Gaining the Self-Awareness That Fosters Growth

Why did you decide to attend PLD?

I had always wanted to study at HBS. I came in thinking mainly about the hard skills I would gain, and I looked forward to meeting people from different industries. I had only been in the United States three years and did not know many people outside the beer industry.

When I initially heard that the program would be transformative, I did not buy it. I'm a marketer, so I thought that claim was just marketing hype. But PLD really did turn out to be the most transformative experience of my life. PLD gave me more self-awareness than I would have thought possible. The program really opened my eyes. It changed my life professionally but also personally.

How did the program change you?

The coaching was an extremely valuable component of the program. My coach helped me to grow and taught me more about myself than I ever thought possible. For example, I love my work, but I got to a point where I was really struggling with how to have a solid personal life and also be successful in my career. My PLD coach helped me frame the problem differently and take steps to achieve more balance. She also observed my strengths—in our one-on-one interactions, in class, and with my peers—and helped me understand what I could do. When I was considering a new position, she encouraged me to accept, saying, "You'll be good at that." I took the job And it was a great decision.

I'd made up my mind on a number of issues and thought I'd grown as much as I could. But the PLD experience made me question almost everything. I grew exponentially during the program and became aware of growth areas I hadn't even known existed. I was surprised that I could grow that much in such a short period of time.

How did the program change your view of leadership?

I came to PLD for the hard skills, but I learned that the soft skills are extremely important. Understanding the power of authenticity was extremely liberating for me, and I spent quite a lot of energy on that aspect of leadership. The program showed me that revealing a bit more about myself would help people connect with me more easily and would ultimately make me a more effective leader.

In PLD, we learned the best leaders have emotional resilience and self-awareness. Before PLD, I was always trying to prove myself. I assumed I had to be buttoned up and do everything right. I had not been aware of how much those attitudes affected my actions. After PLD, I began thinking about my work differently. Now I’m a much more secure leader than before—and a much freer person.

How did the other participants contribute to your learning?

The living group experience and the case discussions were phenomenal because the group was so diverse. My closest friend in the program was Russian and had entirely different views on many issues. I firmly believe that we need broad exposure in order to grow, and PLD just blew off the ceiling. Exposure to so many different points of view really stretched me, challenged my core beliefs, and helped me to become a more well-rounded person. I had underestimated the value of having the chance to work with people from different countries and cultures as well as different industries. Now I have good friends who come to visit me from all over the world.

What advice would you give to a colleague considering PLD?

Do it. It will change your life in ways you cannot yet fathom, because you don't yet have a broad enough mindset to appreciate the value—but you will!