After 12 years in finance and banking, Mohammad Shaheed Khan was ready to contemplate his next step. For him, the Program for Leadership Development (PLD) at Harvard Business School (HBS) offered an especially stimulating learning experience that delivered new skills, new friends—and exciting new responsibilities.
What led you to PLD?
I had completed my MBA about 12 years before and had a successful career, but I was feeling the need to re-energize, reset my thinking, and consider my next steps. I wanted to expand my knowledge and even considered another MBA, but I did not want to leave my job and devote two years to a full-time program. One reason I chose PLD was that it only required I be away from work two weeks at a time. I spoke with people who had attended PLD, and I was convinced it was the right choice.
I found PLD both inspirational and humbling. I achieved many of the goals I had set for myself and was able to reflect and reassess my strengths and weaknesses. Overall, PLD was an amazing experience—an incredible journey that I hope to continue in the future.
How did the program format help your learning?
As I suspected, alternating on-campus and distance-learning modules was very beneficial. At PLD, you spend two weeks in intensive learning on campus followed by time to go back to work and reflect. You then come back to campus with new questions and a better strategy for maximizing the value of your time. After another intensive learning period, you go home and apply what you've learned.
Having that time between modules to reflect on your experience, integrate what you've learned, and focus on what you want to do next is extremely valuable. In addition, the breadth of the PLD curriculum is invaluable, especially for those newer to business or finance. It's not an MBA, but it's the closest possible experience to an executive MBA, providing the skills you need in order to succeed as a business leader.
How has attending PLD affected your career?
PLD certainly has had an impact on my work and my career. As soon as I returned to my organization, colleagues noticed the visible changes in my skill set and behavior. I was given an assignment to lead a strategic move into a new target market. I had to prepare the strategy, as well as launch and execute it. I ran that effort for a year and earned many kudos from my peers and management.
In addition, I am now president of our Harvard Business School Alumni Association in Bahrain. We’ve had alumni there for a long time, but no one had thought of bringing everyone together, so a few of us created a group. I also sit on the board of the HBS club of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). None of this would have happened without PLD.
Did any particular aspect of the PLD curriculum stand out?
One day, professional actors came in to teach us how to speak and present. We practiced the art of storytelling. I have yet to master those skills, but it was a very interesting session. We explored multiple factors that contribute to presence—how we sit, speak, walk, and gesture—and their impact on how other people perceive us. Many leaders practice some of these skills already, but in PLD we learned the science behind them. Ultimately these sessions were about improving our ability to communicate.
How did the diversity of your peer group contribute to your learning?
The greatest thing about PLD—and this is really part of the secret sauce—is the living group experience and the diversity of the people who attend. My background is already very diverse. My mother is from Pakistan and my father from Trinidad and Tobago. I was born in Saudi Arabia. But when I arrived on the HBS campus, I was awestruck by the diversity. Our living group had eight people—all from different countries, different industries, and different backgrounds. I learned a great deal from the perspectives of individuals in my living group as well as those in the broader PLD cohort. Everyone was exceptionally bright. I came away with great stories, memories, and lifelong friends.
In PLD, the preconceptions you have about other people just evaporate. There are some differences, of course, but many more similarities. As you share stories and work together during the program, you find those common threads and realize you are one people with many shared values. At the same time, you enjoy celebrating the unique aspects of each culture.
Why is the PLD community important to you?
Overall, PLD has a very strong, close-knit community. I have made it a point to come back to the reunions every year—in London, Barcelona, Boston, and, I hope, Dubai next year. I also have enjoyed the Global Alumni Summit on campus, which enabled me to reconnect with professors and my PLD colleagues and to meet new people as well. You can always read books and listen to online lectures, but the virtual world cannot replicate the benefit of being physically in the same place with people, socializing and having fun together.
Now I know that I have a friend in virtually any country. If I do not know someone in a given country, I can just open the alumni directory, make a connection in that region, and the next thing I know we’re sitting together and chatting. The PLD community has opened a world of possibilities.
How did the social activities contribute to your program experience?
At PLD 17, I was quickly given the title "cruise director." It was the cohort that came up with the themed party concept—Russian night, Australian night, Indian Bollywood night, and so on. We would set up and decorate the entire space. People from that region would pull together funds and resources and create a very enjoyable evening in which we sang and danced and had fun. Through these social experiences we learned a lot about each other, built friendships, and came away with some of our best PLD memories. I understand that later PLD and GMP cohorts have continued the tradition.
The social activities are especially rewarding because you're having fun with people who share your aspirations and values. You all have the same goals—to make an impact, to succeed personally and professionally, and to grow emotionally and spiritually. You’re on a journey together. You connect easily with your PLD peers because you are away from work and not trying to impress each other. It’s like a family.