Thunderbird Tees Up Leadership Program at Westin Kierland Resort


November 13, 2006. Thunderbird, the Garvin School of International Management is taking the concept of doing business on the golf course to new levels. This spring the school is partnering with The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale to offer a four-day program in leadership that will include sessions both on and off the golf course.

The On the Course of Leadership program is a classroom- and golf course-based program that will give managers the opportunity to expand their leadership skills in the areas of communication, decision-making/accountability, execution, reflection and action planning. Managers will have an opportunity to work with other successful managers both on and off the golf course. Sessions will include individual leadership action planning, video feedback and working on current leadership challenges.

“The importance of highly developed leadership skills can’t be overstated as a key element in the success of today’s top global leaders,” says Caren Siehl, the Thunderbird professor who designed and teaches the program. “This program, like all others at Thunderbird, will specifically address the relevant challenges managers face when conducting global business. Because of our global scope, participants will have the opportunity to create a lifetime contact list while sharing best practices and experiences with program participants from around the world.”

Through the program, participants will gain a better understanding of their leadership style, overcome their current leadership challenges and create a leadership communication strategy to enhance their ability to influence others. They also will learn how to gain and sustain the commitment of key stakeholders; create a leadership action plan to sustain their newly enhanced skills and maintain increased effectiveness and share best practices and create relationships with other senior-level participants on the golf course.

In addition, Peter Kostis, one of golf’s most respected teachers, will speak to the participants about leadership lessons from golf. Kostis is a commentator for CBS Sports and USA Network. Kostis is director of Kostis/McCord Learning center at Grayhawk Gold Club in Scottsdale. He has taught more than 125 PGA and LPGA Tour players.

The program will be offered twice: February 12-15, 2007 and March 19-22, 2007. The cost of the program is $6,800. To register, visit www.thunderbird.edu/open and click on the "Leadership Programs" link. For more information, contact Naomi Dawson at dawsonn@t-bird.edu or 602/978-7627.        

About Thunderbird

Founded in 1946, Thunderbird is the oldest graduate management school focused exclusively on global business. It is regarded as the world’s leading institution in the education of global managers and has operations in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Russia and Asia. Ranked No. 1 in international business by The Wall Street Journal and U.S. News and World Report, Thunderbird is unique in that it is dedicated to the task of producing global leaders who contribute to sustainable prosperity worldwide. The school’s curriculum is based on the principle that to do business on a global scale, executives must not only know the intricacies of business, but also understand the customs of other countries and be able to communicate with different cultures. More than 38,000 students have graduated from Thunderbird, and its alumni live and work in more than 140 countries. For more about Thunderbird, please visit: www.thunderbird.edu.     

About The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa

The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa is four-diamond resort located in the heart of Scottsdale, Arizona. The resort features 732 rooms, 55 suites and 32 casitas; 175,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space; eight food and beverage venues; a full-service spa and fitness studio; an elaborate water park; Westin Kids Club®; and the 27-hole Kierland Golf Club. The resort opened in 1996. As an added benefit, The Westin Kierland is adjacent to and a short walk from Kierland Commons, one of the hottest shopping and dining districts in the Valley. For more information about The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa please visit www.kierlandresort.com.