In the Leadership Labs class, we ask you to consider the question, 'Why would anyone follow YOU?' This course invites you to reflect on the kind of leader you aspire to be, the kind of leader you currently are, and how to align your behavior with your leadership goals. You will have an opportunity to share in the leadership of your squad and, in doing so, to discover your strengths and challenges as a leader. You will receive feedback about your approach to leadership and have the opportunity to try out new skills and tools. Your squad is made up of you and five of your classmates, who will work together in Leadership Labs every week of the quarter. At your weekly meetings, your squad will engage in a mix of experiential exercises, case role plays, and team discussions and negotiations. You and your squad mates will develop individual leadership goals to support your personal leadership development. As the quarter progresses, you will track and discuss productive and unproductive dynamics in the squad. All of these activities are designed to help you think more deeply about how your squad is working together and to allow you to practice and experiment with new ways of leading. You will have the opportunity to give and receive a great deal of feedback, allowing you and your squad mates to achieve a deeper understanding of the impact of your behaviors on others. And many of the activities your squad will do together will be video recorded for your self-review afterwards. In each Lab session, one squad member will be the Meeting Lead for the session. MBA 1 squad members will rotate through the Meeting Lead position. Your squad will have a dedicated MBA 2 Leadership Fellow who will be present for these meetings to provide team coaching to the squad as a whole. You will also meet with your Fellow for individual coaching support outside the weekly Labs sessions. Finally, the quarter culminates with the Executive Challenge, an opportunity for you to further refine your leadership skills by engaging with alumni judges in role plays that test your ability to lead effectively. The alumni will evaluate your performance and provide feedback.
2 units · GSB Letter Graded
In the Leadership Labs class, we ask you to consider the question, 'Why would anyone follow YOU?' This course invites you to reflect on the kind of leader you aspire to be, the kind of leader you currently are, and how to align your behavior with your leadership goals. You will have an opportunity to share in the leadership of your squad and, in doing so, to discover your strengths and challenges as a leader. You will receive feedback about your approach to leadership and have the opportunity to try out new skills and tools. Your squad is made up of you and five of your classmates, who will work together in Leadership Labs every week of the quarter. At your weekly meetings, your squad will engage in a mix of experiential exercises, case role plays, and team discussions and negotiations. You and your squad mates will develop individual leadership goals to support your personal leadership development. As the quarter progresses, you will track and discuss productive and unproductive dynamics in the squad. All of these activities are designed to help you think more deeply about how your squad is working together and to allow you to practice and experiment with new ways of leading. You will have the opportunity to give and receive a great deal of feedback, allowing you and your squad mates to achieve a deeper understanding of the impact of your behaviors on others. And many of the activities your squad will do together will be video recorded for your self-review afterwards. In each Lab session, one squad member will be the Meeting Lead for the session. MBA1 squad members will rotate through the Meeting Lead position. Your squad will have a dedicated MBA2 Leadership Fellow who will be present for these meetings to provide team coaching to the squad as a whole. You will also meet with your Fellow for individual coaching support outside the weekly Labs sessions. Finally, the quarter culminates with the Executive Challenge, an opportunity for you to further refine your leadership skills by engaging with alumni judges in role plays that test your ability to lead effectively. The alumni will evaluate your performance and provide feedback.
Offered in Autumn 2026 at Stanford University.