What Great Managers Do Differently
Practical, science-backed techniques for setting expectations, giving feedback, and coaching performance.
6 modulesCertificate
For HR & L&D leaders
Develop every manager.
Prove they did the work.
A research-backed leadership program — built on data from 500,000+ leaders — that your whole management team works through online. They don't just watch. They apply it. And you get the proof.
The research behind it has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune & The New York Times.
01 Seven programs, one academy
Leadership IQ’s management techniques and research have appeared in
The manager problem
Your managers decide whether your people stay and perform.
They are the single biggest factor in how engaged your teams are — and most organizations are still developing them with training that doesn’t change behavior.
70%
of the variance in team engagement comes down to the manager — more than any other factor.
36%
of HR leaders believe their organization’s leadership development actually works.
75%
of managers say they feel overwhelmed by everything their role now demands of them.
So the lever that matters most is the one most training fails to move. That’s the gap the Certificate Academy was built to close.
What it is
An annual academy your whole management team works through.
Subscribe once and your managers get access to all seven research-built certificate programs. Each module follows the same path — and to finish, a manager has to actually do the work, not just press play.
1
Watch
Short video lessons taught by Mark Murphy, built on Leadership IQ’s research.
2
Pass the quiz
A quick check that the core ideas landed before moving on.
3
Apply it
A written reflection connecting the lesson to the manager’s own team — with personalized feedback.
4
Earn the certificate
Finish every module in a program and the manager earns a certificate that proves it.
It’s a structured program for a team of managers — not a course library you hope people browse.
Inside the academy
A real platform — not a folder of videos
Everything your managers and your HR team need, in one place built for the work.
The library
Seven certificate programs, ready on day one
Every manager gets the full set — from What Great Managers Do Differently to The Leader as Coach. They see their progress, pick up where they left off, and earn a certificate for each program they finish.
The work
They watch, then they have to prove it
Each module pairs a short video lesson from Mark Murphy with a quiz that has to be passed to move on. No skipping ahead, no “complete” button without the work behind it.
The difference
Real reflection, actually read
To finish a module, a manager writes about applying the lesson to their own team — and gets specific, personalized feedback on what they wrote. It’s the part every completion-only certificate skips.
For HR
See your whole team at a glance
One dashboard shows seats used, who’s earned a certificate, who hasn’t started, and every manager’s progress. The proof your investment is working — ready for the conversation with your CFO.
Why the Academy
Built for rigor the cheap libraries skip — at a price the premium programs can’t match
Most organizations are stuck between content libraries that prove people watched videos, and executive programs too expensive to scale. Leadership IQ’s Certificate Academy is the middle that doesn’t exist anywhere else.
| Leadership IQ’s Certificate Academy | Content librariesLinkedIn, Udemy | Premium / exec edHarvard, Cornell, CCL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built on original research from 500,000+ leaders | ✓ | × | ✓ |
| Applied reflection required to earn the certificate | ✓ | × | ✓ |
| Specific scripts for the hard conversations | ✓ | – | – |
| Focused on managers, not a general library | ✓ | × | – |
| Team progress reporting for HR | ✓ | ✓ | – |
| Priced to develop every manager | ✓ | ✓ | × |
| A recognized expert behind every program | ✓ | × | ✓ |
✓ Yes– Partial× No
The programs
Seven certificate programs, each its own credential
Every manager gets all seven. Each is a complete, research-built program — finish its modules and earn the certificate.
The Leader as Coach
Shift from being the person who solves every problem to the one who raises the performance of everyone around you.
6 modulesCertificate
Decoding the Generations
Reduce generational friction by understanding what really drives Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z.
4 modulesCertificate
High-Impact Communication
Speak with clarity, listen with empathy, and influence with confidence — even in the hard conversations.
4 modulesCertificate
The All-Weather Manager
Lead employees who are overwhelmed, depleted, cynical, or stuck — by diagnosing what's really going on.
4 modulesCertificate
Team Players Unlocked
Understand, balance, and activate the five roles found in every high-performing team.
4 modulesCertificate
Hiring for Attitude
Hire people who fit your culture and thrive — using the research behind what makes new hires succeed or fail.
4 modulesCertificate
Built by Mark Murphy
Not a content marketplace. A named authority.
Every program in the Academy is built and taught by Mark Murphy — New York Times bestselling author, Forbes Senior Contributor, and founder of Leadership IQ.
His research on more than 500,000 leaders is the foundation of the entire curriculum — and it’s the same work behind books like Hiring for Attitude, Team Players, and Hundred Percenters.
NYT Bestselling Author
Forbes Senior Contributor
Founder, Leadership IQ
500,000+ leaders studied
Pricing
One subscription. Your whole management team.
The Academy is built for teams — an annual subscription that develops every manager, with pricing that scales as you add seats.
Every subscription includes
The complete Academy
Everything your managers and your HR team need, in one place.
- ✓ All seven certificate programs — 32 modules
- ✓ A certificate for every program completed
- ✓ Required reflections with personalized feedback
- ✓ The HR dashboard to track your whole team
- ✓ We load your people — no setup work for you
From 5
managers — the team minimum
Per-seat pricing drops as your team grows. Tell us your headcount and we’ll put together a plan.
Book a demoSee the platform and get pricing for your team.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Content libraries sell breadth — thousands of courses, and a certificate that just confirms someone watched the videos. The Academy is a focused, research-built program where managers have to pass a quiz and write a reflection applying each lesson to their own team. The certificate proves they engaged and applied the material, not just that they pressed play. It’s built specifically for developing managers, not a general catalog you hope people browse.
Yes. The Academy starts at five managers. It’s designed to develop a team together rather than as individual logins, and per-seat pricing drops as you add more people. Tell us your headcount and we’ll put together a plan.
Each program is a handful of short modules (most are four to six), and each module is a single focused video lesson plus a quick quiz and a short written reflection. Managers work at their own pace — there’s no fixed schedule or live sessions to attend, which is what makes it realistic for people who are already stretched.
For every module: watch the video, pass the quiz, and write a brief reflection connecting the lesson to their own work — which gets personalized feedback. Finish every module in a program and the certificate is earned. There’s no “complete” button without the work behind it.
Yes. HR and L&D leaders get a dashboard showing seats used, who’s earned a certificate, who hasn’t started yet, and every manager’s module-by-module progress. It’s the documentation you need to show your investment is working.
We load your people for you. You tell us who should have access and send us names and emails — there’s no admin setup, course-building, or technical work on your end. Managers just log in and start.
Each certificate represents completion of a full, research-based Leadership IQ program — including the applied reflection work. Programs also carry contact/course hours. Because earning it requires real engagement rather than passive viewing, it’s a credential that reflects capability, not just attendance.
Pricing is per seat and scales with your team size, starting at a five-manager minimum. The best way to get an exact number is to book a demo — you’ll see the platform and we’ll build a plan around your headcount.
Leadership IQ Certificate Academy
Develop every manager.
Prove they did the work.
See the platform, walk through the programs, and get a plan built around your team.
Book a demoStarts at five managers · volume pricing as your team grows
