LEAP (Leadership Excellence Accelerator Pathway)
Applications are now open! Start planning with your manager today. Review the Make Learning Matter One-Pager for guidance.
Are you aspiring to expand and deepen your leadership practice? Ready to move beyond tactical excellence to strategic impact? Discover how to lead with systems thinking, influence, and value-based leadership in this phase of your leadership journey.
LEAP (Leadership Excellence Accelerator Pathway) is a cohort-based program designed for mid-career leaders (M3-M4) who want to shift beyond managing operations and step into strategic, values-driven leadership. Through a curated curriculum, peer learning, and practical application, LEAP equips participants with the leadership mindsets, competencies, and institutional fluency needed to lead inclusively, drive transformational change, and make a lasting impact. The program is grounded in BU’s history, north star, and values, building a strong foundation that will serve you at BU and beyond.
LEAP is designed to accelerate your growth at a pivotal moment in your leadership journey. By the end of the program, you will be better equipped to:
- Lead with clarity and purpose through strengthening your leadership practice, as aligned with your team’s work and BU’s mission and strategic direction.
- Build high-performing and inclusive teams by creating the conditions where people feel empowered, valued, and motivated to do their best.
- Navigate complexity with confidence through a human-centered approach, applying contextual awareness to institutional dynamics and priorities.
- Build lasting peer connections who share your commitment to continuous reflection, learning, and development long after the program ends.
Audience/Eligibility
Mid-career leaders often manage managers and/or large teams, making them a critical bridge between operations and strategy. To be considered for this program, you must be:
- In your current role at BU for two or more years
- Career level M3-M4 (please speak with your manager to identify your career level, if needed)
- Committed and able to attend all program dates
Learning Outcomes
Self
- Align Strategic priorities to purpose, vision, and values.
- Model practices that nurture and support living our values with a measurable impact on being a values-based leader.
- Demonstrate emotional regulation in the service of promoting team well-being.
Team
- Empower direct reports/team to achieve excellence.
- Communicate with compassion and clarity to empower, elevate, and engage.
- Drive and support innovation and change.
Department
- Demonstrate stewardship of the operational and financial health of their organization.
- Apply contextual awareness to all aspects of the leadership role.
- Utilize systems thinking to facilitate efficiency while driving quality
Content & Topics
| Topics |
| Kick-off: Centering to purpose & values |
| Understanding Self, Trust, and Coaching Mindset |
| Values-Based and Inclusive Leadership |
| Empower, Elevate, and Engage Teams |
| Strategic Operations, Transformation, and Stewardship of Institution |
| Reflection, Integration, and Continued Mastery |
Throughout the program, participants will be part of project work to connect learning and impact, applying emerging competencies to real challenges, advancing strategic priorities, and catalyzing meaningful transformation.
Application Process
LEAP Applications include responses to open-ended questions, a 250-word bio, and written letter of recommendation from your manager. We encourage interested participants and their managers to discuss readiness, clarify support and time commitment, and reflect on their leadership goals to maximize impact. Applications are due by October 2, 2026.
LEAP Session Dates & Location
All sessions meet at 43 Hawes House, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM
- February 5, 2027
- February 26, 2027
- March 26, 2027
- April 30, 2027
Two additional dates for the fall of 2027 will be confirmed and shared with participants by the program start.
