Wanting a fresh perspective and a new challenge, Bill Kwon enrolled in the Program for Leadership Development (PLD) at Harvard Business School (HBS). This highly personalized learning experience gave him a more global outlook, a stronger network, and an innovative way to approach solving business problems.
I had reached a point in my career where I felt I was stagnating. I enjoyed my job and the results were good, but I did not feel as challenged as I had earlier in my career. I considered programs at other schools, including executive MBA programs, and I chose PLD for two reasons. First, it had been a lifelong goal of mine to study at Harvard. But more importantly, given my busy schedule, work responsibilities, and personal life, I found the PLD format well suited to my needs. I especially appreciated the ability to customize my path to HBS alumni status.
Given the HBS brand, I expected the program to be wonderful. But as high as my expectations were, the reality far surpassed them. I was in awe. Every aspect of the program—from the professors and the quality of instruction to the physical environment—was perfectly suited to my needs and was specifically designed to help successful executives take their personal and business growth to the next level.
PLD attracts individuals with demonstrated success. They have high standards for themselves and for the people around them. I found it very motivating to be surrounded by these high expectations—and appreciated the fact that people left their egos at the door.
I built lifelong friendships at PLD. I had not seen that coming. Some of the people I met in the program are now my closest friends. I knew I would meet interesting people, but the quality of the participants was exceptional. I've formed a network that is second to none.
I had not known how deep we would go into the character of the individual participants and how the program would facilitate our creating new approaches to dealing with challenges such as geographical distance, language barriers, cultural differences, and differences in experience. In addition, the case discussions made me wish I'd studied at HBS earlier. Through the cases, I learned how people like myself had solved problems and made tough decisions. I enjoyed hearing different points of view in the discussions and then finding out what really happened.
Through force of habit, I had tended to address each problem the same way. PLD challenged me to look critically at my day-to-day actions. It provided new ways of approaching a situation and brought structure to the way I address obstacles and challenges.
I've used and internalized many of the techniques Professor Michael Tushman taught us for solving problems. One of his mantras was "lead and disrupt"—take the lead and disrupt old patterns. I learned innovative ways to analyze the current business situation—in terms of structure, culture, and people—in order to figure out what is working and what is not and then design something better.
I also started thinking differently about negotiation. I learned to think about negotiations as an opportunity to create additional value, which not only creates an advantage for myself and for my organization, but also helps to build better working relationships with vendors, clients, and partners.
PLD offers two paths for earning alumni status—you can either complete the fifth optional module of PLD, or you can attend two focused HBS Executive Education programs. I chose to enroll in two programs: Launching New Ventures and Changing the Game: Negotiation and Competitive Decision Making. I didn't need alumni status to improve my resume, but I very much appreciate being part of the broader HBS community. It's an honor to be one of the HBS alumni.
I've actually become a global ambassador for PLD—helping to promote the PLD approach to executive development and attract more individuals to take advantage of the great benefits PLD offers. HBS and PLD have given me a gift, and I'd like to give back.
Many people enroll in an executive MBA program in order to put it on their resume and qualify for a higher position. But PLD is about true authentic leadership and growth from within. It will help you become a well-rounded, more effective leader. If you want to take your personal and business game to a new level, PLD is for you. At PLD, you have an amazing opportunity to work with world-class educators, build lifelong friendships, and expand your network.
My only regret is that I did not attend PLD 10 to 15 years earlier. To people considering the program, I would say: Don't wait. If you have the qualifications, do it now. PLD is not the end—it’s the beginning of a lifelong journey of learning and growing.
