ILLP 2016 off to a flying start
The third edition of the International Leiden Leadership Programme (ILLP) has kicked off with a successful opening seminar at the Sterrewacht.
Diverse group
The 23 master students who were recently admitted to the ILLP form a very diverse group. With 14 different nationalities and 16 different fields of study they each have their own approach. As one student said, “it’s refreshing to be the only medical student in the group.”
This diversity will prove useful in the coming months in a very varied programme, including seminars on leadership theory and trainings in motivation, conflict resolution and negotiation as the students will quickly be confronted with their many different approaches.
No locals in Amsterdam
After a quick introduction to the programme, students introduced themselves by answering some icebreaker questions. A lot of personal stories were shared, but there was also a lot of attention for the cultural differences between the participants. When asked how she felt she differed from the local population, an Israeli student answered: “I live in Amsterdam. I don’t think there are any locals there.”
The group was then asked to respond to several statements about leadership, such as "Leadership is power", "To lead is to follow" and "You need vision to be a good leader." Interestingly, despite their differences, students agreed on most topics.
What do I want to learn?
A definining characteristic of the ILLP is student ownership. Students can set their own development goals and determine how to reach them. In the ILLP, this is done in several ways:
During the training sessions and inspirational seminars, students keep note of and reflect on what is relevant for their very own leadership development. They then develop their ‘personal roadmap for leadership’ with their goals and plans based on input from assessments and skill trainings. The participants also choose their own testing ground for these tools and skills: the personal project. To help them with their personal leadership development, the students will be coached by experienced academics and university staff. The students met their coach during dinner.
We look forward to seeing this diverse group of students develop their very own style of leadership in the ILLP.
