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CHALLENGE YOURSELF
Develop the skills to take you to the next level
Ideate and Prototype
Companies must create a culture of innovation or risk falling behind
Customer-Focused Innovation Program <
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Imagine your ideal campus

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It already exists, and it's at Stanford. It's true we're one of the world's great research universities: we house the world-class Graduate School of Business, the d.school, and one of the top medical schools in the country. But that's not all of what makes Stanford “Stanford.” We have an almost unending array of educational, social, cultural, and athletic events and facilities. We have a stunning park-like setting with rolling hills, ancient oak trees, and Spanish mission-style buildings. Pick up a soccer game. Wander the Stanford Art Spaces. Hear music at The Knoll. Listen to a lecture from a business leader or world leader. Come here and experience one of the most inspiring destinations for business innovation.

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Daily Journal

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    6:30 Calisthenics
    Brisk jog around the neighborhood this morning. Oh look, there's Facebook.
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    7:30 Breakfast
    Schwab for breakfast—they're not kidding about the food here, it's delicious
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    8:00 First Morning Session
    Post-merger strategies. Experienced these problems first-hand and wish I had had this perspective then. Immediately applicable to my own situation.
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    10:30 Second Morning Session
    Business simulation laboratory. Getting anecdotal solutions to these problems from the group is as enlightening as the workshop. Amazing.
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    12:30 Lunch
    Eating outdoors – time to digest lunch and the information from this morning's sessions
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    2:00 Afternoon Session
    Doing business online. The lecturer is actually from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Maybe now's a good time to pitch that idea I've had…or not.
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    4:00 Guest Lecture
    I'm now in a small auditorium listening to former Secretary of State George Shultz. Actually get to have a Q&A; here, what a way to learn.
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    6:30 Dinner
    Reception and dinner in the Vidalakis Dining Room. Did I mention the food was good here? It's 4-star quality, what a treat.
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    8:30 Study Group
    Took a walk back to the Knight Center for some casual group meetings and chat. Still absorbing all the information from today. Ready to do it again tomorrow.

The Classroom Experience

 
 
 
 
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Get out of your seat and participate
Experiential learning brings concepts to life and challenges participants to work through exercises together, exponentially enhancing their ability to execute.
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Make Your Plan
We want you to have a significant impact when you return to your organization. To help you make that difference, a number of our programs guide you in the development of an action plan or roadmap that you can use to tackle your most pressing challenges.
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Challenge Yourself and Your Peers
Now is the time to open yourself up to input from your fellow participants and to take advantage of the combined experience of senior executives from around the world.

A Taste of Executive Education

A Taste of Executive Education
Catch a glimpse of the Stanford Graduate School of Business experience at the Knight Management Center. Hear about the aspirations of its students.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Transformational Experiences

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Alan S. Murray
Deputy Managing Editor, the Wall Street Journal; Executive Editor, the Wall Street Journal Online
Alan Murray had wanted to attend the Stanford Executive Program for years before he enrolled. "It had always been a dream of mine; I'd had a long love for the university," he explains. He got his chance in 2005, when he was writing the Wall Street Journal's Business column.
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Susan R. McFarland
Executive Vice President and Controller, Capital One
"When I got back to work after SEP, both my boss (the CFO) and the CEO commented that I seemed a lot more comfortable in my own skin. You could call it confidence. You could call it being more comfortable operating at the level at which I'm expected to operate…"
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Roland Auschel
Chief Sales Officer, Adidas Group
In 2005, when Roland Auschel took a hiatus from his position as Head of the Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions at Adidas Group to attend the Stanford Executive Program, he looked forward to the experience as an ideal opportunity to both "brush up on the latest ideas in business thinking" and "build a network of executives from around the globe."

Step outside your comfort zone

 
 
 
 
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"When you come to Stanford, you have to be willing to have your traditional way of thinking challenged. An open mind and enthusiasm to participate will lead you to a truly transformational experience."
— Paul Umbrazunas
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"When you come to Stanford, you have to be willing to have your traditional way of thinking challenged. An open mind and enthusiasm to participate will lead you to a truly transformational experience."
— Paul Umbrazunas
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"When you come to Stanford, you have to be willing to have your traditional way of thinking challenged. An open mind and enthusiasm to participate will lead you to a truly transformational experience."
— Paul Umbrazunas

Outside the Classroom

 
 
 
 
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Time to Reflect
Come here and get the time you need to step back and analyze the issues at hand so you can bring fresh insights back with you and create positive change for you and your business.
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Build a Community
Throughout the program, many special events are organized to create memorable opportunities for participants to build relationships with each other, to informally interact with Stanford faculty members, and to celebrate the cultural diversity of their participant group.
The Stanford experience allowed me to step outside my role as a scientist and to see the business environment in a new light. The faculty are true artists that combine their expertise with a wonderful ability to set the stage for maximum learning.
— Ludger Dinkelborg
Head of Diagnostic Imaging Research,
Bayer Schering Pharma AG
Stanford has served as an intellectual incubator for the emergence of the Silicon Valley
— John Hennessy
Stanford University President)
 
 
 
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