Course - Mentora Institute

Leading from Your Inner Core

An immersive 3-day workshop that equips executives with a simple, intuitive and practical method to lead in today's fast-changing times with agility and authenticity

Dynamic team brainstorming session: A diverse group of creative individuals gathered around a conference table, engaged in lively discussion while jotting down their ideas on paper. Collaboration, innovation, and teamwork.

What you will learn

You will walk away from this program with insights and tools on how to:

  1. Connect your career pursuits with your purpose and values

  2. Master your emotions and redirect others’ emotions

  3. Activate a high-performance state in your people

  4. Make high-impact decisions to support innovation and organizational change by blending the science of strategy with the psychology of decision-making

  5. Lead with agility in a dynamic business ecosystem

  6. Become a beacon of light in the midst of uncertainty

  7. Resolve conflicts smoothly and gain genuine commitments

  8. Build warmth, trust, and connection within your team

  9. Foster a climate of constructive candor and psychological safety

  10. Spark joy and inspiration in those with whom you work

  11. Deal with outer turbulence from a place of inner harmony

  12. Infuse strength and resilience in the organizational culture you return to

a man explaining things with hand gestures in an executives classroom.
Inspirational team leader sharing his unique insights with attentive team members in a collaborative meeting, fostering a productive exchange of ideas.
Petra sharing her insights, thoughts with attentive team member.
Hitendra Wadhwa speaking to a group of business leaders in an executive program class.
Inspirational team leader sharing her unique insights with attentive team members in a collaborative meeting, fostering a productive exchange of ideas.
Two individuals engaged in a friendly conversation, sharing similar interests and ideas.

Our work has helped grow 10,000+ executives at leading corporations

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PARTICIPANT VOICES

“It was so valuable to connect with other leaders and share and hear their challenges and experiences as part of the learning. In a relatively short amount of time, I’ve gained so much that will be a very valuable part of my leadership toolkit for the future.”

Nuala Donegan, Implementation Director | Kantar

PARTICIPANT VOICES

“This program has exceeded my expectations. Not only did I learn a great deal about myself and how my thoughts, behaviors, and actions have been formed over time, but I am also walking away with clear actions that I can take to become a better leader and a better person overall.”

Strategy & Innovation Leader | Cisco

PARTICIPANT VOICES

“Inner Mastery, Outer Impact is very inspiring. Simple but powerful concepts to help us become the best version of ourselves as leaders.”

Engineering Manager | SAP

PARTICIPANT VOICES

“A great and unconventional leadership program which not only enhances measurable outcomes but also equips an individual with inside-outside tools to train the brain such that effective leadership becomes an instinctive habit.”

Senior Manager | Ericsson

PARTICIPANT VOICES

“This program has expanded my mind to establish a way of operating from my core and projecting the energies that reside there; there is so much freedom in that.”

Senior Learning Designer, Lululemon | Lululemon

PARTICIPANT VOICES

“What I have learned in this program will improve the performance of our team. These are tools, actions, and tactics that I will apply in my day-to-day.”

Senior Manager, Accenture |

PARTICIPANT VOICES

“After this program, I feel like a fog has lifted from in front of my eyes. I have a clearer vision of ‘who’ I want to be — as a leader, a partner, and above all, as a human being.”

Columbia Business School Executive MBA student |

PARTICIPANT VOICES

“This program has transformed my life and has offered me a different way to view the world.”

Columbia Business School Executive MBA student |

Meet Your Faculty

Hitendra Wadhwa Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School and Founder of Mentora Institute
Dr. Hitendra Wadhwa

Founder and President, Mentora Institute
Adjunct Professor, Columbia Business School

Hitendra’s mission is to discover, codify, and teach the laws of success in life and leadership which form the foundation of our work at Mentora. With an MBA and Ph.D. from MIT’s Sloan School of Management and a lifelong study of the world’s mystic traditions, Wadhwa brings a mathematician’s rigor and a truth-seeker’s spirit to some of today’s most vexing questions about authenticity, success, leadership, and human potential. He has codified these principles in his book, “Inner Mastery, Outer Impact: How Your Five Core Energies Hold the Key to Success”, published by Hachette Book Group in 2022.

As Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School and Founder of the Mentora Institute, he has coached dozens of Fortune 100 C-suite executives and taught more than ten thousand MBAs, executives, doctors, lawyers, social activists, and educators. His class on Personal Leadership & Success at Columbia has for many years been the most popular leadership elective, earning him the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence and the Executive-MBA Commitment to Excellence Award.

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“Professor Wadhwa is not only a phenomenal educator and storyteller, but he is also a great human being. His delivery was absolutely great. From his responsiveness to our questions and follow-ups to the content in his book and putting together an outstanding group of speakers, everything contributed to my personal growth and introspection, making me want to become the best self I can be.”
“This program has been transformational and transcendental. I went in with an understanding of the concept, but Professor Wadhwa created space to practice and dive deeper into the soul, mind, and body to explore our being and us as people and leaders. Remarkable.”
“Professor Wadhwa is an absolute light in this world. His wisdom and perspective can open your eyes, heart, and mind and shift your perspective. Within the span of a few days, I experienced a transformation unlike anything I have ever experienced before — and I know that this never would have happened had the class not been led by the wonderful Hitendra.”
Paul Ingram Senior Faculty at Mentora Institute and Kravis Professor of Business at Columbia Business School
Paul Ingram

Senior Faculty, Mentora Institute
Kravis Professor of Business, Columbia Business School 

Paul Ingram is the Kravis Professor of Business at the Columbia Business School. His PhD is from Cornell University, and he was on the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University before coming to Columbia. He has held visiting professorships at Tel Aviv University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the University of Toronto. The courses he teaches on management and strategy benefit from his research on organizations in the United States, Canada, Israel, Scotland, China, Korea and Australia. His research has been published in more than seventy articles, book chapters and books. His publications have received numerous distinctions, including the Gould Prize from the American Journal of Sociology, and best paper awards in the areas of Organization and Management Theory, and Collective Behavior and Social Movements.

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“He guided us to choose our values, and we now have cards that we can carry in our wallets forever. We heard from former students, now running companies, about how they still carry their cards and refer to them. Professor Ingram puts science and data behind the importance of empathy, being an inclusive leader, and listening like a friend at all times. I will keep everything he taught me both in my brain and in my heart.”
Rita McGrath Guest Faulty at Mentora Institute and Professor of Strategy at Columbia Business School
Rita McGrath

Guest Faulty, Mentora Institute
Professor of Strategy, Columbia Business School 

Rita Gunter McGrath is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and longtime professor at Columbia Business School. She is widely recognized as a premier expert on leading innovation and growth during times of uncertainty. Rita has received the #1 achievement award for strategy from the prestigious Thinkers50 and has been consistently named one of the world’s Top 10 management thinkers in its bi-annual ranking. As a consultant to CEOs, her work has had a lasting impact on the strategy and growth programs of Fortune 500 companies worldwide.

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“Rita’s insights generated great engagement and comments from leaders sharing eye-opening observations and building on her examples throughout. She delivered the inspiration and illustration desired and it was exactly the right focus and challenge for this team.”
“The feedback I received [from Rita] is fantastic and mind-blowing. She’s such a smart fast-thinking strategic person.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Application Process

How do I apply?

You can apply for the program here.

This program will focus on leadership at the executive level — i.e., most participants will have significant responsibilities in their organization, and will have a team (or a group, or division) that reports to them, making them sufficiently experienced in the nuances and challenges of influencing, managing, and driving outcomes to advance their organization’s goals.

I applied for the program, but found out later that I can’t attend. Are cancellations and refunds available?

Yes, cancellations with a full refund are available till September 1, 2023. If you register after that date, you’ll have 24 hours to cancel. Alternatively, you can also opt to transfer your ticket to someone else in your organization or network.

Learning Experience

How much time should I expect to commit to this program?

The program will run for 3 days, October 18, 19, and 20.

Pre-work (before the program) will take 2 hours to complete.

After the program, there will be an optional 1-hour webinar 4 to 6 weeks after that brings the community together to discuss successes and challenges related to integrating the program’s tools.

Will there be group work?

Yes, you will be working in small groups during the workshop. There will be no group work before or after the workshop.

Certification

Will I receive a certificate of completion?

Yes, you will receive a Mentora Certificate signed by the faculty.

Can I add the certificate to LinkedIn?

Yes, you can add the certificate to LinkedIn by following these steps:

  • Go to your profile.
  • Click on ‘Add Profile Section’.
  • Select the drop-down under ‘Recommended’.
  • Go to ‘Add license or certification’.
  • Fill all the relevant fields.
  • Click on ‘Save’.
What are the requirements to get the certificate?

You will need to complete all the pre-work and attend the full 3 days of the program in person to get the certificate.

Preferred Pricing

Is there any preferred pricing for groups?

There is preferred pricing for groups of 5 or more. Please write to us at [email protected] to describe your needs and learn more.

Recordings

Will this program be recorded?

Some parts of this program may be recorded and photographed for future marketing purposes. The entire program will not be recorded.

I’m not comfortable with being recorded or with my recordings being shared. Can I opt out?

Yes, you can opt out. We will not share any recordings of you without your permission.

Networking

Will there be time to network with other participants during the program?

In fact, the program is designed to build deep connections and to gain insight and inspiration from your peer group even during the class time. And you will have additional time outside class to get to know your fellow participants.

Is there a way for me to stay in touch with other participants after the program?

We will host an integration webinar following the event (4 to 6 weeks after the program). We will also share email contact information across all participants (with your permission).