Chicago Booth is known for its flexible curriculum, which
allows students to curate a tailored MBA experience by picking and choosing the
courses they want to do. In fact, there is only one class that is mandatory for
everyone: Leadership Effectiveness and Development (LEAD). The course is
designed to enhance one’s self-awareness and interpersonal effectiveness by
working in teams and going through modules such as cross-cultural
communication, personality development, and feedback and coaching.
Each year, 40 second-year students (called LEAD facilitators)
are selected by faculty to design and deliver this flagship course to an
incoming class of ~600 students. I had the pleasure of being a LEAD facilitator
this year, an experience that has been the highlight of my time at business school.
But in a school that is known for cutting-edge research in finance and economics—and has faculty that is at the forefront of their fields—why is a student-run course on leadership the only mandatory class? I got the amazing opportunity to sit down with Professor Harry Davis to reflect on the journey of LEAD, 30 years after he started the program in 1989.
Greetings from Boston! This summer, I traded my view of
Chicago’s “Bean” sculpture for the city nicknamed Beantown (though I have avoided
the eponymous summer food staple due to the recent heat spell we have been
facing in the Northeast!). I am about to kick off week nine of my internship at
Providence Strategic Growth, the software-focused growth equity arm of
Providence Equity Partners. I have been lucky to have had an incredibly active
summer—both at work and at play—slotting in on a few deal teams for platform
and add-on acquisitions, attending a couple pitches and board meetings, testing
out what I learned at Booth in leadership, strategic problem-solving, and even
meeting up with our deans for a sneak peek at the new initiatives being
implemented for the upcoming year.
One of
the reasons I came to Booth was to improve my leadership skills. Having been a
student here for 6 months, I reconfirm that coming to Booth was the right
decision regarding this goal. There are many opportunities to help improve your
leadership skills, and I want to share some of them with you.
As an Admissions Fellow, I am often asked about my experience at Booth. A common question I get is, “What’s surprised you most?” So, I wanted to share my biggest pleasant surprises and, hopefully in the process, shed some light on what attending this school has meant to me.
“You
going to sign up for this ‘Tipping Point’ deal?” a friend asked me as we walked
out of one of our Leadership Effectiveness and Development (LEAD)
classes early in the quarter.
I
replied, “I don’t know – I’m not clear what it is, exactly. A case competition?
With alumni as judges? And you only receive materials the night beforehand?
Sounds intense – and there’s already so much else to do this quarter.”
“I know man – but every second year who did it says it was one of the best parts of LEAD.”
