Participant Perspective | Kellogg Executive Education

Lisa Wilson
Director, Investor Relations; Marathon Petroleum Corp.

Marathon Petroleum Investor Relations Director Lisa Wilson has completed Kellogg Executive Education's Advanced Management Program. She spent some time with us to discuss the value of building peer relationships while attending programs, takeaways from her time at the Allen Center, and why the program was transformative for her.

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What are some of the most meaningful Advanced Management Program takeaways?

For me, it’s been the coaching experience. I have truly actionable items that I have plans for when I return to the office. I’m also keeping in mind our discussions about not regressing and falling back into old patterns when I get back. What are the signals? What are the cues? I’m connecting a few dots I couldn’t have connected without the expansive, diverse experience of this program. I now have ways to deal more effectively with the pressures of the position and the demands of my current leadership role and other roles, along with responsibilities expanding into the future.

How did your interactions with the other participants affect your experience?

It was exciting to see that I would be among people from very diverse industries and from all over the world. I learned a lot from my peers. I spent some very valuable time with them.

Can you talk a bit more about how you bonded with your peers?

By day two, I felt like I knew the other participants quite well and was comfortable sharing my experiences and diving into the group activities. You hear about their professional experience, but also get to know them on a personal level. We heard a lot about the professional side of our peers, but also their families, their failures, and their successes in a way that you can relate to your own experiences. In terms of diversity, I was so excited to meet people from other countries and industries. Hearing of their experiences firsthand was a great way of gaining insight to a broad range of experiences different from the ones I may have experienced in my career.

If a peer asked you whether he or she should attend the Advanced Management Program, what would you tell them and why?

I’d tell them to prepare to be immersed. Make a plan so that all of your critical responsibilities at the office are taken care of. This is too good for you to miss.

We like to describe the program as being transformative. Would you agree?

What made you successful in the past may not make you successful in your next leadership roles. Expanding your current mindset is as critical to your success as it is to your company’s success. Hearing it from the experienced people teaching in the program, who have been through that journey, is what makes it transformational. The Kellogg educators are leaders in their areas of expertise and have immediate credibility. The way they present themselves and their knowledge was engaging and inspiring. It’s about hearing the message, but it’s also about hearing it from the right people. And that inspires me to push myself out of my comfort zone.

What else would you tell someone considering Kellogg Executive Education?

Don’t wait for your company to send you. Take the initiative, and make the request to come here. It’s a great facility with great programs. Begin the journey to re-energize and transform your leadership skills — and meet lifelong friends in the process.

Enabling growth in organizations and individuals

Whether the goal is to create a standalone solution or fashion part of a complex talent development initiative, Kellogg Executive Education focuses on how individuals and organizations can transform themselves. We offer specific plans and pathways for professional growth and functional development for individuals and teams as well as broader strategies for enterprise-wide executive development efforts.