My experience on the Leadership Plus module

Full-time MBA participant, Melissa del Rosario, explores how the LeadershipPlus module kick-started her MBA journey. 

One of the first things you hear about the Warwick Business School (WBS) Full-time MBA is the LeadershipPlus module. I admit I am one of many who was swayed by the promise of the experiential learning of LeadershipPlus. Three workshops in, and I am glad to say that none of the blogs I read do this course justice. Nevertheless, I will attempt to do so anyway.

The LeadershipPlus module is undoubtedly my favorite module of the MBA programme; every time I see the two blocked-off days on my course calendar, my heart gets giddy with excitement. The words “What do Bob and Graham (and the rest of the facilitators) have in store for us today?” run past my mind each time.

LeadershipPlus and how it kick started my MBA journey

The first workshop of the LeadershipPlus module happens on your second and third day of the MBA programme. Going into the session, I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen. I remember them saying to wear comfortable clothing because we would be doing things that involved movement. What is that even supposed to mean? – I remember asking those exact words to my newly introduced syndicate group (the people I would spend the rest of the first term with and subsequently, the people who would become my great friends).

Usually on the first day of anything, there are jitters. You don’t know anyone around you, and you (and the rest of the cohort) have probably travelled thousands of miles to get to where you are now. Without giving out too much to prospective applicants, with the first workshop of the LeadershipPlus module happening at the start of the course, there was little time for introductions and niceties. At the very beginning of the programme, you are forced to work together as a newly formed group, which ignites the ambition in all of you to do well. One of the things I realised is that you will be surrounded by like-minded people, who are as eager to succeed as you. It was an amazing way to start the journey and to get to know the people around you. The things we did and have done were certainly not something you would expect to do to earn an MBA, and this is what sets it apart from the rest of the modules for me.

The art of reflection when it comes to leadership

 During this module there were multiple opportunities to “pause and reflect” throughout the sessions, which were valuable. On the first day, you are handed a journal to document your reflections, and this forces you to be aware of what has transpired, and how you react to certain stressors (and its effect on the group dynamic). This, in itself, is perhaps the most practical take-away from the sessions: that you can take a step back and look at the situation, which as a leader, you need to do. The LeadershipPlus module is a journey towards self-awareness: awareness of your abilities, emotions, and personal biases.

Truth be told, the opportunity to experience this session, unique to the WBS Full-time MBA, was something I could not rid my mind off during the application process. I spoke to various alumni who have echoed the same feelings as I have written in the previous paragraphs. The LeadershipPlus Module is well-worth learning from, especially for prospective candidates who are aspiring to be charismatic leaders.

Food for thought

Which brings me to my advice for applicants who are looking into the WBS Full-time MBA: Reach out to alumni and/or current students (me included!) and ask specifically about the LeadershipPlus Module, and the learnings that they took away from it. The learnings may differ from person-to-person, but I can guarantee you that there will only be positive things to say about these sessions. There is so much work put into each of the sessions, and you see it as soon as you enter the lecture hall.

I am both excited and saddened by the fact that there are only two LeadershipPlus Modules left in my journey, but the things I have learned throughout this whole process, I will definitely take with me for years to come.