Experiential leadership training for young professionals

There is a lot of reading material describing the differences between a leader and a manager. In general, one can differentiate them in terms of their relationships towards their peers—that is whether people follow you or whether they just work for you. It goes without saying that both qualities are required to be successful; however, most university courses only focus on the latter. Engineering graduates have some background in management from their undergraduate degree and can further develop their skills through seminars or courses while working in the industry. The question is how do they develop the skills to grow into a leader? This paper shares ideas and opportunities for young professionals both pursuing academic and industry paths to develop their leadership styles.