Nathan Lucht Minneapolis, Minnesota “At Kellogg, ‘leadership opportunities’ is not just a slogan, it’s embedded in the culture. Throughout my two years at Kellogg I’ve had the opportunity to take on a number of leadership positions. No doubt my greatest experience was serving as president of the Kellogg Student Association, where I learned that to be an effective leader you must trust yourself and the decisions you make. Most significantly, Kellogg taught me the importance of surrounding yourself with the brightest and most talented people around — because as a leader, you cannot expect to achieve your goals alone.”

Photo © Nathan Mandell

Kellogg School graduates are sought after for their collaborative leadership skills, positioning them to take on key roles in business, nonprofit organizations and government. A recent study conducted by the governing student body, Kellogg Student Association (KSA), identified more than a thousand opportunities to practice leadership in meaningful ways while getting your MBA at Kellogg.

The KSA alone offers many important roles in which students have a direct and lasting impact on how the school operates, as they represent student interests in close partnership with the Office of the Dean. For example, KSA’s Academic Committee suggests curriculum changes, its Technology Committee helps select the hardware and software students use, and the International Committee offers the school input on marketing abroad. The KSA also finances approximately 80 professional and personal-interest clubs.

Leadership in practice

Here are just a few of the ways you can develop your leadership skills in the supportive Kellogg learning environment:

• Organize and lead Pre-Term activities to pass on the Kellogg traditions to those classmates who follow in your footsteps.
• Chair a professional club or one of more than a dozen student business conferences and share the latest thinking on topics that are important to you.
• Organize a fundraising event to benefit local charitable organizations.
• Plan Day at Kellogg (DAK) for newly admitted students so they, too, will discover what a great place Kellogg is.
• Choose, plan and market the destination for a Kellogg Worldwide Experience and Service Trip (KWEST) for entering classes.
• Join the Admissions Committee to provide input into shaping future Kellogg classes: read applications, serve as an admissions counselor, and interview prospective students.
• Compete with peers from other top business schools in one of the many case competitions held annually around the world, where Kellogg students frequently take top prize.
• Be your best in study groups and elevate the learning of your peers — and they’ll do the same for you!

Leadership in the curriculum

In addition to the many practical opportunities presented at the Kellogg School, leadership is a strong component of the academic experience in the classroom. We are committed to preparing you to lead responsibly and globally. In support of that goal, one important tool for measuring your individual leadership strengths is the 360-Degree Feedback Assessment. Completed prior to your arrival on campus, the assessment is a gauge and resource to guide your development while pursuing your MBA, and it will remain a valuable reference as you embark on your career, aligning the feedback with the career assessment tool offered by the Career Management Center.

Learning from others

You’ll have many opportunities to interact with executives who deliver a keynote at a student conference or as a guest lecturer in the classroom. But three executives in residence series offer you a special chance to meet one-on-one with a seasoned C-level executive who can answer your specific questions with the knowledge that only comes from personal experience. In addition to the general Executives in Residence program, Kellogg offers the Entrepreneurs in Residence program that draws on a wide variety of successful entrepreneurs who share their wealth of knowledge, while the Beacon Capital Partners Executive in Residence program is a unique opportunity for the Kellogg School to invite a world-class leader in social enterprise to spend a few days talking with the entire Kellogg community about important issues in nonprofit management.

With all that in your toolkit, you can put your leadership knowledge to work through the Board Fellows Program. Founded by students in 2003, the Board Fellows Program matches Kellogg MBA candidates with boards of Chicago-area nonprofit organizations for one-year fellowships. The program benefits both parties: students gain rewarding experience as non-voting board members, while the nonprofits benefit from project or committee work, access to future business leaders with fresh perspectives, and affiliation with the Kellogg School of Management.

Fellows work closely with trustees and executive directors, attend board meetings, serve on committees, and work on special board projects. Fellows gain a better understanding of opportunities and challenges faced by nonprofit organizations, as well as the complexities of nonprofit management. Fellows are also supported throughout the process by training and discussion sessions sponsored by the Board Fellows Program and the Center for Nonprofit Management.