
I didn't know, back in 1979 when I decided to become a college professor, how gratifying it would be learn from the perspectives of so many different people. And I certainly could not have imagined how profoundly inspiring it would be like to teach a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), interacting with thousands of students in over 200 countries.
Please read on for news about our global community of developing leaders, the growing network of alumni who are mentoring the next generation, and to:
- be inspired by the revolutionary changes being wrought by awesome Millennials.
- get an update on the Total Leadership program's impact in organizations.
- connect with authors and other amazing guests on my radio show Work and Life.
- learn about recent research from the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project.
And here are links to our popular, free online diagnostic tools.
|
Millennial Men and Women Making a Difference |
Quick notes from the field on some of the powerful Millennials I've recently had the pleasure of working with as they lead the vanguard of social change:
- It was tons of fun to work with Erin Bagwell and her team on Dream, Girl, a film project led by a group of young women dedicated to inspiring young female entrepreneurs by telling the stories of some who've succeeded. Check out the trailer here.
-
There's a new group of Wharton MBA men, mostly from the rugby club, who call themselves "The 22s" -- to represent the pay gap between women and men. These men not only want to help bring about pay equity, they also want to explore gender roles and how they must evolve. The 22s invited me to facilitate a conversation (described in this Wharton Journal story) about the instructive film The Mask You Live In. When rugby players at Wharton reach out to an ancient faculty member to lead a discussion about gender stereotypes, and the auditorium is filled to the brim, you know things are changing.
|
A Global Community of Developing Leaders
I t's with much gratitude that I write to let you know my books Total Leadership and Leading the Life You Want continue to resonate with people around the world who are interested in learning more about what it means to lead lives filled with significance and purpose. My team and I just finished the third iteration of Better Leader, Richer Life, a MOOC offered by the University of Pennsylvania on Coursera.org. Over 136,000 people worldwide have enrolled and many students have been inspired to serve as Community Teaching Assistants for those in subsequent offerings. We're cultivating a global community of developing leaders, rich with compassionate peer-to-peer coaching among people at every life stage. Vanaja Shankar said, "I have been a Community TA for the past two sessions. It is wonderful to be part of this learning community, to continue to learn, to share my learning with others, and to connect with people across the world."
A few samples of generous notes written by members of this community:
From England: I can't emphasize enough how this course has helped transform the way I used to view my life previously -- it truly has been a life-changing experience! My biggest learning is the fact that the power to change our life rests with us, it's about openly communicating and aligning with our key stakeholders ('we' and not 'me') across all domains and taking them along as we strive to realize our leadership vision. I'm particularly amazed by the process in which the Total Leadership concept has been brought to life and made practical to implement. All the elements of the course -- the structure, the content, real-life sharing by other students, the tools, the exercises, and the peer feedback -- flowed seamlessly, building on one another and leading us into the next logical step. It was a beautiful process of self-discovery and empowerment!
From Australia: This course has changed the way I live and interact with those around me on so many levels. My children have commented on how the home is a funner [sic] place to be over the past week and that mommy seems happier. My husband has somehow -- without being asked -- got more involved in the household chores and all is well. I've got outdoors more and am enjoying the autumn scenes of Canberra. So far, participating in this course has been life-changing.
From India: [The course] has truly evolved me as a person. It has connected me to largely disparate segments of my life. I have included you in my list of Top 10 influencers to perpetually remind me that you made a mark on so many people's lives. I found your concepts of "boundaries," "psychological interference," "coaching for peer feedback -- the care" and "being politically and ethically savvy as organisations are not rational institutions" among the key ideas.
|
Thanks to 2015 Total Leadership Mentors
|
Once again, I am honored to have a dedicated corps of Wharton alumni devoting time to giving back to our school, keeping their own skills sharp, and helping cultivate the next generation of leaders by serving as mentors to current Wharton students. Huge thanks to this year's outstanding TL Mentors. Pictured below are the nine who visited my full-time MBA class to share their wisdom. Visit our Reflections videos to view what each of them had to say.
Top row left to right: Dana Nae Garcia, Jason Thacker, Chris Lam, Simran Singh, Jennifer Paradis.
Bottom row: Me, David Tucker, Sean O'Reilly, Mac Steenrod, Ira Greenberg.
|
On the Radio -- Conversations with Great Authors
|
My weekly radio show -- Work and Life -- on Sirius XM 111 Business Radio Powered by Wharton is reaching a coast-to-coast audience in the U.S. and Canada. I talk with CEOs, HR executives, researchers, psychologists, sociologists, and others. For the complete list of past interviews, with transcripts, and for information about upcoming shows, check out the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project radio page.
Here are some recent interviews with authors who have important books just out:
|
New Research from the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project
|
- Here's a link to a free chapter -- Implications of the Revolution in Work and Family -- I just published in a compilation, Reinventing the Company in the Digital Age.
- In a collection called Flourishing in Life Work and Careers, I published a chapter with Alyssa F. Westring and Kyle Thompson-Westra that shows how the Total Leadership program helps fathers flourish in all parts of their lives.
- Westring and I published "Empowering individuals to integrate work and life: insights for management development" in the J. of Management Development, 34 (3), 299-315.
|
Fresh Content
For short pieces on the latest in leadership and work and life -- including articles on the modern family, the evolution of gender roles, productivity, mindfulness, and more -- follow me on LinkedIn.
|
Causes We Support
|
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." Here's a recent Knowledge@Wharton article on how the workplace is affected by the stigma of mental illness.
|
Stay Connected and Informed
| Are you sharing Total Leadership with people in your world? I'd love to hear their reactions. And please send ideas for what you'd like to see in this newsletter and on www.totalleadership.org.
|
|
|
|
|