The Leadership Institute was founded on the assumption that the United States suffers from a lack of leadership in all facets of society. Far too many Americans in leadership roles lack the vision, moral conviction, and fundamental leadership skills essential for the effective performance of their duties. For example, many American political leaders allow politics and personal ambition to trump th
e national good; many American business leaders prioritize profits over people, focusing on the bottom line at the expense of their employees, customers, and social responsibilities. Additionally, while numerous American leaders do possess admirable vision and moral conviction, they often lack the other essential leadership skills necessary to maximize their impact. With the promise of Yale students in their future roles, there is a lack of specific leadership development programming on the Yale campus. The Leadership Institute aims to address this discrepancy by equipping Yale students with essential leadership skills and enabling them to wrestle with leadership’s fundamental challenges while they are undergraduates. L.E.A.D: An innovative leadership-training program to transform Yale leaders through classes, workshops, trips, galas, and internships. Students enroll as freshmen and complete the program at the end of their senior year.
2. Leadership Development Workshops: Yale students acquire specific leadership skills through experiential learning from professors and consultants.
3. Leadership Training Retreats and Conferences: Yale students develop themselves as leaders at weekend retreats and conferences by working with leadership educators, attending speakers and workshops, and collaborating with other students.
4. Leadership Teas: Yale students interact in intimate settings with distinguished leaders in order to learn from their personal leadership experiences.
5. The Youth Leadership Initiative: Yale students work with the New Haven Mayor’s Office and provide basic leadership training for Middle and High School students in the local community aimed at increasing self-confidence and personal leadership skills, and civic awareness. In the past two years, the Leadership Institute has filled many successful leadership workshops and teas, formed a partnership with professors from Yale’s School of Management, hosted two annual Leadership Weeks, welcomed students from West Point Military Academy for a “Perspectives on Leadership” conference, graduated a group of high school students from our Youth Leadership Initiative, and co-sponsored events with other leadership groups and the Dean’s Office. In the years ahead, the Leadership Institute seeks to establish an even stronger institutional foundation while expanding our programming for students.
