Leading with Excellence

What were your objectives in attending the program? Were they met?

I was searching for a leadership program where I could learn from the school, but I also wanted to add value to the program. The company that I work for is maturing, so I was also looking to see how we can continue to lead with excellence. What can we do better in terms of operational processes, leadership, and team management? How can we better understand the people that we work with but also work for?

The sharing experience among the participants and the faculty was so revealing, and it helped me achieve my objectives and more. You learn from the faculty, you learn from the other participants, and you also learn from yourself. I didn't know that I had the capacity to find the answers so quickly. Something I've certainly heard from the professors is that they end up learning from the participants, too.

What key takeaways from the program are you applying in your professional life?

A great takeaway for me was to see how leadership has changed in such a way that the emotional part of people is very important. You just don't lead or manage the business. You lead and manage the people. So it's important to make sure that you connect with your team. You have to show empathy, respect them, and value them. The more you empower people by giving them the tools, the more they will rise to the occasion.

What I also loved about the program was how deliberate it is. The faculty focused on the case studies to deliver the message and to engage us in sharing and reflecting. Everyone's sharing ideas. Suddenly you think, "Wow! This is exactly how I should do it." It was just a wonderful experience to learn that way.

This leadership program brings together a group of senior-level women. Was there value in that for you?

For me, it was incidental because I wasn't looking specifically for a women's program. But being in a cohort of women did help me learn more about myself. We shared ideas about how we are perceived and judged, always feeling that you have to do more to succeed at the same level. So having that connection with people you can share those ideas with was really great.

What is the value of the Board of Advisors for you?

The faculty asks you to come to the program with a personal or professional issue that you have at that moment. They look at challenges from the other participants, and then put you in a group with three other people. This group is your Board of Advisors. You're assigned an executive coach, and that coach helps you make a presentation about your challenge to your Board of Advisors.

From day one, you get to know each other as you present your challenges and discuss what you're trying to achieve. They ask questions, share their own experience, and by the end of the day you have an action plan that aligns with your challenge and your goals. Then you commit to deliver on that action plan. That personal touch is a big value. People share and open up. It's like talking to your best friends.

After the program, did you build out your network in any way?

The people in my Board of Advisors have a group on LinkedIn and one on WhatsApp where we stay connected. We left the program with action plans. So we share an update on where we are, and sometimes we give each other advice. If I happen to be in a country where I know that there are past participants, I make sure that I reach out to them as well. We also have a wider group on What's up with other participants of the program to stay in touch, share ideas, news and stay connected.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering the program and wants to prepare?

Harvard sent us some prep work to do before the program in order to put us on the right Board of Advisors. So come prepared and bring your agenda about what you want to achieve, whether it's a promotion in your company, a career change, or something in between—do I stay, or do I go? How can I empower myself with knowledge as a leader or a manager? How can I connect more with my team?

Is there anything else that you'd like to share about the program?

I'll give you an example of a wonderful experience that I had a year before the program. I was doing a lot of public speaking and didn't feel comfortable about it, so my late brother gave me a book "Presence" written by Amy Cuddy, who's one of the program faculty members. The book was so revealing to me, I love every part of it, and it helped a lot! It changed a lot about the way I was speaking publicly and boosted my confidence. You can imagine my joy when, during the program, she offered me another book! It was a such great experience.