A Lifelong Journey of Discovery & Leadership Growth

How did PLD measure up against your expectations?

When I was considering PLD, I was about to become a mother for the first time—and I was at a point in my career where I wanted to reenergize and refocus so I could head into the future with a greater ability to fulfill all of my ambitions and dreams. PLD gave me the perfect platform from which to define my future both as a professional and as an individual in all my various roles. I think of PLD as an inflection point in both my professional career and my personal life.

The most unique thing about PLD was discovering that it's not an experience that begins and ends. PLD provides the catalyst that enables you to transform yourself—you continue to draw from a network that you build as well as from your relationship with HBS. You continue to flourish after the initial experience.

How did learning alongside other experienced executives enhance your PLD experience?

I did my MBA right after college, before I had any real-life work experience. One of the main reasons I chose PLD was that it gave me the opportunity to go back to school after gaining that work experience and connect with other people who also had diverse experience. There is no other platform I know of where you can benefit from such diversity in the classroom in terms of the number of cultures, countries, industries, and functional roles represented.

There was an immediate benefit as a result of the collective experience in problem solving through case studies and other exercises. It's a truly unique experience that gave me the opportunity to look at problems from a different perspective, and I really value that. I was completely overwhelmed, but in a very positive way.

How did PLD impact your confidence?

I was an extremely ambitious person when I came into the program: I was fairly successful in my professional life, and I had a pretty well-balanced personal life as well. But through PLD, I experienced an immense increase in self-confidence and an expanded vision of what I could do. After PLD, my ambitions and dreams for myself, my team, and my own life were 20 times bigger. PLD gave me the power to expand my dreams and believe I could continue to learn. I felt very empowered.

What advice do you have for executives who are considering attending PLD?

PLD is not just about the leadership; so much of it is about personal transformation. This is the most informed and best investment you can make in your future. Don't hold back. The value of PLD isn't just the time spent in the program—it's in the opportunity to continue learning and the ability to harness the power of the PLD and HBS communities. Go ahead and take that step.