Satish Menon, WG '06 

Satish wrote to let me know that "Total Leadership ideas have come in very handy over the years as the start-up activities have been all-consuming. I have tried to apply some of the principles so that the other life domains have not been shortchanged in the process. Concrete examples include (a) emphasizing quality over quantity, (b) setting aside specific times for the other domains, (c) proactively integrating domains where possible, (d) constant sharing of information that captures my thinking behind various choices, and (e) allowing my kids to share in the entrepreneurship process, which I find has been remarkably helpful for them." 

Joan Lau, ENG '92, WG '08         

Joan wrote to say, "I have had many incredible career experiences because of Wharton, but my life is much more rewarding and satisfying because my four circles have begun to coalesce. The volunteering I do is highly tuned to our family's interests, or my career interests, and I am doing work that I love (and pinch myself because of my good fortune)." 

Chad Trexler, WG '07 

A global strategic sourcing and procurement executive at Accellent in the Boston area, Chad wrote recently: "I use TL a lot and teach it to all of my teams.  I've found it really goes a long way toward helping employees to understand that you care about them as a complete person rather than as an organic widget, and it helps me to keep my priorities straight.  TL was a great class, and one with lessons I use every day."

Erica Dhawan, W '07 

Erica  is an expert on Gen Y who wrote recently: "I've been on quite a journey since our course over five years ago -- worked on Wall St, studied at Harvard and MIT, spoke at Davos, and started my own company geared to unlocking the power of generations to drive better business results for Fortune 500 companies. Your course was such a sparker to help me step up in my own leadership in the world."

Jimmy Hickey, WG '07 

An investment professional in Houston, Hickey  wrote that Total Leadership "made a significant impact on my life. I still keep the 10 leadership principles on my desk, and the perspective on small experiments leading to big changes was incredibly insightful."

Matt Tanzer, W '02, WG '12  

Matt wrote:  As I consider making a fairly dramatic career change (leaving the comfort and warmth of my corporate job in Pharma for the unknown abyss of a healthcare IT entrepreneur),  I want to ensure that the pursuit of this goal is aligned with my values and priorities and to avoid simply chasing a bigger title and more money (on the equity-upside), which are not inherently worthy goals.  I feel fortunate though that I have the Total Leadership grounding to be able to articulate these questions, and to make an informed decision that supports myself, my wife and family, my career objectives, and my sense of belonging in the community."

Mallik Sundaram, WG '06 

Mallik, a scientist/entrepreneur who co-founded the start-up Momenta in 2001 and later co-founded Mitra Biotech in 2008, wrote: "There was tremendous action at work, but my family life was taking a beating. My wife, who is also a Ph.D scientist and had worked at MIT, was taking some time off with our new baby. I was not spending enough time at home and did not spend time to watch my son grow.

"Soon after earning my MBA, I made a pact with my company and another with my family. I told Momenta that I could work with them for a year in a full-time capacity and later only as a consultant. I spend lot of time with my wife and explained that while I feel terribly guilty about not spending time at home with her and the baby, my life also would feel very empty if I could not go after my dreams. She asked me, what are those dreams?  I explained in greater granularity what the dreams are - revolutionizing the cancer research field in such a way that there will be a big impact not only in patient care but also in the efficiency of the drug development process. She started sharing some of her own thoughts on this, and it struck us that we could work together. We met a few more faculty members from MIT and Harvard and soon started Mitra Biotech in 2008.

"Mitra is doing fine, still in the early stages, but is funded by some of the top blue-chip VCs and we have collaboration with some of the leading hospitals of the world.  Bottom line: I realized the importance of family life and was able to manage the relationship between my work and my family in such a way that I did not have to give up my dream and instead could help my wife give shape to her dreams too."

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Total Leadership is devoted to helping those who suffer from mental illness and their familes. We support bringchange2mind.org and NAMI. The National Alliance on Mental Illness "is the country's leading nonprofit dedicated to helping ALL people live mentally healthier lives."  

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