LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Feb. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Institute of Management and Development (IMD) located in Lausanne, Switzerland announces the first ever edition of its most successful executive development program High Performance Leadership (HPL) in the US. This six-day program will be held at the Chaminade Resort and Spa located in Santa Cruz, CA starting April 7, 2013.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130212/PH58046LOGO)

High Performance Leadership was created 10 years ago by Dr. George Kohlrieser based on his experiences as a clinical psychologist and hostage negotiator. His book Hostage At The Table: How Leaders Can Overcome Conflict, Influence Others and Raise Performance is the foundation for the program. Since its inception, 2,000 executives have completed the program and there is a waiting list for each and every session of the Lausanne-based program.

"In 2010 we took HPL to Hong Kong and Sao Paulo with great success. The demand for this program has created opportunities for us to expand its availability and we're very excited to bring HPL to the US for the first time," commented Dr. Kohlrieser.  "HPL is a very unique program and we challenge the executives in ways that no other program does. We see them leave transformed by the knowledge they now have to become high performing leaders," he added.

Dr. Kohlrieser released his latest book Care To Dare: Unleashing Astonishing Potential Through Secure Base Leadership in 2012. Soundview just named it one of the Top 30 business books of the year. Secure base leadership is one of the eight pillars of leadership taught in the HPL program led by Dr. Kohlrieser and his Co-Director, Dr. Francisco Szekely. "Being a Secure Base leader creates trust allowing the brain to be free from defensiveness and fear, releasing the energy to explore, take risk and be creative - all behaviours high performance organizations strive for," continued Dr. Kohlrieser. "It works at the personal, team and organizational level and is a way of 'being' where you care enough to dare people to reach for their dreams. In the process, you provide what so many people and companies are missing today – humanity at its deepest level."

A unique characteristic of HPL is the use of executive coaches. Dr. Kohlrieser and Dr. Szekely pioneered the addition of small group coaching to augment the learning and application of the concepts addressed in the plenary sessions. "Our executive coaches are able to create an atmosphere where deep learning and accountability occur so that each executive has a chance to explore where they want to go in order to experience the growth they are seeking. Most executives are truly amazed at how much they learn and expand their capabilities in such as short amount of time," stated Dr. Szekely.

Paula Miller, Managing Director of GMAC Hungary, provides the following testimonial: "I came to this course believing I was a good leader and hoping to gather a few pointers to become a bit better. I leave it altered – the first step in a journey to reach the full potential that I now know I possess."

Multinational companies and organizations such as Danone, Hertz, JTI, Hitachi, GMAC, and the EIB send their executives to HPL on a regular basis.

About IMD – IMD is a top-ranked business school located in Lausanne, Switzerland and is the expert in developing global leaders through high-impact executive education. IMD's executive education programs are ranked 1^st in outside the US and 2^nd worldwide by the Financial Times. Its MBA program is ranked number 1 worldwide by Forbes. www.imd.org

About Dr. Kohlrieser – George is an organizational and clinical psychologist. He is the Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at IMD and a consultant to many global companies including: Accenture, Alcan, Amer Sports, Cisco, Coca-Cola, HP, IBM, IFC, Morgan Stanley, Motorola, Nestle, Nokia, Roche, Sara Lee, Tetra Pak, and Toyota.

For more information on how you and your organization can participate in this landmark program, the following websites will assist: http://tinyurl.com/d3z5g9d and

http://www.georgekohlrieser.com/

If your company would like an in-person presentation about HPL or if you have any questions, please contact our US-based representative:

Ed Chaffin

404.790.9583

ed@edchaffin.com

This press release was issued through eReleases® Press Release Distribution. For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE The International Institute of Management and Development (IMD)