Making the Move to Executive Leadership
Prepare to move from manager into executive leadership
Making the Move to Executive Leadership is a LinkedIn Learning course taught by Ethan Evans that distills practical frameworks for managers preparing to advance into director and executive roles.
This course presents concise, actionable steps that experienced managers can apply to expand scope, influence stakeholders, and accelerate career progression. It emphasizes leadership development, executive presence, strategic vision, and promotion strategy, making it a focused option for mid‑career professionals seeking measurable career management guidance.
At a Glance
Making the Move to Executive Leadership is a LinkedIn Learning course taught by Ethan Evans that outlines a practical roadmap for experienced managers aiming to advance into executive roles.
The curriculum emphasizes personal, team, and organizational leadership skills with actionable guidance to expand scope and influence.
| Level | Intermediate |
| Rating | 4.8 out of 5 |
| Duration | 1+ hours |
| Languages | English |
| Certificate | Certificate of Completion |
| Access | Access while your LinkedIn Learning subscription is active |
| Course includes |
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| Price | Subscription-based; monthly or annual plans (free trial available) |
What This Course Teaches
The course frames outcomes as measurable leadership competencies focused on moving experienced managers into executive roles.
Learners will be able to implement executive presence, develop strategic vision, lead cross-organizational initiatives, and manage the promotion process through concrete actions and frameworks.
How the Course Is Structured
The course is organized into six main sections and a series of short lessons that together provide a compact, sequential roadmap from personal leadership to managing the promotion process.
There are 26 video lessons in total, and the course runs about 1 hour and 13 minutes overall.
Curriculum overview
01 Introduction ▾
Sets expectations and frames the course’s approach to executive performance.
02 Three circles of executive performance ▾
An overview of the three domains that define executive effectiveness.
03 Personal Leadership Skills ▾
Introduces the personal leadership attributes that scale beyond individual contribution.
04 Scaled, deep leadership ▾
Defines how to adapt personal leadership practices to higher‑impact contexts.
05 Change agent: Inventing and solving ▾
Covers approaches for identifying novel problems and leading inventive solutions.
06 Invention ▾
Focuses on creating and promoting new ideas that address organizational needs.
07 Trusted decision maker ▾
Discusses making decisions that build trust and credibility with stakeholders.
08 How to: Build and demonstrate executive presence ▾
Practical steps for communicating and acting with executive presence in visible situations.
09 How to: Know where you stand ▾
Guidance on assessing readiness and identifying gaps relative to executive expectations.
10 Team Leadership Skills ▾
Examines practices for leading teams to consistent outcomes with appropriate autonomy.
11 Executing with little oversight ▾
Shows methods to drive execution while minimizing dependence on close supervision.
12 Taking risks and recovering from setbacks ▾
Addresses the role of risk, failure, and recovery in leadership growth.
13 Delivering results ▾
Focuses on outcome‑oriented practices for consistent delivery against goals.
14 Leadership for Organizational Impact ▾
Explores how to lead initiatives that affect the broader enterprise beyond a single team.
15 Developing strategic vision ▾
Covers techniques for crafting and communicating a clear strategic direction.
16 Leading the whole enterprise ▾
Explains cross‑functional leadership and considerations when influencing enterprise priorities.
17 Leading with influence ▾
Techniques for influencing stakeholders and building coalitions without formal authority.
18 How to: Engage executive sponsors ▾
Practical guidance for securing and working with executive sponsors on strategic work.
19 Managing the Executive Promotion Process ▾
Outlines the process and milestones commonly involved in promotion to executive roles.
20 How to: Get unstuck in your career ▾
Strategies for addressing career stagnation and creating a plan to move forward.
21 Understand your organization’s executive promotion process ▾
Guidance on decoding internal criteria, timelines, and stakeholder expectations for promotion.
22 Confirm the challenge level ▾
How to evaluate whether a role or assignment provides sufficient stretch for promotion readiness.
23 How to: Increase your scope ▾
Tactics for expanding responsibilities, visibility, and organizational influence.
24 How to: Work around poor managers ▾
Practical approaches for progressing when direct managers are blockers to growth.
25 Conclusion ▾
Wraps up the course and ties the course concepts to career actions.
26 From action to results ▾
Final guidance on converting course learnings into measurable workplace impact.
Audience & Requirements
The course is aimed at mid‑career professionals who already lead people or projects and want a practical roadmap to advance into executive roles; it is also useful for individual contributors who want to understand senior leaders’ expectations. Primary learners are experienced managers seeking promotion, plus stakeholders responsible for coaching or talent development.
- Experienced people managers preparing to move into director or executive roles.
- Mid‑level leaders who need to lead cross‑functional initiatives and influence broadly.
- Individual contributors who want to decode executive expectations and career pathways.
- HR, talent development, or leadership coaches designing promotion readiness plans.
- Practical experience leading people or projects (managerial experience).
- A working familiarity with organizational strategy and stakeholder dynamics.
- Willingness to apply self‑assessment and act on career development recommendations.
Final Verdict
Making the Move to Executive Leadership is a practical, high‑value course for experienced managers who want concise, actionable steps to prepare for director or executive roles.
Its strong platform rating, included certificate, and subscription access make it a convenient way to gain credentialed guidance, especially if you already use the platform; the platform does not publish per‑course learner totals, so judge reach by the rating and syllabus instead. If you require deeper, interactive development, supplement this short course with coaching or longer leadership programs.
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