A Transformational Week of Leadership Lessons

Wow, what a transformational week! In mid-June, 11 Yalies descended on Madrid for Global Network Week at IE Business School, where we imbibed the principles of holistic leadership, covering topics ranging from authenticity to vitality, and met students from top business schools around the globe, from Mexico to Korea.  

The week began with a meet-and-greet social, where we met with students from other schools who had spent the prior week in Oxford with SOM students. Instantly, we had a network that only grew and deepened with shared experiences over the week. In addition to breakfast, art, happy hour, and paella-making as extracurriculars, IE had a packed agenda for us: lectures, followed by a delectable lunch; teamwork, followed by meditation; culminating in a last set of lectures. After a full day, we were free to explore Madrid for some contemplation. Many of us took short evening trips to neighboring areas of Segovia and Avila, immersing ourselves in the ancient culture, art, history, and food with our fellow students from across the globe. And what a group it was: students representing six of seven continents all came to IE with a common aim—to discover the secrets of being a whole person in our leadership journey in order to enable our teams, businesses, and personal lives to flourish.

When looking at topics for Global Network Week, the IE program stood out to me, and it was absolutely the right choice. We covered topics including values, finding purpose, the science of healthy sleep, nutrition,  habits, self-awareness, the sub conscious ways in which we communicate, and how to be truly authentic. We rounded out the week in SOM fashion with a team presentation on takeaways and how to develop a plan for implementation. The goal of all of this was to enable us to bring our whole selves to our leadership journeys so that we can steward our teams, companies, communities, and families. After all, how can we lead a group or company if we don’t have a clear vision for ourselves? We have summer homework to digest and implement what we learned, and all of us agreed that the course gave us significant food for thought in addition to essential tools for implementation that can be used daily to make us holistic leaders and  family and community members.

The course content was thoughtfully arranged to build upon one each previous element, and topics some were reinforced with practice. The constructs provided have given me a framework in evaluating decisions with clarity. I cannot recommend this experience enough to my peers. The conversations leading to lifelong friendships, conversations with vulnerable moments that allowed us to grow as people and leaders, and the conversations shared through adventures bonded us together in a way no other program can. Not only will you grow as a leader for business and society during Global Network Week, but you will also expand your horizons both personally and professionally. I’d be remiss not to mention that IE Madrid’s incredible hospitality has left me feeling homesick upon returning to the U.S.!