In developing ‘leaders of consequence,’ Fuqua not only relies on its world class curriculum, but also depends on extensive experiential learning.

As part of our C-LEAD (Consequential Leadership) course in our first term, we were all taken to Triangle Training Center to overcome various challenges with the help of other team members. Part of the program was to climb a 60-foot wall. During my turn, I had climbed less than three feet, when I looked up the wall and realized the long way to go. I was so discouraged by the high goal that I decided to surrender without finishing the task.

But before doing so, I closed my eyes and thought for a few seconds. A recent lesson from our leadership class came across my mind. The lesson was about how setting high goals in business settings might make the very first steps towards achieving the goal look overly difficult. As a solution, the course suggested that high goals be divided into small sub-goals in order to make them look achievable and less aversive.

When I opened my eyes, I was determined to continue the challenge, but started thinking about the next three steps only, and not the ultimate goal. I was not frightened by the high goal anymore. I continued my climb the same way by focusing on sub-goals and eventually found myself at the top of the wall.

I am confident that the leadership lesson would not have stuck in my mind as well if it were not for such a great experiential challenge. Fuqua offers a great combination of extracurricular activities that complement in-class learning. This hybrid gives students hands-on experience in applying classroom lessons to real-life applications. According to Dean Russ Morgan, “a large part of the transformational experience at Fuqua relates to students enhancing their abilities to act as Leaders of Consequence,” and in order to act as such, students should be able to apply principles and frameworks taught in class. Fuqua has put together the opportunities required for students to do this, thereby instilling these skills and enhancing their personal growth.