Leiden Leadership Programme

Alumni's experiences

What's it like to participate in the Leiden Leadership Programme? Alumni share their experiences: 'You learn things about leadership and can immediately put them into practice.'

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. 

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.