10-13
- Sunday, March 10 – Wednesday, March 13, 2024
- Program
Fee: $11,250 ($7,875 with 30% HBS alumni discount)
The program fee covers tuition, books, cases, class materials, on-campus accommodations, and most meals.
Program schedule will include several 90-120-minute class/case discussions daily plus guest lectures. Leader development groups and reflection sessions will occur daily. This program is open only to Harvard Business School MBA alumni from the classes of 1993–2013.
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Need Help? Contact Us:
Program Advising team
Email: executive_education@hbs.edu
| Program Overview | Admissions | Curriculum & Faculty | FAQ |
OVERVIEW
For most Harvard Business School MBA alumni, no educational experience has been as challenging, invigorating, or transformative as your two years at HBS. Study groups. Case prep. Cold calls. Exceptional teachers and mentors. Friends for life. The world’s best network. These were all key elements of the MBA experience that put you on your path for work and life.
But the learning—about leadership and about yourself—didn’t stop at graduation. You are now invited to participate in The Reflective Leader 2024, a unique on-campus program created in partnership with HBS Executive Education exclusively for senior-level, high-achieving MBA alumni who are seeking to raise the bar in the next phase of their life and career. Inspired by members of the alumni community who turned to HBS for learning opportunities and personal development during the middle and later stages of their careers, this program will provide a deep dive back into your seminal HBS experiences while addressing the unique challenges and personal goals of today’s senior executives.
RIGOROUS AND REWARDING
As a seasoned professional at an inflection point in your career and life, you will spend several days in intensive case discussions with top HBS faculty members and fellow MBA alumni, challenging your notions of decision-making and managerial thinking, reflecting on what it means to be a true leader, building on what you know now with an eye toward your future, and finding inspiration in the lives and stories of your living/learning-group suitemates.
The Reflective Leader will be a learning experience unlike any other for HBS alumni, combining the best and most rigorous elements of your MBA student experience and blending that with who you are today—an experienced, senior leader on the cusp of the next major phase of your professional and personal life.
The Reflective Leader will be an immersive, introspective experience that has the power to transform your thinking and outlook for the rest of your life.
The Reflective Leader will rely heavily on peer learning to support the learning outcomes. Participants can expect reading and preparation for case discussions, daily “homework” assignments, active participation in classroom sessions, and daily study groups and reflection sessions.
The Reflective Leader is the flagship program of lifelong learning for HBS alumni. Across the arc of your professional career and personal life, HBS has unique programs and resources—and a powerful, trusted peer network—to expand your knowledge, strengthen your skills, and provide the support you need wherever you are, whenever and however you want it. From your first cold call to your last reunion, you’re part of HBS for Life.
ADMISSIONS
Application Process – To build a diverse and cohesive program cohort, applications will be reviewed thoughtfully and qualifying candidates will be admitted on a rolling, space-available basis. We expect high demand for this program, so early application is strongly encouraged. (For those not admitted to this session, their interest will be noted for a future program.)
Admissions Requirements – Admission is selective and based on an individual’s professional/career path, organizational responsibility, and personal circumstances. This program is open only to Harvard Business School MBA alumni from the classes of 1993–2013.
Program Fee – The program fee covers tuition, books, cases, classroom materials, on-campus accommodations, and most meals. Payment is due within 30 days of the invoice date. If admission is within 30 days prior to the start of the program, payment is due upon receipt of the invoice. Cancellation policies are outlined in the information provided to applicants upon admission.
- WHO IS INVITED TO ATTEND?
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This session of The Reflective Leader is open exclusively to Harvard Business School MBA alumni from the classes of 1993–2013. Participants will be alumni who have achieved significant advancement in their careers and understand the demands of leadership and senior-management responsibility. They may be on the verge of new leadership roles, exploring third-stage career options, asking questions about their legacy, or facing new family commitments that impact their personal goals, time, and responsibilities.
Participating from around the world, your fellow alumni will share a global perspective into these complex challenges and will be encouraged to explore deep and diverse insights into their professional and personal goals.
CURRICULUM
The Reflective Leader will be unlike any other HBS program, alumni reunion, or conference you have participated in. Developed in response to alumni who found themselves at a pivotal stage in their careers and lives and were seeking an opportunity to stop and reflect under the guidance of trusted HBS faculty, this virtual program has been designed to be a powerful learning and growth opportunity that broadens your global mindset, your personal vision, and your understanding of what it means to be a leader.
Key elements of The Reflective Leader will include:
- Deep dives into cases, discussions, and reflection led by some of HBS’s most highly regarded faculty members
- Learning what it means—and what it takes—to be an authentic leader
- Exploring your personal strengths, self-doubts, and developmental goals
- Exposure to the latest research and thinking at HBS
- Inspiration to define your personal purpose over the next decades of your life
- Small leader development groups—classmates and learning partners by day / new friends and colleagues for the rest of your life
Topics will include:
- Understanding the art and practice of being a leader
- Spearheading change and supporting a truly innovative culture
- Assessing the impact of world events on global businesses
- Overcoming cognitive distortion and increasing mindfulness and presence
- Leading complex organizations in a volatile world of technology disruption
- FACULTY
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The Reflective Leader has been developed and will be taught by HBS faculty members who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and inspiring leaders. Through their teaching, publishing, and consulting, these faculty members leverage their business expertise to develop pathbreaking concepts that shape the practice of management. Together they form a teaching team whose critical insights will challenge your thinking about your professional and personal goals and enable you to become a superior business leader.
Program Co-Chairs
VG Narayanan – Senior Associate Dean, Executive Education
Thomas D. Casserly, Jr. Professor of Business Administration
Read his bioC. Fritz Foley – Senior Associate Dean, External Relations
André R. Jakurski Professor of Business Administration
Read his bio
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The Reflective Leader is a three-day on-campus program created exclusively for senior-level, high-achieving MBA alumni who have reached a pinnacle in their career and are seeking an opportunity to reflect upon their individual leadership challenges and personal goals through case studies, conversations with HBS faculty, and interaction with peers. The program will provide a deep dive back into your seminal MBA experiences, but viewed today from the perspective of your advanced position and experience and addressing the unique leadership challenges and personal goals of today’s senior executives.
This session is open to MBA alumni from the Classes of 1993–2013. Join us for this chance to define and explore your path to authentic leadership and gain a clearer sense of your purpose and your legacy.
This session of The Reflective Leader is open exclusively to Harvard Business School MBA alumni from the classes of 1993–2013. Attendees will be alumni who have achieved significant advancement in their careers and understand the demands of leadership and senior-management responsibility. They may be beginning to explore third-stage career options or have reached a stage in life where family commitments such as college- or adult-aged children and aging parents have become new influences on one’s personal goals, time, and responsibilities.
MBA alumni had a unique set of experiences as students at HBS, and in this program we hope to replicate the best of those attributes in a program uniquely designed for them.
The admissions process includes thoughtful building of a diverse class overall to form the most cohesive and complementary cohorts of 6-person leader development groups. As a result, the program staff will intentionally separate sectionmates into different groups as the deep, open dialog required is more conducive when pre-existing friendships are not part of the equation.
Offering a program of this nature is expensive. In addition to providing intensive teaching and learning with some of HBS’s most esteemed faculty members, the program fee covers registration, books and cases, and other program materials.
You may be able to deduct work-related education expenses for tax purposes. Consult with your tax preparer for more information.
The Reflective Leader will be an intensive experience that relies heavily on peer learning to support the learning outcomes. Attendees can expect reading and preparation for case discussions, daily “homework” assignments, active participation in class sessions, and daily study groups and reflection sessions.
ADMISSIONS PROCESS
In order to achieve the learning outcomes of The Reflective Leader, admission will be based on an individual’s professional/career path, organizational responsibility, and learning objectives. This pilot program is open only to Harvard Business School MBA alumni from the classes of 1993–2013 in order to achieve the desired blend of professional and personal experiences.
The admissions committee meets monthly, and admission to the program will be done on a rolling, space-available basis.
A waiting list will be created once all anticipated seats have been filled. Those on the waiting list will be invited to attend the program if seats open prior to the start of the program and will have the opportunity to transfer their application to a future program offering.
Payment for this program is due within 30 days of the invoice date. If admission is within 30 days prior to the start of the program, payment is due upon receipt of the invoice. Cancellations more than 30 days prior to the program will result in a 100% refund; 30-15 days prior will receive a 50% refund; less than 15 days prior to the start of the program will not be refunded.
Our Client Service team can answer most questions about the program, the admissions process, and the on-campus experience. Call them Monday-Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET, or leave a message after hours. They will respond within 24 hours. Telephone: 1-800-427-5577 (outside the US, +1-617-495-6555).
- PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
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Too often we become disconnected from who we are and where we are heading. In the wake of the global pandemic, with all of its accompanying challenges and disruptions, this is perhaps more critical than ever. The Reflective Leader will invite MBA alumni like you to “step out” and ask important questions. Immersed in an intensive, introspective learning experience that is grounded in HBS faculty research in psychology, neuroscience, organizational behavior, and leadership, you will define and explore your own path to becoming an authentic leader and gain a clearer sense of your purpose and your legacy. The program will prepare you to lead more effectively, build your capacity to shape an organization that can sustain success, and translate that knowledge to your personal life.
Over several highly focused days, you will delve deeply into the qualities of successful leaders and uncover the characteristics that comprise your unique, personal style. The program will also give you permission to stop and ask if you are living the life you want to live. In the process, you will become better able to:
- Lead with integrity through difficult and pressure-filled challenges
- Understand the impact of your life story and your crucibles on your abilities as a leader
- Recognize and address your blind spots and biases as a leader
- Develop your self-awareness and emotional intelligence
- Adapt your leadership style to different scenarios while remaining true to your values and purpose
- Learn from feedback and daily challenges to ask questions focused on life’s journey
- Become more aware of the patterns that are enhancing your life or getting in your way
- Develop greater confidence in your capabilities
- Become an empowering leader who fosters effective teamwork
- Lead an integrated, purposeful life that enables you to balance your work and home
- REASONS TO ATTEND
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- You wonder about how to transition to the next stages of your life and career.
- You find yourself asking questions around purpose, whether you are making a difference, whether you are getting traction in your life.
- Your work and personal life are bumping into one another in counterproductive ways.
- You need intellectual stimulation from HBS’s world-class faculty and world-class alumni.
- You want to enhance your professional and personal relationships.
- You trust HBS to provide a supportive, confidential environment that promotes individual reflection and peer exchange.
WHAT ALUMNI ARE SAYING ABOUT THE REFLECTIVE LEADER