Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi, founder of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT, talks with CCARE about this exciting leadership development program, one of the highest rated programs in innovation and leadership at Sloan School of Management. CCARE is delighted to co-host a special offering of this program for Silicon Valley leaders who deeply believe in leading with a purpose, to be held at Stanford University on April 14 and 15, 2016.
CCARE: Can you tell us a little bit about the Transformative Leadership Program?
Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi: The Transformative Leadership Program was created in conjunction with faculty at MIT Sloan and piloted at Yale and Cornell before taking it internationally. The objective of this program is to help leaders develop their unique leadership signature. Throughout the workshop, all participants will be able to tap into their unique strengths and learn how to refine themselves as leaders. We developed this program during a time when the world was going through a major financial crisis. This allowed us to identify and examine important values-based components of successful business organizations. The program really taps into the core values of individuals as leaders who can then articulate those visions for their organizations.
CCARE: What led you to develop the Transformative Leadership Program?
Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi: Most business schools are focused on how to truly nurture global leaders. As business organizations and leadership become more global, they need to understand which values are shared across cultures, so they can be translated and incorporated into the entire culture of the company. This process of translating and transplanting is crucial, so that when the organization becomes global, business leaders can truly connect with the masses.
CCARE: How does the TLP build on the overall mission of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values?
Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi: The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values’ primary vision is to foster ethics and values-based leadership that can be manifested from individuals to organizations to societies. The Transformative Leadership Program is a core program of our center because we believe business organizations play an important role in dictating the ethos and governance of any society. When we talk about creating good models for citizenship and governance, it is crucial that business organizations, companies, and financial institutions also model these shared values and concerns. This will help us create a more stable, wholesome, and happier society.
Can you tell us a little bit more about the curriculum and the faculty who will be leading the program at Stanford?
Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi: The workshop faculty will consist of Rodrigo Canales, an associate professor in organizational behavior at Yale School of Management, who has earned his MBA and PhD from MIT Sloan School of Management. I, Tenzin Priyadarshi, will focus on reflective methods for personal and social transformation. Finally, Dr. James Doty will look into the neuroscience of transformation. The program is made to be as comprehensive as possible, in regards to both personal development and leadership skill sets.
We have structured the program curriculum to include an element of surprise. Past global participants tell us this is very useful as many come in expecting just another leadership program. However, our program can truly transform what we believe leadership is, which helps leaders analyze and shape their values and practices. This program is not prescriptive and not just about best business practices. Instead, it has a very didactic and reflective model that explores personal values, business values, and organizational values and the possible disconnects, compromises, and net costs.
CCARE: What can leaders expect to take away from the program?
Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi: Although it is designed to be a two-day workshop, it also provides additional tools that leaders can continue to work with over a period of 4-6 months. These tools will focus on their leadership signature, values, and emotional accountability as a leader. This third component is important because we strongly believe that a good leader is a self-aware leader.
CCARE: Can you share participant feedback and experiences from past program offerings?
Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi: Vice President of an oil and natural gas company in Mexico City shared that he has been exposed to about 60 leadership programs throughout his career, and that this was by far most effective and the best program he has attended.
Santander, a large banking corporation, who has been sending their executives for three years in a row to train with the Transformative Leadership Program, offers this reflection:
“We believe that the Transformative Leadership Program fosters in participants a new mindset and change in consciousness. Participants discover and develop their own leadership signature through rigorous methods of inquiry. This program brings the understanding and practice of leadership to a new level.
We are convinced that by supporting this program, we will help contribute to the training of gifted leaders with the skills to positively influence their organizations, communities, and society.”
And, mid-career executives and young entrepreneurs who have taken the Transformative Leadership Program at MIT Sloan School of Management and Yale School of Management have taken their positive feedback to the deans at both business schools and essentially stated, “nobody should finish their MBA without taking this program.”
We hope leaders from all kinds of Silicon Valley-based organizations will join us at Stanford.
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To register and learn more about this event, please visit the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values website. For questions, call 617-324-6030 or email info@thecenter.mit.edu.
