The year was 2014 and an email from Dr. Matt Stern changed the course of my life. He had just become President-Elect of MDS. He, along with the then-current president, Oscar Gershanik, had the innovative idea to form a leadership task force for the MDS and asked me to be part of it. With my dear mentor and friend Dr. Cynthia Comella at the helm, the task force came up with guidelines to develop a flagship leadership program for MDS. I was invited to be faculty for the program and attended an internationally renowned leadership training course in Sonoma County, California.
In March of 2015, Dr. Comella, Jen Goldman, Annette Carlson (Medtronic representative), and I attended a 4-day leadership training course based on the famous book called “The Leadership Challenge.” Through numerous hours of classroom didactics, interactive modules, and discussions we learned about the broad principles of leadership and how to use our skills to be a transformative leader to accomplish amazing things for the greater good. After returning from the course, we designed our version, which we would present in just six months to our first class of LEAP applicants.
This experience was daunting and required a lot of reading, practice, and improvisation until we were ready to teach our first class. There were some skeptics among the participants who did not initially recognize the value of this two-day course. However, upon completion of the course, all the participants agreed that it was a great success, and that they had learned leadership skills that would be invaluable to their future roles as leaders. Despite its success, we continued to revise and improve the course. I actively read literature from other sources in order to hone my leadership skills and to incorporate them into the LEAP program.
As a group, the faculty learned leadership is not a place, an authority, a title, but rather a set of observable behaviors to be practiced regularly. This inspired me to refine my talents to achieve the ideals of leadership and to put this knowledge into practice. I wanted to be a source of inspiration to younger members of the MDS, not only in the LEAP course, but in my institution. The success of those who participated in the LEAP course is a source of great satisfaction to me. I also learned that feedback is critical to improvisation and growth. I also realized that young leaders required a safe place where they could speak without fear of retribution and could challenge each other to do better and help each other become better versions of themselves.
In 2020, as a result of my efforts, my mentor asked me to co-chair the MDS LEAP program. I took on this challenge and the following year was proud to be appointed to take over for the retiring chair. As an immigrant Asian woman born in the late 1960’s in India, I was honored to lead this prestigious program. I wish my mother had lived a few more months to have seen this accomplishment (she had passed away few months earlier).
In 2023, the MDS LEAP program expanded to offer LEAP Basics. The goal was to be more inclusive and introduce a larger group of eligible people to basic leadership principles virtually. Individuals that complete this course, along with the self-guided MDS Career Development Program, are then eligible to apply for the LEAP Advanced program. The advanced program is a one-day in-person course that expands on key concepts discussed in the Basics course through the use of interactive sessions and activities, followed by year-long mentorship and bi-monthly interactive module discussions about leadership. The overall feedback for the new program has been largely positive, but we will continue to evolve and improve to be our best version, year after year.
What does MDS LEAP mean to me? It is my community of likeminded, dedicated, compassionate, and fierce leaders whose goal is the empowerment and professional development of bright young people in our field. This is where I acquired some of my dearest lifelong friends and colleagues. The LEAP program, in addition to helping to generate and propagate transformational leadership, also helps to impart passion, commitment, camaraderie, and a sense of purpose. My term ends in the last quarter of 2025, and I leave with some sadness, but an immense sense of satisfaction, pride, and accomplishment that our vision and mission have been realized.
Going forward, the program transfers to the able hands of a leader that I immensely love and respect. Carolyn Sue has been my partner and friend since 2017. She is brilliant, kind, compassionate, and fair.
I owe a great thanks to Kate Rudolph, the MDS liaison for the program. She has been my most able partner and the wind beneath my wings who does all the work for which we get credit. I will miss all of you, but we will still be part of the team.
Thank you to all the MDS presidents and leaders who have supported our program, Annette Schott for her intellectual and kind guidance, Heather Vitale for the work she did as our initial Secretariat liaison, and Jennie Socha for expert tips and direction. A heartfelt thank you to our amazing faculty (Susanne Schneider, Alastair Noyce, and Jen Goldman) who are excellent team members, bring so much wisdom and creativity, and work tirelessly to make the program better. Last but not the least, to Cindy Comella. I am grateful for the advice and mentorship she provided for me, my career, and my life. A devoted, engaging, and kind but honest mentor, friend, and mother figure. She showed me light in my dark days and held my hand during the first part of my journey. To me, she is a beacon of hope and light and her example will continue to inspire generations of future leaders.
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