Dr. Anita Gupta, a Senior Vice President in San Diego, CA USA, was looking to broaden her business perspective and drive innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic. When she learned the General Management Program (GMP) was going to be offered virtually, Anita knew there was no better time to take part in the transformational learning experience. Below, Dr. Gupta shares her perspective of the virtual GMP.
As a physician committed to addressing global health crises, the executive leaders' demands on the frontline during COVID-19 have never been so high. My desire to attend the HBS Executive Education GMP was to learn all the critical skills from the best in finance, strategy and innovation and to act decisively to create momentum in the current complex environment of uncertainty while having a patient centered mindset. Taking part in GMP has been incredibly inspirational, transformational, and given me the momentum to lead with excellence and ready to take on any future global crises with agility.
The current global health crisis requires an urgent need for transformational leadership for the future. For me, the shift from in-person to a virtual format was aligned to the digital transformation occurring real-time on the frontlines during COVID-19. Given this, having a concise understanding of digital transformation occurring at a world-class institution was historical and less of trade-off, but a value-add for my own personal growth, and hands-on learning with a group of leaders from around the world.
There are clear advantages to the virtual program. I found the program highly provocative in developing future executive leaders without travelling to campus which has its own set of challenges during a major pandemic. The virtual program made the impossible possible during a worldwide shutdown. The virtual program not only allowed me to continue to accelerate my skills while there was a global pandemic but also take a pause on what truly matters in my career as an executive leader taking on new challenges in the healthcare industry.
The entire virtual GMP team, operationally worked to ensure a seamless virtual experience to the degree where we felt as though we were in the classroom. The virtual live online experience offered me the convenience of minimizing travel which translated into more time with family during an unprecedented time in our world's history. The virtual format in totality is superb and a world-class learning experience as expected from Harvard Business School.
I had a very well-organized schedule with set goals each day to ensure my commitments for family, HBS, work, community, and self-care were all met. The program is a full-time commitment, and there was little time for much more. I valued the opportunity to be with family over weekends and nights which was very welcomed, appreciated, and unreplaceable given the unprecedented demands of the pandemic.
The most impactful experience of the program was the life-changing learning, the integrity, and intelligence of the people I met globally, and the humility of discussion we had on difficult topics. The program's global nature was incredible, and the depth and breadth of experience of the executives, guest speakers, professors and fellow participants were equally unparalleled. The thoughtful discussion and the ability to build my own personal vision was transformational, alongside bridging my vision with direct discussion with my virtual discussion group and faculty members was incredibly valuable for the future.
My advice to executives considering GMP: Preparation is most important to get the most value. Actively read the cases, come prepared for a deep-dive, focus and engage in the discussions, clear your schedules, and be ready to debate your ideas. Also, listen to hear all views. I think much of the learning came from hearing all views of the group which created validity of my own views and expanded my global understanding of issues around the world. It is well worth the time commitment to be part of this transformational program.
