there’s an opportunity for organisations to provide group enrolments or to co-design custom learning experiences for their teams.

“Oftentimes development opportunities exist for those who’ve been earmarked as having high leadership potential or current senior leaders, but you don’t need to wait for someone to tell you you’re a leader. Our courses are for anyone who aspires to reach their full potential and leave their mark on the world.”  

To find out more about studying at Melbourne Business School, visit our Degree Programs and Short Courses pages, or learn about our range of services For Organisations.