Weatherhead School of Management master of business administration (MBA) students in the Leading People and Organizations (LEAD) course engaged in an experiential workshop with the Player Development Team of the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.
"There is remarkable overlap between what the Guardians do to develop teams and leaders and how we strive to develop students to be global leaders in the LEAD course and beyond here at Weatherhead,” said Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior Ellen Van Oosten, who teaches the course.
The primary objective of this course is to develop students' capability to be effective leaders and life-long learners. Drawing upon longitudinal studies previously conducted by Professor of Organizational Behavior Richard Boyatzis and past organizational behavior doctoral students, the course examines leadership effectiveness on three levels: developing the leader from the inside out, working productively with diverse teams and leading successfully in organizations.
In addition to students in Van Oosten’s class, a couple of second-year MBA
students and a part-time MBA student also joined the trip.
The workshop topic was “leading high performance teams” and the Guardians’ Player Development Team focused on the tenets of their people management framework, as well as some of the tools and tactics of teaming.
“I'm deeply grateful to the Guardians for their partnership and generosity,” Van Oosten said. “I’m also excited that our students had this unique behind-the-scenes look at how an exceptional organization like the Guardians leverages effective teaming to inspire high performance.”
At the end of the workshop, full-time MBA students shared what their biggest takeaways were from the experience.
“It was incredible to be able to hear from the Player Development Team for an organization that I have watched and admired my entire life,” said Jack Rahoth. “I particularly connected with how meaningful it is to create personal bonds with the people you work with. While this may seem more intuitive for an athletic team, the same principles can be applied to any organization.”
Heather Oney said, “The biggest thing that stuck with me was the idea that ‘high performing people don't compartmentalize excellence.’ To truly be the best leader you can be, you have to strive for excellence in all areas of your life, not just at work and school. What you do in your off time matters, because how you live in your home life still deeply affects your performance in school and work.”
“I love the idea that learning doesn't just start and end in the classroom,” added Erin Soldatis. “One of the team leaders said something that specifically stuck with me, which is that ‘life is made up of countless experiences, it is when we stop and reflect on these experiences that we gain something out of them.’”
