In search of high leverage

Last year, I ran a six month program we called the "alternate MBA". It was a huge success. It changed me and the people who were in it. In six months, we covered a huge range of issues, from the academic to the practical, from bootstrapping to leadership. It was a huge commitment for me and for the extraordinary people who came, but it took a long time.

What if, I wondered, I could create an intense miniature version, a nano-mba, something that we could do in just a week of focused hard work?

That's what this leveraged program is about. Find extraordinary people working in important organizations and give them insight and confidence to bring more leverage to their work, to allow them to use their jobs as a platform for making a difference. A difference at work, a difference to your co-workers and a difference to everyone who is touched by you.

Here's a checklist. You should only apply if all of these apply to you:
1. You can spend five days and nights in New York from May 17 through 21, 2010.
2. You currently work for a great boss who is willing to write you a recommendation after you make it through the initial screen.
3. The organization you work for makes the world a better place (it doesn't have to be a non-profit).
4. You speak English perfectly and have no trouble doing a lot of reading and writing.
5. You've read at least four of my books--so we can have a running start.

Mostly because I can. Because it matters. Because I love to teach. Because the work you're doing is important, I want to help you do it even better.

There's nothing for sale here, no work I want you to do for me, no hidden research project. I hope others who can run something like this will do the same.

My mom spent the best years of her career doing important work for a non-profit. She combined an intuitive sense of the organization and its mission with a rigorous approach to getting things done. This week is in her memory.

Here are a few of the things worth talking about:
Decision making, story telling, leadership, creating remarkable ideas, managing and leading your boss, presenting ideas, closing the sale, evaluating opportunity costs and spreadsheets, emotional labor, shipping, the resistance and project management.

There will be solo and group work, lectures and most of all, spirited questions and conversations.

We don't have time for filler.

The program runs from May 17-21

Applications are due on March 31 at noon, New York time.

We'll choose a group of semi-finalists. If you're on the list, we'll email you on the morning of April 7th and ask you to send us a recommendation from your boss, and you'll have until the end of the day on April 12th to get it back to us.

We'll select finalists by April 19th and let you know.

Finalists will need to be at my office for a group info session and interview on the morning of April 26th. [UPDATE! We've changed the interview day to Friday May 14th. This way you only need to make one trip, not two. We'll let people know that day, and if you're in, you can enjoy a weekend in NY or do whatever you like, and if you're not in, you can enjoy a weekend in NY or go straight home. Less flying. IF you had your heart set on April 26th and you become a finalist, we're willing to see you then.]

And we'll choose the attendees by the next day. The entire process is going to be focused on finding some great people and doing it with alacrity. We might not come up with the perfect list, but I don't think there is a perfect list. We won't miss any deadlines and you can't either... sorry if that sounds harsh, but we're going to ship this on time!

PLEASE! Don't be creative in breaking these rules. Don't go over the transom or under the door or try to demonstrate your verve or commitment in any other way than using the application form (it's got plenty of room to express yourself). If you do, we'll have to quietly delete your efforts. Thanks for understanding.

ALSO: of course, room and board and airfare are not included. But you knew that.

AND: We're using Google docs to collect applications. We won't be confirming their arrival, but you will hear from us (everyone who applies will) when we choose the semi-finalists.

You are a freelancer, don't have a job, work for a soda company, can't get a visa, want to do this digitally, want me to record it, want it to be a longer, larger, smaller, faster, slower event?

Good ideas! But not this time.