Leaders for...

For me, one of the best parts of the LGO program is leadership development.  While some would argue that leadership is innate and can't be learned, I disagree.  That fatalistic  point of view says that becoming a better leader is something that just happens and is out of your control, which really isn't the case.  It's like anything, some people have natural leadership ability, but we can all work to develop whatever ability we have to become better leaders.

Because of that, LGO puts a lot of focus on leadership - which you probably gathered from the name.  One of the courses that I took this fall was an elective leadership seminar offered by the program, and it was one of the best courses I've taken.  While the other classes you'll take for LGO - accounting, operations management, economics, engineering courses, etc. - are all very good, this one stands out because it focuses on your personal development.  The title of this post "Leaders for..." is what the facilitator of the course feels is the most important part of the program (I call him a facilitator rather than an instructor or professor, because he really just facilitates discussion rather than dictates it, and is a retired business leader that volunteers his time for the course).  It means "Leaders for Global Operations", but also things like "Leaders for Our Communities", or "Leaders for Sustainable Development", or Leaders for anything really that we think is an issue and needs to be addressed.  In this sense, LGO is about more than just getting an MBA and a Master's in Engineering from MIT, it's also about learning from ourselves and each other to become better leaders that will be able to make a difference in the world.

Throughout the course we had several discussions about leadership traits, qualities, and examples of good leadership that we've experienced.  As well, we had LGO alums from the early years of the program and other business leaders visit to talk about their different experiences with career development, family, entrepreneurship, and how leadership development will play a role in our lives post-LGO.  Finally, the last day of the course everyone in the course stood up and spoke for a few minutes about what leadership meant to them. I must admit, at first I was a little skeptical about how this was going to turn out, but it was a pretty cool experience.  It was a 90 minute barrage of thoughts on leadership, and not only did it make me put my feelings into words, but I was able to hear from my classmates what they thought, which in turn helped me to better understand both them and myself.  In all it was a great experience and I'm glad I took the course.  It helped me to learn to take a step back and reflect on my life, where I'm at, and what it will take to achieve my goals, which I think will be valuable throughout my career.

Now, the semester is coming to a close, I'm preparing for my internship, and I just have my accounting final between myself and winter break - Woo-hoo!!!  Good luck to everyone submitting applications!