Student Reflections: Leadership Venture to Antarctica

A student’s adventure during a Wharton Leadership Trek takes him to the ends of the earth and back again..

Contributed by: Amod Jain, WG’13

12.31.2011 12:47:03. That’s the moment that stairs paved my way to a new world. As I descended on them from the plane, I noticed their similarity to other airline stairways: decrepit condition, shaking as you move, white paint coming off and just wide enough for one person. But then, how different could stairs be anyway? Well, they could be if they deliver you to a land like no other, a land at the end of the world: Antarctica.

As I took my first step on that land, I smiled and my eyes were already glowing more than the strongest stars, staring at the best sight in the world. Finally, after days of anxiety, excitement, anticipation, daydreams and preparation, I was here. Finally. 

Student Reflections: 2012 USNA Leadership Conference, Part 3

U.S. Naval Academy Leadership Conference 2012
Visionary Leadership: Navigating through Unchartered Waters

In the final post of this 3-part series, Anna Pham, WG’12 reflects on lessons from the U.S. Naval Academy’s Leadership Conference in February 2012.  Students from over 20 different schools, military and civilian, gathered in Annapolis, MD for three days of leadership development workshops and experiences.

Reflections from Janani Ramachandran (W’11), Greg Rose (W’12) can be found in posts Part 1 and Part 2.    

 Part 3: Anna Pham, W’12

As the end of January drew near, the thought of having to miss half a week of school for a conference became heavier. Upon arriving in Annapolis and interacting with students and faculty from around the world, this weight quickly lifted as I embarked on the conference program.

  

Student Reflections: 2012 USNA Leadership Conference, Part 2

U.S. Naval Academy Leadership Conference 2012
Visionary Leadership: Navigating through Unchartered Waters

In this 3-part series, three undergraduate Wharton students reflect on their lessons from the U.S. Naval Academy’s Leadership Conference in February 2012.  Students from over 20 different schools, military and civilian, gathered in Annapolis, MD for three days of leadership development workshops and experiences.

Reflections from Janani Ramachandran (W’11), Greg Rose (W’12) and Anna Pham (W’12) are featured.  This post is part 2 of a 3 part series.  

 Part 2: Greg Rose, W’12

I feel incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to attend this year’s U. S. Naval Academy Leadership Conference on “visionary leadership”. I have seldom been challenged to consider the importance of leadership in life or death situations: scenarios in which there is no “next time”  for applying lessons learned. Thus, the military context that served as a backdrop for the conference’s panel discussions, breakout dialogues and keynote speeches helped to drive home a number of salient lessons about effective leadership.  

Student Reflections: 2012 USNA Leadership Conference, Part 1

U.S. Naval Academy Leadership Conference 2012
Visionary Leadership: Navigating through Unchartered Waters

In this 3-part series, three undergraduate Wharton students reflect on their lessons from the U.S. Naval Academy’s Leadership Conference in February 2012.  Students from over 20 different schools, military and civilian, gathered in Annapolis, MD for three days of leadership development workshops and experiences.

Reflections from Janani Ramachandran (W’11), Greg Rose (W’12) and Anna Pham (W’12) are featured.  We’ll bring you their reflections in three parts.

 Part 1: Janani Ramachandran, W’11

What is the definition of success? Prior to attending the United States Naval Academy Conference I would have said a variety of things: getting good grades, having close friends, or landing the “perfect” job. I wanted to accumulate titles and achievements to prove to others that I was smart and capable.  When things didn’t go as planned, I handled it with frustration and a little self-pity, wondering why I needed to suffer through obstacles on my path to success.

 

Student Reflections: USNA Leadership Conference, Part 3

The final post in a 3-part series, three undergraduate Wharton students reflect on their lessons from the U.S. Naval Academy’s Leadership Conference in February 2011.  Students from over 20 different schools, military and civilian, gathered in Annapolis, MD for three days of leadership development workshops and experiences.

Reflections from Colin Lee (W’11), Patrick Glover (W’11) and Christian Hoogerheyde (W’11) are featured.  This is the final part of a 3-part series.

Part 3: Christian Hoogerheyde, W’11
For as long as I could remember, I was consumed with an overwhelming sense of personal pride. My pride became impossible to ignore when I held student leadership positions in middle school and high school, for I succumbed to what I have termed the “When I’m Gone” syndrome: the desire to be “missed” when I had moved on from a position of leadership and the subconscious hope that others might grieve my departure and compare the accomplishments of my successors to my own.  I am ashamed to admit this, but I remember feeling that I wanted my successors to be good, but not too good, so that my achievements might still shine in comparison. 

It wasn’t until recently, however, that I became aware of how terribly detrimental this perspective (and pride as a whole) was for my ability to become a great leader.  Fortunately, my pursuit of genuine humility was re-ignited during the United States Naval Academy’s leadership conference.   One speech in particular really encouraged me to re-examine my pride and its consequences on my ability to truly lead.

Student Reflections: USNA Leadership Conference, Part 2

Our latest series of student reflections focuses on a group of undergraduates who attended the US Naval Academy conference, Leadership Development: The Cycle of Success in February 2011.  Students from over 20 different schools, military and civilian, gathered in Annapolis, MD for three days of leadership development workshops and experiences.

Three Wharton undergrads, Colin Lee (W’11), Patrick Glover (W’11) and Christian Hoogerheyde (W’11) reflected on the lessons learned from the conference that they hope to share with their successors in undergraduate Wharton Leadership Ventures and with the Wharton community broadly.  This is Part 2 of a 3-part series.

Part 2: Patrick Glover, W’11
For me, the biggest takeaway was that the most effective leaders are those that know themselves best. Introspection is key. The conference has taught me the importance of identifying my own personal leadership strengths and weaknesses. Colonel Arthur Athens, US Naval Academy’s Director of the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership, really impacted me when he spoke about identifying your “sweet spot”.  The “sweet spot” is the situation and environment in which we lead at our best. Identifying this can help us all become better leaders across a range of different situations. We should strive to put ourselves in “sweet spot” situations and take action once we identify such situations. But perhaps even more importantly, we need to recognize when we are outside of our “sweet spot”; in these cases we can look to others for leadership. I had never thought about leadership from a “sweet spot”, but it makes complete sense to me now.

Student Reflections: USNA Leadership Conference, Part 1

In February 2011, undergraduate students attended the US Naval Academy conference, Leadership Development: The Cycle of Success.  Students from over 20 different schools, military and civilian, gathered in Annapolis, MD for three days of leadership development workshops and experiences.

Three Wharton undergrads, Colin Lee (W’11), Patrick Glover (W’11) and Christian Hoogerheyde (W’11) reflect on the lessons learned from the conference that they hope to share with their successors in undergraduate Wharton Leadership Ventures and with the Wharton community broadly.  We’ll bring you their reflections in three parts.

Part 1: Colin Lee, W’11
For me, the first lesson sounds simple, but it’s subtle and extremely important. It’s to enjoy being a leader and to lead when you have the chance.  Though I’m good with connecting with people, I’ve always been a “background” type of person.  Now, I think I’ve re-structured my thought process so I stop comparing the quality of my ideas; now, I don’t really worry if my ideas seem stupid.  For instance, at this leadership conference, I took the opportunity to ask questions.  From my experience of being involved in WLV, I am more keenly aware of and willing to take on leadership opportunities.

Student Stories: Nonprofit Board Fellows

Periodically, the Wharton Leadership Program blog likes to bring you stories straight from students’ own experiences with our programs.  We’ve interviewed one of our Nonprofit Board Fellows, Ashley Blackmon, a 2nd year MBA student serving on the board of Equality Forum, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance national and international gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) civil rights through education.

The Nonprofit Board Leadership Program places MBA students on the boards of local nonprofit organizations, where they serve for about 12 months, providing a learning experience for students and hopefully lasting impact for our partner organizations. 

 

How does your experience to this point compare to the goals you set for yourself last spring?

My experience has exceeded my expectations. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was getting into when I went to my first board meeting this fall. I’ve been able to witness the changes in board politics as the board gets closer to the organization’s headline event this spring, The Global LGBT Summit (April 25th – May 1st). Early in the fall I was also offered a full board membership, which included voting rights. I did not anticipate this, but this helped me get more involved in the decision making process.

Learning from Altitude

Leadership Learning from Wharton Leadership Ventures and Beyond

 

Lei Wang, WG’03, is the first Chinese woman and the first Asian-American to climb the highest mountain on every continent and ski both the North and South Poles.  Lei came back to Wharton recently to lecture on her experiences and spent time with our Venture Fellows discussing leadership at altitude.

Being back on campus again last month for the first time since our graduation in 2003, everything looked so familiar and close to heart. The energetic bright smile on those leadership venture fellows’ faces and their insatiable desire to learn reminded me of our school days.

When I started my two-year study at Wharton in 2001, looking at the recruiting reports from career office, I confidently thought I had a clear picture for my future. Yet looking back, it was beyond my or anyone’s imagination that an “incidental” involvement in the leadership venture program totally changed my trajectory.

I started with the trip to Cotopaxi during my first year, followed by the ice climbing in Adirondacks in the second year, and Kilimanjaro, the first of my Seven Summits quest, upon graduation. During each of our leadership venture trips, our learning was more focused on team work. It’s not until I have gone down the path of pursuing my Seven Summits dream and look back over the past many years that I truly appreciate the bigger-picture learning from those experience.

Student Stories: Nonprofit Board Fellows

Periodically, the Wharton Leadership Program blog likes to bring you stories straight from students’ own experiences with our programs.  We’ve interviewed one of our Nonprofit Board Fellows, David Adelman, a 2nd year MBA student majoring in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management and serving on the board of SquashSmarts, a nonprofit that uses squash to inspire and educate under-served urban youth in Philadelphia.  The Nonprofit Board Leadership Program places MBA students on boards of local nonprofit organizations to both help advance the mission of the organization and teach students about the realities of board governance and the nonprofit sector.

WLP: What is your role on the SquashSmarts board?  How did you define this role? 

DA:  I’m a visiting board member for the year. More specifically, I am working on a project to establish a Young Leaders committee to get people in their 20s and 30s to learn about how incredible SquashSmarts is and become more active in the organization.

WLP:  How have you attempted to forge relationships with board members/the ED right away?

DA:  I met the Executive Director at his house shortly after starting, which gave me a great background on the organization and helped us build our relationship early on. Since then, we’ve met a few times and I’ve gotten to know him well. He’s a strong leader who brings an incredible amount of passion and energy to the organization. I met several of the board meetings at a fundraiser that SquashSmarts hosted last year, and met the rest at the first board meeting 2 weeks ago. I’m lucky to be working with such an active and inspiring group of people.