Stanford Graduate School of Business

Leadership Is a Choice: Challenging How We Think About Power and Leadership

The Stanford GSB event, "Leadership is a Choice," brought together social‑psychology scholars Linda Gonzalez and Dean Deborah Grunfeld to challenge conventional leadership education. Rather than teaching students to emulate famous executives, the speakers argued that true leadership emerges from deep self‑awareness and personal definition. They framed the session as a workshop, using individual written reflection and collective wisdom to help participants surface their earliest leadership experiences. Gonzalez illustrated her approach with a practical exercise: participants write about a formative leadership moment, then abstract it to a "mezzanine" level—specific enough to be actionable yet general enough to apply elsewhere. Grunfeld’s anecdote about coloring a black lion in first grade highlighted how authentic, even deviant, choices can signal a leader’s inner compass, despite external disapproval. Both scholars emphasized that adults learn best when they control the timing, content, and method of their learning, a principle Gonzalez applies with her signature green pen for self‑feedback. Key quotes underscored the philosophy: "If you want to understand leadership, become more like yourself, not like someone else," and "Adults only learn what they want, when they want, how they want." The session also referenced research showing that aging brings greater trust and perspective‑taking, suggesting that cultivating wisdom early can accelerate these benefits. The implications are clear for business schools and corporations: curricula should shift from case‑centric, top‑down models toward reflective, self‑directed practices that empower individuals to identify and refine their unique leadership style. By embedding tools like written reflection and personal feedback loops, organizations can develop leaders who are both authentic and adaptable, ultimately driving more resilient and innovative cultures.