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His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives students the key to compassionate leadership.

Last spring, the Leeds Dalai Lama Fellows participated in a once-in-a-lifetime trip to India鈥攆acilitated by CU鈥檚 Renee Crown Wellness Institute鈥攖o learn about compassionate leadership with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 really think I knew what compassion meant until these talks,鈥� said Nikki Bechtold (Mktg鈥�24), one of the attendees. 鈥淚 took away that if I鈥檓 dealing with a conflict as a leader, I want to keep that mindset. Compassion is such an important thing that can often be overlooked in leadership. Because as the Dalai Lama mentioned, hierarchies can be really detrimental to compassion.鈥�

Bringing the Program to Leeds

The trip attendees were part of Renee Crown Wellness Institute鈥檚 Dalai Lama Fellows (DLF) program, a one-year leadership program offered to Leeds students, who learn techniques for building compassion and strengthening empathy. Fellows implement their learnings through an applied project in their local communities.

In 2021, the Crown Institute at CU entered into a partnership with the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia to offer the Dalai Lama Fellows program, also present on the campus of Stanford University. Thanks to a donation from Paralel CEO and Leeds alumnus Jeremy May (Acctg鈥�92), the program expanded in 2023 to include Leeds students for a three-year pilot.

鈥淭he Crown Institute has been delighted to partner with the Leeds School of Business because our shared work exemplifies how compassionate leadership can be woven into the fabric of business education, preparing students to navigate complex global challenges with care,鈥� said Sona Dimidjian, director and founding faculty fellow of the institute. 鈥淥ur hope is that the message from these conversations and the Dalai Lama Fellows program will ripple out across the world, generating compassionate action and a more caring and just future for our world.鈥�

May, who serves on the Crown Institute advisory board, strives to integrate compassionate leadership into his own work. His personal connection to Leeds made it the logical choice for a pilot program.

鈥淲hen the Dalai Lama Fellows got connected with Crown, we started talking about how we bring these types of practices into the business world,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been something I鈥檝e tried to do personally, and to bring these conversations into the Leeds school was a natural fit for me.鈥�

Tandean Rustandy Endowed Dean Vijay Khatri stated that the program 鈥渃an significantly contribute to advancing and embodying Leeds鈥� core values,鈥� including social responsibility, global perspective and holistic student development.

Unforgettable Lessons

Even within the program鈥檚 scope, meeting the Dalai Lama was special. For the event, titled 鈥淐ompassion in Action: A Conversation About Leadership With His Holiness the Dalai Lama,鈥� fellows submitted questions for the Dalai Lama.

One student asked about maintaining compassion as a leader when feeling frustrated.

鈥淚f we were to keep the basic sense of affection that we received from our mother alive, there鈥檇 be no reason to quarrel with anyone,鈥� the Dalai Lama responded. 鈥淗owever, instead of thinking about what we have in common with other people, we tend to focus on the differences between us.鈥�

This insight resonated with Bechtold.

鈥淚f I can become a leader someday and a manager and all these things, I鈥檒l remember how important being compassionate is,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n the society that we have right now, sometimes it can be hard to be compassionate in all circumstances.鈥�

Khatri also attended the trip, calling the experience 鈥渢ransformational.鈥�

鈥淚 am filled with inspiration and gratitude after witnessing young social innovators who are creatively addressing global challenges in ways that are tailored to their local communities, all the while fostering the well-being of our planet,鈥� he said.

Khatri noted that trip attendees received instruction not only in compassion but also in interconnectedness and ethical leadership.

鈥淏y integrating these lessons, students can contribute to creating more compassionate, mindful and cohesive communities, both at Leeds and beyond,鈥� Khatri said.

During their fellowship year, participants expand their empathy and self-awareness. Meghan Fall (Mktg鈥�26), one of the 2023鈥�24 fellows, runs Good Grief, a grief support group for students. Since visiting Dharamsala, she has been collaborating with Khatri and Birdie Reznicek, associate dean for culture and community, to establish a community grief group specifically for Leeds faculty, staff and students. Her DLF year allowed her to do 鈥渢he internal work I needed to do the external work this year.鈥�

鈥淭he fellowship itself was definitely a holistic experience for developing myself鈥攎y ability to have compassion with people and my ability to regulate myself in really hard emotional situations,鈥� she said.

May called the DLF program鈥檚 teachings 鈥渢he future of leadership鈥� and stressed that the program鈥檚 impact will expand beyond the fellows themselves.

鈥淭his is an exponential thing,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen you can observe somebody applying these practices, then that鈥檚 the exponential impact we have听here.鈥�