Development Cohort – English
Development Cohort – English
Enhance your thinking and teaching through collaboration with other like-minded humanistic educators.
The HLA Virtual Development Cohort for Summer 2025 begins on July 17th. Apply today!
Please see the full schedule and session details below. Apply to join by completing the application form at the bottom of the page or click the button below!
Business school professors have the opportunity to not just impart knowledge to students but to engage them in practical applications of that knowledge and to alter their mindsets and perceptions of the world. Through our cohorts designed to share collective wisdom, participants put themselves at the forefront of unlocking the potential in their students to become humanistic leaders and make a significant and needed impact on today’s world.
Our world is hungry for business education that prepares tomorrow’s leaders for the complicated array of considerations including sustainability, talent development, strategic planning, social responsibility and more. In this environment, there is a growing recognition among business school faculty for the need to leverage each other’s insights to teach differently.
Virtual Development Cohort Program Overview
The Cohort Program is a co-creation experience designed by professors and leaders, for professors and leaders–developing the ability to be, know, and do of humanistic business education. All aspects of the Cohort Program are aligned to the vision of the Humanistic Leadership Academy “creating a world that works for 100% of humanity” as outlined in the Humanistic Leadership Academy Manifesto (Cohort participants are required to read and sign the Manifesto.)
Each session will be hosted from 9:00-10:00am Central Time USA virtually on Zoom. Participants will create the experience as a collective group while learning and sharing new pedagogical methods that forward the work of humanizing business education.
| Date | Summer Cohort 2025 Schedule (English) |
|---|---|
| 07/17/25 @ 9:00am CT | Session 1: Kickoff and Cohort Participants’ Introductions |
| 07/24/25 @ 9:00am CT | Session 2: Listening, Recognition and Gratitude |
| 07/31/25 @ 9:00am CT | Session 3: Care and Accountability |
| 08/07/25 @ 9:00am CT | Session 4: Dignity and Human Flourishing |
| 08/14/25 @ 9:00am CT | Session 5: Authenticity |
| 08/21/25 @ 9:00am CT | Session 6: Knowing our motivations and creating allies |
| 08/28/25 @ 9:00am CT | Session 7: Capstone and Commitments |
| 09/25/25 @ 9:00am CT | Cohort Celebration Session |
Meet your Summer 2025 Cohort Leaders!
David Pickersgill
David is an accomplished Leadership and Personal Development Specialist, passionate about empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds to cultivate the skills and character necessary to flourish. He is the Learning Outreach Program Leader at Barry-Wehmiller, a $3.6B global manufacturing firm with a unique culture of care. In this role he develops and facilitates transformative learning experiences for leaders around the world, both within Barry-Wehmiller and externally.
Within Barry-Wehmiller, David oversees virtual training for leaders, as well as facilitating in-person training for leaders and team members through Barry Wehmiller University. David also leads in Barry-Wehmiller’s outreach to colleges and universities, partnering with key institutions to help them develop leaders with the skills and courage to care.
David studied for priesthood in the Church of England at Cambridge university, gaining a BTh there, and also an MA in Systematic Theology. After seven years in ordained ministry, he left to take an MSc in Psychology from Nottingham University, graduating with first-class honors. This breadth of study allows him to approach human personality from both a scientific and humanities perspective.
In addition to his ministry and leadership development experience, David has experience in instructional design, having created a suite of asynchronous online learnings for university faculty to help them engage with public policy.
Claude Heini
Claude Heini is a distinguished leadership expert with a robust academic and professional background. He holds a PhD in Applied Psychology from the University of Fribourg, focusing on the impact of mega mergers. He also earned a master’s degree in organizational and social psychology from the University of Bern and a Secondary Teacher Diploma from the University of Zurich.
Heini has certifications in Team Management Profile (TMP), Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), Leadership Circle (360), and Leadership Culture Inventory (LCI). He has trained in U-Theory, Integral Psychology, Intuitive Decision Making, and Mindfulness in Organizations.
With over 20 years of experience, Heini has worked with top executives and senior management in global organizations. He has authored several books on leadership, including “Führungskraft – Führen mit Kraft” and “Menschliche Führung gewinnt”. His unique talents include inspiring leaders, fostering creativity, and managing complexity effectively.
FAQ’s
Q: What is the cost for participation?
A: There is no cost for cohort participation. If there is an in-person event, there may be travel costs based on your city of origin. However, there is financial assistance available, and we are working to secure additional funding so that travel costs are never an impediment.
Q: What is the curriculum like?
A: We are looking to achieve harmony across the Be.Know.Do dimensions, with a focus on Being. The Kickoff and Cohort sessions will be facilitated but with ample space for the Cohort participants to co-create the experience and engage in a lot of personal sharing. The Pre-Kickoff and Personal Learning sessions will be focused more on Knowing and Doing.
Q: What are some potential topics within the curriculum?
A: Topics always incorporate the experience and expertise of those in each Cohort. Past topics have included Professor Discernment, Transformational Pedagogy, Understanding One’s Calling, Auto-Ethnography, Haiku of You, and Quantum Leadership.
Q: What organizations is this effort linked to?
A: We have a growing list of partners that include the UN PRME, Ashoka, Net Impact, Conscious Capitalism, and associations of Jesuit Universities. The International Humanistic Management Association is a driving force in the initiative alongside the Barry-Wehmiller company, Fairtrasa, and a host of others. We seek to create a space where members of all these organizations can connect, share, grow and ultimately change the world.
We must find these small groups of people to collaborate, and make a meaningful difference in the world, and begin to amplify these goals of introducing more humanistic leadership into business. Finding like-minded leaders who are trying to disruptively create a better future for our world is encouraging.
CHRIS LASZLO
Professor of Organizational Behavior, Case Western Reserve University
Apply to join our next Cohort Program Opportunity
- Read and sign our Manifesto.
- Submit the information requested below.