What's it like to participate in the Leiden Leadership Programme? Alumni share their experiences.

Olivia (International Relations: Global Conflict in the Modern Era)

I chose the programme because I appreciated the diverse content, ranging from philosophy to project management through psychology. I also tend to be very shy in group settings, so I thought the programme would be a great opportunity to step out of my comfort zone. 

I don’t see leadership as an organised hierarchy but rather as a way to reach a common goal – the ability to reach objectives by dividing tasks and orienting team members. Thanks to the LLP, I know that respecting others and taking into account their well-being is one of the most important aspects of Leadership.

Hajo (North American Studies)

I wanted to have more tools in terms of personal development and leadership. I really enjoyed hearing from leaders, for example in the police, how they handle things. I learned about conflict situations, for instance: most people ultimately want to reach a solution, so try to put yourself in another person's shoes and see how you can find common ground. However, the emotions have to be off the table first. Sometimes it is good to take a break.

Zakia (Industrial Ecology)

What appealed to me about the LLP is that you learn things about leadership and can immediately put them into practice. A unique and beautiful combination. 

I learned that there are many different personality types. You start looking at colleagues and group dynamics in a completely different way. You learn to understand why one person is strongly focused on the project instead of on each other. Or why someone jokes in between and tries to maintain harmony. As a result, you start to appreciate all types of teammates a bit more. I also see this reflected in my work and voluntary work.

Rush (Law & Political Theory)

Constant reflection is the gift that the LLP gave me. Leadership is similar to muscle memory – using it as a daily skill is essential. I learned to have joy in making new mistakes and learning from failures. For me, active listening was my personal leadership goal. The LLP taught me that it is the quality not quantity of my listening that matters most. 

Santiago (Economic and Consumer Psychology)

The most important lesson the program left me was that, contrary to what we tend to see in social media and in motivational content, leadership is not always as beautiful and inspiring as it seems. It often deals with very difficult decisions in which the right choice is not necessarily a good one.

I would always recommend the LLP to students who want to learn more about leadership and themselves. The program did an amazing job in allowing me to understand my way of leading better, and it also gave me various resources to work on. Even without considering all these self-improvement benefits, I'm still convinced the LLP was worth it because of the people I met; from other colleagues from all types of environments and specializations to professors who completely changed my way of thinking, the social aspect of the program was very beneficial.