The LDP program is a valuable addition to classroom learnings. Among all the other great events, the crisis simulation was truly incredible! It put all the participants into the middle of a crisis and revealed things that you had not known about yourself and really encouraged all of us to think about the term leadership in the context of real-world challenges. It was a fun and inspiring learning opportunity.

-Zexuan Li, LDP Class of 2019

The LDP workshops helped me further understand my leadership style. The 360s, simulation, and MBTI Step 2 Assessment provided specifics on the areas where I excelled and those that needed to be explored. The workshops also motivated me to think through and align my brand, personal goals, and professional aspirations. The session on values was particularly impactful and memorable, as it encouraged me to rank my values, highlighting what is most important to me. This ranked list will now serve as a guide as I decide how to I spend my time. The LDP was certainly an invaluable experience.

-Elyse Stines, LDP Class of 2019

Crises are often when we require our leadership skills the most, but scenarios we are least prepared for – I really enjoyed LDP’s foresight to prepare us for this and will remember this experience for years to come.

-Richa Deshpande, LDP Class of 2019

LDP is a great program! The leadership in crisis simulation was an incredible experience, definitely a highlight of my time at Stern.

-Russell Berger, LDP Class of 2019

A major reason why I chose to attend business school was to improve my leadership ability. As I thought about my career goals, I realized that there was a substantial gap in my current leadership skills and the leadership skills that would be necessary for me to accomplish those goals. The Leadership Development Program has helped me to be intentional about the steps that I am taking in improving my leadership ability throughout the MBA program. My coach, in particular, has challenged me to think carefully about the kind of leader that I hope to become and the steps that I must take in order to do so.

-Bennet Kim, LDP Class of 2019

Leadership often focuses on your interaction with others, but LDP empowered me to better understand myself, which enables me to be more effective leading others. With a heightened awareness of my strengths and values, I am now more perceptive as to how they affect others and who I should team with to be successful.

-Matthew Edelman, LDP Class of 2018

Stern’s LDP helped me learn more about my work style, what brings me happiness, and how I define success. I know that in my life post-MBA I want a career that provides me autonomy, allows me to think big, push boundaries, and work with diverse people in an environment that promotes continuous growth. Through self-discovery exercises and the opportunity to work with an incredible career coach, I also realized that I strive for balance, to have a family and to share my success and passions with those closest to me. I come out of business school feeling that I have a better sense of self and motivation to pursue my personal and professional goals.

-Georgia Kastaris, LDP Class of 2018

LDP exposed me to new ways of approaching leadership and evaluating what skills make a person an effective leader. Through the seminars, coaching sessions, and guest speakers, the program provided me with resources and strategies that I know I will utilize in my career after graduating from Stern. In addition, one of the best outcomes of joining the program was getting to know the other students who I would not have known nearly as well had we not all joined LDP.

-Laura Goldring, LDP Class of 2018

Entering the program, I viewed LDP as a welcome addition to my coursework at Stern. By the end, I realized that the views and takeaways offered by LDP were essential to my personal and professional development, and all of our seminars and discussions complemented the lessons I was learning in the classroom. I cherish that LDP provided me the opportunity to be authentic, mindful, and self-reflective which is as rewarding as business school gets.

-Trenton Gaucher, LDP Class of 2018

LDP was a fantastic opportunity for me to understand how others perceive my leadership style. The program gave me the time for introspection and the space to be vulnerable with classmates willing to help me along my journey in the classroom and beyond. It was the perfect environment to learn the process of beginning to establish my own voice.

-Kristofer Perez, LDP Class of 2018

LDP helped me set aside time to reflect on my unique skills and values. Having an experienced, personal coach was especially enlightening since she challenged my assumptions and shared what she had learned from other leaders. I’m now more conscious of certain decisions I’ve made and my motivations for doing so.

-Oliver Li, LDP Class of 2018

My LDP experience has been both inspirational and humbling. The opportunity to learn from executive speakers and assessments such as MBTI, coupled with live feedback from peers and coaches helped me gain a better understanding of my leadership style and identify gaps I needed to fill to succeed as a business leader.

-Ankit Kushwaha, LDP Class of 2018

I came to business school to develop both professionally and personally. LDP provided the opportunity for self-reflection that led to ultimately understanding my own brand. Acting as a leader is not a one-stop destination, but a continuous journey. Stern’s LDP provided me with the necessary tools to continue on that journey.

-Lorena Dominguez, LDP Class of 2018

Effective leadership involves self-awareness, empathy, mindfulness, and the ability to influence others in a way that also empowers them. Connie and the LDP team provide assessments, tools, and frameworks to strengthen and support each of these areas. Some of the takeaways that I’ll be utilizing in the future include insights from individual coaching, peer coaching, written exercises, and feedback. I appreciate how much Connie cares about the program and how she strives to continually optimize it to deliver the greatest value. As a bonus, I enjoyed getting to know my classmates on a level beyond what I would have had the opportunity to do otherwise.

-Elizabeth Staines, LDP Class of 2018

As an MD/MBA dual degree student I aspire to be a physician leader; however, to do so I could not rely solely on my innate leadership abilities. Through seminars, workshops, and individual coaching, LDP provided me the framework through which to explore leadership that was tailored to my own unique personal and professional path. LDP allowed me to take a critical, introspective look at myself and refine my leadership qualities through concrete action steps while receiving crucial feedback before leaving the friendly halls of Stern.

-Michael Root, LDP Class of 2018

“Build your Brand.” It’s a tall order on a normal day. When entering an MBA – a time for change and redefining who we are – the ask seems to loom even larger. In the midst of competing demands and exciting opportunities at school, LDP ensures we take the necessary time to think about the less tangible aspects of our personal development: my leadership abilities, my passions, and building my brand.

-Ryan J. Piela, LDP Class of 2018

LDP helped me craft my personal brand and understand my strengths. Through LDP, I worked one-on-one with a leadership coach and with my LDP student team to hold myself accountable to my personal development goals. With LDP, I was able to use frameworks and tools to better define my professional aspirations.

-Elena Sofia Giralt, LDP Class of 2018

I truly admired how LDP was tailored to the personal development of each individual. Reflecting internally, facing my weaknesses while becoming cognizant of my strengths, and learning how to be more mindful strengthened my character and served as the springboard to unlock my leadership potential. LDP has been one of my most transformational experiences at Stern and I expect to employ many of the lessons I’ve learned in my professional and personal life.

-Ugur Yegen, LDP Class of 2018

While leadership comes in many different forms, the best leaders I’ve encountered share one thing – a deep understanding of who they are and a willingness to share that with others. Stern’s LDP is a truly introspective journey that has helped me better understand who I am and, as a result, begin to unlock my full leadership potential.

-Andrew Jeffs, LDP Class of 2018

Navigating one’s own leadership potential can be a very trying and time-consuming journey. At Stern, the Leadership Development Program (LDP) provides you with a compass to start that journey. LDP gave me the space to reflect upon and evaluate my own leadership potential, all while exploring new tactics within a structured framework. I now use every moment as an opportunity to employ some of the values I’ve learned through this program.

-Anne Gregory, LDP Class of 2017

Confidence, empathy, integrity, inspiration are just a few qualities used to describe great leaders. In order to embody these qualities you must first develop them within. Through workshops, coaching sessions and speaker events, LDP provides the foundation and framework to build a mindset that supports both personal development, and in turn builds strong leadership qualities.

-Dedae Audi, LDP Class of 2017

Being a part of LDP was one of the most significant experiences I’ve had at Stern. Although, I had been in managerial positions before Stern, I had no idea on how to improve my skills and build upon peer feedback. LDP provided me with a holistic view of what a leader should be and taught me how to continuously improve upon the feedback that I received from my past colleagues, my classmates, and my coach. The tools that I learned in LDP would service me throughout my professional career.

-Hem Chander, LDP Class of 2017

The program presented a wonderful combination of various forms of training from multiple angles; if one form of training did not work for you, there would definitely be another that would. My three key takeaways are: 1) the realization that people form the basis of leadership; 2) a large tool box full of various leadership/people techniques; and 3) a heightened level of awareness; I am now able to more precisely identify key aspects that shape dynamics in various settings, and quickly go to my leadership tool box to apply the appropriate techniques to handle the situation.

-Munashe Makava, LDP Class of 2017

Good things come to those who wait. You can achieve anything you set your mind to with hard work as long as you have the patience to see it through to the end. LDP has helped me put in the hard work to achieve my goals while also keeping them in perspective. I’ve learned to not stop to look for accolades or compare myself to others. When it’s time, all the hard work will pay off.

LDP helped me further develop my leadership skills which I was able to apply in a number of situations during my summer internship. This allowed me to make a large impact on my team and with my project assignment.

-Ravi Dalal, LDP Class of 2017

LDP is one of my most enriching experiences at Stern, as it provided opportunities to step out of my comfort zone. My leadership coach is central to my LDP experience. She helped me create my leadership action plan, which has helped guide my progress towards well-defined goals and get the most out of the MBA program… All in all, I collaborated with a diverse, passionate group of Sternies, really enjoyed myself and learned a lot. How often can you say that?

-Vijay Nori, LDP Class of 2016

The leadership workshops encouraged me to think through my personal goals and how to best prioritize them in my life and in the workplace. Through vulnerable conversations with my classmates, I had to opportunity to think about my prioritization decisions. By making an active choice of what is important to me, I now more easily make career choices that are consistent and in line with my personal goals and values.

-Ashley Hedges, LDP Class of 2016

My journey began with the revelation that leadership starts with leading your own life. Once I realized that, all the building blocks fit together: know thyself, EQ, strengths-based development, meaning and purpose… it all made sense! My coach has been central in my leadership development, guiding me through the various stages and helping me understand situations differently. The Leadership Development Program has been a highlight at Stern, launching me on the life-long track to self-actualization.

-Edouard Arbellot de Vacqueu, LDP Class of 2016

-Suranga Samarakoon, LDP Class of 2016

I have always been fascinated by the concept of leadership, but there are so many schools of thought that the information is overwhelming. The LDP framework has allowed me to embrace the different perspectives by focusing on me, and it has helped me integrate this broad concept into my everyday life. Now when I have leadership moments, whether they are successes or failures, I am able to recognize them and stop for a moment. As I process the different components: the event, my actions, my feelings, the other stakeholders – I am able to take the lessons learned and move forward confident that the next moment will be even better