Leland+ Content Library

How Your Application is Really Evaluated: An Exclusive MBA Admissions Officer Panel [6/30/2026] (Recording)

MBA applications are evaluated through a far more nuanced process than most applicants realize. This session is for candidates who want a clearer understanding of how admissions officers assess leadership, career trajectory, academics, essays, and overall fit across the application. You’ll learn what actually stands out in committee discussions, the common weaknesses that hold strong candidates back, and how successful applicants create a cohesive and credible narrative. Join live to hear perspectives from a panel of former MBA admissions officers who have reviewed applications at top business schools. The discussion will follow a curated set of high-impact questions, offering structured insights and candid examples drawn from real admissions evaluation experience.

Showing Leadership Potential in your MBA App w/ex-Stanford Admissions Director [6/17/2026] (Recording)

Next to academics, the most important criteria that schools evaluate in your MBA application is 'leadership potential'. What is it, and how is it evaluated? While each school may differ slightly, there are several key elements that are common across MBA admissions. My goal is to offer actionable tips and a structured framework to strengthen your application in this area. I draw on more than a decade managing admissions at Stanford GSB, as well as helping to develop the school's core leadership curriculum. Following the session, I will share a video link (in case you miss it) and a PDF summary document.

Leading Teams in the Era of AI: Crucial Skills for 2026 and Beyond [8/19/2026] (Recording)

Teams and organizations, along with their managers, are working (or struggling) to 'adapt as they adopt' new AI-enabled processes and tools. First taught as a course at Stanford, 'Leading Teams in the Era of AI' explores key managerial challenges that AI transformation can catalyze, which include: - maintaining motivation and a strong team culture in the face of rapid change and fear - communicating effectively when info saturation is a reality - clarifying roles and rules as AI augmentation and agents blur traditional boundaries - understanding different high level organizational strategies for AI adoption and their associated tradeoffs - increasing the pace and depth of team and organizational learning - recognizing how and why generative AI technology in particular requires new mindsets This session will summarize and highlight key findings and takeaways from the course, while offering a few simple tools to help leaders manage change when technological change keeps accelerating.