Leland+ Content Library

Your PE Recruiting Plan: What You Need to Know to Ace Recruiting

Get a clear, no-nonsense roadmap for navigating the intense Private Equity recruiting process. In this session, you'll learn what top firms actually look for, how to prepare for the fast-moving timeline, and the technical and networking strategies that separate successful candidates from the rest. You'll walk away with a focused, actionable PE recruiting plan you can start executing immediately.

How to Land a Consulting Offer from your MBA

Breaking into consulting from business school is one of the most competitive recruiting paths—but with the right preparation, it’s completely achievable. In this session, expert Leland coach who received offers from both McKinsey and BCG Rifat M. will walk you through the full MBA consulting recruiting process, from networking and resume prep to case and behavioral interview mastery. You’ll learn how to position your background, build relationships with firms, and stand out in a crowded field to land your consulting offer with confidence.

Networking: The Secret to Landing a Software Engineering Role

Strong technical skills are essential for software engineering roles, but networking often determines who gets the interview. In this session, you’ll learn how to build authentic connections, reach out strategically to recruiters and engineers, and turn conversations into referrals and opportunities. We’ll cover practical outreach tactics, common mistakes to avoid, and how to position yourself effectively in a competitive hiring market.

How to Run an Efficient Small Business Search

Buying a small business sounds simple until you actually start searching. Suddenly you are juggling deal flow, broker calls, industry research, financial review, diligence, and legal concepts. All while trying to keep your life and job moving. This session is for the person who is ramping into acquisition entrepreneurship and wants real guidance, not a generic accelerator curriculum and not “just ask ChatGPT.” If you are smart, motivated, and serious about buying a business but feel overwhelmed by the volume of decisions and the lack of a clear path, this will click. We will walk through what an efficient search actually looks like in the real world: the phases of search, where people waste time, what progress looks like, and what it realistically takes to get competent. Spoiler: 5 hours a week is usually not enough. Most people underestimate the reps required (think hundreds of hours, not a weekend), and the main goal is to compress the learning curve by focusing on the highest-leverage work. What you will leave with: - A clear picture of the search process end-to-end and what “good” looks like at each stage - The real time commitment and why most searches stall - Practical ways to run search faster and cleaner (systems, workflows, decision filters) - A map of the core skill areas you need to build: deal sourcing, industry analysis, financial fluency, diligence, and negotiation A simple decision framework for your next step: learn it, hire it out, or partner Who this is for: - You want to buy a small business, but you do not want to wander for 12 months figuring it out the hard way - You want more hands-on support than an accelerator, and more signal than generic online content - You are ready to put in the work, but you want a more efficient path and fewer dead ends We will also share a bit of our own search context - what we have tried, what has worked, what has not - and why we believe 1:1 support can meaningfully cut down ramp time when you apply it correctly. If you have been circling ETA and keep thinking “this is a lot,” you are not wrong. Come get a sharper path.

Course Conclusion

What You've Learn and What's Next

The AI Brainstorm Lab: Turn Any Idea Into 10 Better Ones

Discover how to use AI as your creative partner, not just your assistant. In this hands-on lab, you’ll learn how to generate, expand, and refine ideas using ChatGPT or Claude—whether you’re naming a project, planning a campaign, or trying to get unstuck. Outcomes: You’ll leave with 10+ new ideas generated live, a framework for evaluating and combining AI suggestions, and practical techniques for overcoming creative blocks and turning raw ideas into real concepts. Learning Objectives: *Recognize where AI can enhance creative thinking and idea generation *Use structured prompting techniques to expand, combine, and refine ideas *Apply AI brainstorming methods to generate actionable outputs for real projects

How to Automate Recurring Work in Cowork

Claude Cowork is an Anthropic tool available in the Claude Desktop app that can access your full computer and help you to automate your tasks.

Claude Chat vs. Cowork vs Code

There are a lot of options for how to approach tasks using AI. Learn which interface to reach for why one might be more suited to specific tasks than the others.

How to Land a Role as a Growth Equity Analyst

Breaking into growth equity is competitive, and most candidates struggle because they don't know how the role differs from traditional private equity or what firms are actually evaluating. This session is for undergraduates, MBA students, and early-career professionals who are actively recruiting for growth equity analyst positions. You'll leave with a clearer understanding of how to position your deal experience, what frameworks interviewers use to assess market sizing and company evaluation, and how to tailor your story for growth-stage investing roles specifically. Attending live gives you the chance to ask questions about your specific background and get real-time feedback that a recording simply can't offer. The insights shared here reflect the patterns seen across successful candidates, the kind of guidance that typically comes up in one-on-one coaching conversations. If you're actively recruiting or plan to start soon, this is worth your time.

How Top GMAT Scorers Decode Quant Word Problems

Quant word problems trip up even strong test-takers, not because the math is too hard, but because the translation from words to equations isn't always obvious. This session is for GMAT studiers who feel confident with formulas but keep losing points when problems are wrapped in real-world scenarios. You'll leave with a clearer process for identifying what a problem is actually asking, recognizing the structural patterns that appear most frequently across high-difficulty questions, and avoiding the misreads that consistently cost test-takers valuable points.

Understanding the Med School Application Timeline and Strategy

After this session, you'll know how to structure your medical school application timeline from AMCAS submission through secondary essays, and understand how to avoid the pacing mistakes that cost competitive applicants interview invitations. You'll also leave with a clearer framework for deciding which schools to prioritize given your specific academic and clinical profile.

Nail the McKinsey Personal Experience Interview

The McKinsey Personal Experience Interview is one of the most distinctive and challenging parts of the consulting process, and many candidates underestimate how different it is from standard behavioral interviews. This session is for candidates preparing for McKinsey who want to approach the PEI with more structure and confidence. You’ll learn how to select and refine your stories, demonstrate leadership and impact with specificity, and communicate your experiences in a way that aligns with what McKinsey evaluates.

Job Search Reflection Guide

A structured reflection workbook that helps career-transitioning professionals clarify what they want next in their career with guided exercises.

AFOQT Math Formulas Sheet

You don’t need to memorize hundreds of formulas — you need to understand when and why to use each one.

Ask Me Anything: IB Recruiting Insights from a Former Lazard Banker

Breaking into investment banking is competitive—especially if you're targeting elite boutiques or specialized coverage groups. In this AMA-style workshop, Akaash P.—a former Lazard banker with hands-on experience across Media & Telecom, Restructuring (RX), FIG, Energy, and Software—will give you an inside look at what it takes to stand out in IB recruiting. Drawing on cross-sector banking and investing experience, as well as coaching candidates into top groups at elite firms, Akaash will answer your questions on technical prep, industry-specific expectations, crafting a differentiated story, and navigating competitive recruiting processes. Whether you're aiming for M&T, RX, FIG, Energy, or Software roles, or simply want to understand the landscape better, you’ll leave with clear, actionable insights to elevate your recruiting strategy.

Navigating an AI Career: from Google to Microsoft to AI startups

Curious what it’s really like to build a career in AI—and how to stand out in one of tech’s fastest-growing fields? In this session, Michael A., who previously worked at McKinsey, Google, and Microsoft, and who now works with AI startups, will share insights from his own journey across big tech and emerging companies. You’ll learn how to identify the right roles in AI, what skills and experiences matter most to hiring teams, and how to position yourself for long-term success in this evolving space.

Deferred MBA M7 Series: Stanford

Get an inside look at what Stanford GSB seeks in Deferred MBA candidates and how to bring your unique story to life. Expert Leland coach and GSB alum Ben L. will break down the qualities Stanford cares about most—impact, curiosity, and personal growth. You’ll leave with concrete strategies to articulate your values, achievements, and ambitions in a way that resonates with the GSB admissions committee.

MBA to Consulting: How to Nail the Interview

Consulting interviews are some of the toughest in the MBA world—and breaking into a top firm requires mastery of both case and behavioral components. In this workshop, Erik Z. —a former Bain consultant and manager who spent three years on the “other side” of recruiting—will walk you through exactly how to prepare. Having conducted 300+ mock interviews, authored an MBA interview case at Bain, and coached candidates (including many from non-traditional backgrounds) into MBB, Erik brings insider knowledge of what firms truly look for. He’ll cover networking strategy, resume positioning, case frameworks, behavioral excellence, and the nuances that help you stand out during recruiting season. Whether you're prepping for on-campus recruiting or pivoting into consulting post-MBA, this session will give you the clarity and confidence to excel.

The Simple Path to Financial Independence

Are you looking for more flexibility in your career? Maybe curious about how you can achieve financial independence? Join me, Dr. Troy Russell, for an insightful session on the steps you can take to achieve financial freedom and a healthier work-life balance. With a background in behavioral change and strategic planning, I've successfully navigated my own path (and coached +40 others) to achieve financial independence. During this event, we'll explore behavioral narratives influencing your money decisions, effective personal finance strategies, and the importance of mindfulness in your financial journey. Whether you're looking for more career flexibility or seeking guidance on personal finances, I'm looking to help you chart a path to success. Spaces are limited, so be sure to RSVP and secure your spot today!

Build Your First Custom GPT (No Code Required)

Imagine having an AI assistant that already knows your workflow, your writing style, and how you like things done. That’s what Custom GPTs can do: write content, answer client questions, summarize reports, train new team members, and organize project plans. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to build one from scratch (no coding required). We’ll walk step-by-step through defining your GPT’s purpose, adding your own examples or instructions, and refining how it responds—so by the end, you’ll have a personalized AI assistant that works the way you do. (Note: You’ll need ChatGPT Plus to create a GPT, but anyone with the free version can attend, follow along, and learn the process.) Outcomes: You’ll walk away with your first working Custom GPT, a clear understanding of how to teach AI your preferences, and ideas for expanding your assistant’s capabilities for different roles or teams. Learning Objectives: *Understand what Custom GPTs are and how they extend AI beyond one-time chats *Learn the step-by-step setup process (no coding required) *Build and test your first GPT for your own use case or workflow