Foundations in Creative Leadership Certificate

Lead teams for creativity and collaboration

Learn a unique approach to leadership that will help you tackle today’s complex challenges by navigating ambiguity, collaborating across diversity, and maintaining momentum with optimism. Leadership today is not about knowing all the answers, but turning uncertain conditions into growth opportunities. We’ve designed this program to help you build the skills and confidence necessary to create the conditions for new kinds of collaboration across a diversity of perspectives.

Certificate Program Outcomes
  • Explore and apply unique leadership approaches for different scenarios.
  • Create psychological safety and creative space for a team, encouraging a diversity of perspectives.
  • Guide teams through the process of experimentation.
  • Set the conditions for a culture of creativity and collaboration.
  • Showcase your new skills through tangible, real-world project challenges, such as a leadership plan and a story to share.
Skills You’ll Gain
Leadership Collaboration Storytelling
Format 3 Online Cohort Courses
Duration 3+ Months
Time 4 Hours/Week
Download Syllabus Download Syllabus
Download Syllabus

Certificate Program Overview

While courses can be taken in any order, we recommend completing Leading for Creativity first

  1. 1 Take Leading for Creativity

    Starting Soon
    Learn to scale creative problem solving from Tim Brown, Chair of IDEO
    Cohort Course 5 Weeks
    $799
    $799

  2. 2 Take Storytelling for Influence

    Starting Soon
    Craft a narrative to motivate and inspire
    Cohort Course 5 Weeks
    $699
    $699

  3. 3 Take Cultivating Creative Collaboration

    Tap into diverse perspectives to foster creative thinking
    Cohort Course 5 Weeks
    $799
    $799

  1. 4 Receive and Share Your Certificate

    After completing the courses, you’ll receive your Foundations in Creative Leadership certificate of completion via email as a downloadable PDF within 1-2 weeks of completing the final required course. Certificates are configured for uploading and sharing on LinkedIn.

    Certificate for Foundations in Creative Leadership from IDEO U

Commonly Asked Questions

  • Course Order
    While courses can be taken in any order, we recommend completing Leading for Creativity first.
  • Completion Time
    The program takes between 3-4 months to complete if courses are taken consecutively. However, there is no deadline for certificate completion.
  • Certificate Requirements
    If you've completed any courses in the Advanced Design Thinking certificate program, or if you've previously earned your Foundations in Design Thinking Certificate, all count toward your certificate of completion.
Learn more about program details in our FAQs

Certificate Program Requirements

Certificate Program Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

How do IDEO U certificate programs work?

We offer three types of courses: self-paced courses, cohort courses, and certificate programs. Certificate programs consist of multiple courses and typically take 3-6 months to complete. They are in-depth learning experiences designed to grow your skills and broaden your professional impact. Once you complete all required courses, you will be awarded a certificate of completion.

Does my time zone matter?

All of our certificate programs are fully online and flexible, so you can take them from any time zone, anywhere in the world. For cohort courses, the course teaching team will host scheduled virtual community conversations, which are optional. Times will be announced during the first week of the course and are set to accommodate as many time zones as possible.

Can I take one course now and others later and still receive the full certificate?

If you take all required courses in a certificate, you will receive the certificate. There is no deadline for the completion of the courses, and you do not have to purchase all required courses at the same time to be eligible for a certificate.

Can I take multiple courses at the same time?

While you can enroll in multiple courses at the same time, we strongly advise that you do so only if you are able to commit to a minimum of 5 hours per week for each course (for example, 10 hours per week for 2 courses) to ensure the most valuable learning experience. If that does not feel feasible, we recommend taking the courses separately and reviewing upcoming course dates on our course calendar.

What order of courses should I follow?

While courses can be taken in any order, we recommend you take them in the order that they are listed above in the Certificate Program Overview.

Do you offer discounts?

We offer a discount when you enroll in multiple courses at the same time through some of our certificate programs, including Foundations in Design Thinking, Business Innovation, Human-Centered Strategy, and Communicating for Impact. 

You can also enter your email address at the bottom of this page in order to receive updates on future offers or possible discounts. 

Can I take the course with my team?

Absolutely! We have had many teams go through our courses together. For those taking our courses as a team, we provide a number of additional benefits:

1. A Team Learning Guide, developed to provide your team with resources to facilitate offline discussions that complement the in-course experience.

2. A Manage Learners function, which provides visibility into your team's progress within the course.

3. The ability to create a private Learning Circle, which is a closed space for discussion on the learning platform specifically for your team.

For more information, visit our Team Learning page.

How do I purchase a certificate?

You can purchase a certificate by enrolling in all the courses associated with that certificate. Required courses are listed in the Certificate Program Overview section above. When you click enroll in each cohort course, you will proceed to our checkout page, where you can select your desired cohort date for each course.

Payment options include credit card, PayPal, or Shop Pay. For US customers, we also offer installment plans at checkout if you use the Shop Pay method of payment.We typically are not able to accommodate bank transfer or invoicing. However, if your order includes 10 seats or more, please contact hello@ideou.com and our team will be happy to review your request.

Loved by Learners Across the Globe

Agha Ali
Agha Chief Brand Officer Essentials Worldwide
Gauri Sharma
Gauri Senior Product Designer Intuit
Alberto Blanco
Alberto Agile Coach Everis
Anna Simpson
Anna Disability Services Practice Leader Cara
Foundations in Creative Leadership Certificate
Certificate Program

“I can directly trace my ability to shatter silos in my organization to IDEO U courses. The courses have helped me better communicate what's in it for the people I work with, and greatly helped in my capacity as a brand architect where I helped build the company, advised the CEO, and led all critical culture and brand building matters.”

Agha Pakistan
Foundations in Creative Leadership Certificate
Certificate Program

“With the lessons and guidance from IDEO U courses, I've been able to help my team (and others outside it) collaborate in more creative ways to create solutions for our customers. We've introduced rituals that have helped us all share our inspiration and connect the dots in new and unexpected ways.”

Gauri Mountain View, CA
Foundations in Creative Leadership Certificate
Certificate Program

"These courses make you reflect and make practical changes in the way you lead and interact with others. I love how the learning experience is designed, it gives opportunities for all learning styles.”

Alberto Chile
Foundations in Creative Leadership Certificate
Certificate Program

“The courses have motivated me to continue on an exciting creative leadership learning journey, and to practice skills that will motivate and energize others. Our world NEEDS this!”

Anna Australia

The IDEO U Learning Experience

HOW OUR COURSES WORK

See

Our courses engage you through stories, expertise, and humor. Each lesson has a series of 3-5 minute videos that explain the why, what, and how of a specific topic. Plus we bring everything to life through case studies from around the globe.

Reflect

Our learning experiences have a variety of reflective activities to help you make the connections to your specific work challenges. Reflection is one of the most effective ways to deepen your professional impact.

See
Try
Reflect
Share

Try

In order to develop new skills, you need to try them out through repeated practice and exposure to new contexts. Our courses provide opportunities to try out new behaviors online and through real-world projects.

Share

Knowledge is constructed through interaction with others—which is the foundation of our cohort experience. It’s through sharing and discussing with qualified teaching leads and a global peer network that you build greater understanding.

See

Our courses engage you through stories, expertise, and humor. Each lesson has a series of 3-5 minute videos that explain the why, what, and how of a specific topic. Plus we bring everything to life through case studies from around the globe.

Try

In order to develop new skills, you need to try them out through repeated practice and exposure to new contexts. Our courses provide opportunities to try out new behaviors online and through real-world projects.

Reflect

Our learning experiences have a variety of reflective activities to help you make the connections to your specific work challenges. Reflection is one of the most effective ways to deepen your professional impact.

Share

Knowledge is constructed through interaction with others—which is the foundation of our cohort experience. It’s through sharing and discussing with qualified teaching leads and a global peer network that you build greater understanding.

Learn More