Last week it was my honor to speak about Connection Cultures to the first graduating class of students in the MBA Program for Executives at the University of Virginia’s Darden Business School. It was thrilling to see how they picked up on the importance of connection at work and in life. As I spent more time with them, I began to see why connection resonated with the class of 2008.
To begin with, the MBA Program for Executives at Darden was started by Associate Dean Marian Moore, a soft-spoken, thoughtful marketing professor who clearly connects with the students she is responsible for leading. Barbara Millar, the program’s Executive Director, is also a connector at heart.
Before speaking to the class I was told that they preferred more collaborative sessions to lectures. With that in mind, I made some adjustments on the fly so that my presentation would be more interactive. One of the highlights for me was hearing the students share stories about connection, or the lack thereof, in their lives at work and outside of work.
Later that day, we convened at Marian and her husband Mike’s beautiful hilltop home in Charlottesville to celebrate the students’ upcoming graduation. A number of Darden faculty–Lynn Isabella, Elliot Weiss, Dean Robert Bruner and others–attended the gathering. The students toasted Marian and even used the Connection Culture formula of Vision + Value + Voice to frame observations about how Marian increased connection among the class. I learned that later in the evening (or perhaps early the following morning) at the pub on Darden’s campus, several students continued to discuss connection and how to regain it once it has been lost. 
The MBA Program for Executives class of 2008 is the first class at Darden to achieve a 100 percent participation rate in funding a gift to the school. The class chose a fire pit that will be placed outside the pub. Their gift evoked memories of the class’s trip to China and the evening they slept atop the Great Wall with a portable fire pit to warm them. I find it interesting that through most of human history fires have been the primary place where people gathered in community. In some way the fire pit may have also been in recognition of the high degree of connection among class members.
Another sign of unity among the class is that they voted as a block to secure one of the two Darden faculty marshall positions for Marian. The faculty marshalls walk ahead of the graduating class at the graduation ceremony that occurs on the lawn in front of the famous Rotunda designed by Thomas Jefferson. It is considered one of the highest honors for a faculty member to be selected by the students as a faculty marshall.
The materials about the MBA for Executives Program promise prospective students that “the connections you make during your time with Darden will last a lifetime.” From the few days that I spent with this class, it appeared to me that the program delivered that promise. Even before graduation, the class had already set a date for their first reunion.
A few class members inquired about my new (free) ebook on connection and I told them I would include a link to it on my blog (just click here).
To the members of the Darden Executive MBA class of 2008 and Darden faculty visiting my blog, I want to express my gratitude for allowing me to temporarily be a part of your community. I wish each of you all the very best on your journey in life and hope your connections with others continue to flourish.
