Wharton Leadership Ventures

              Sponsored by:

 LEADING FROM WITHIN

"The hallmarks of Wharton leadership are passion and commitment. More than this, it is about honesty and integrity. It's about courage in difficult times -- about doing the right thing even if it's the hardest thing to do. Wharton leaders are individuals who truly care."   -- Dean Patrick Harker

This event is intended to be a forum for learning about the importance of self-awareness in the business world through insights provided by our distinguished speakers as well as an opportunity to practice meditation under the guidance of an experienced instructor.

This will be a day for beginning this interesting journey.  While you may not get specific results by the end of the day, you may all have differing experiences and different perceptions about meditation (which can also depend on your prior knowledge of meditation). The ideal benefit of the day will be to understand the internally driven aspect of leadership and to get first-hand exposure to meditation. This should help you understand a tool that you can carry with you for your entire life.

• Speaker sessions where a corporate leader (and those who practice meditation) will talk about leadership and share his perspectives and experiences of being a corporate leader.

• Beginner’s training in meditation by a senior instructor who has worked in the corporate sector and has also trained corporate leaders.

• Time for discussions with the speakers and the instructor, as well as for experience sharing amongst the participants

The general tone of the day will be informal and relaxed. In keeping with the theme of the day, the dress will be casual. No special pre-event training or knowledge is required or expected.

SPONSOR PROFILE

CIGNA Corporation’s subsidiaries are leading providers of employee benefits in the United States. Their products and services include managed and indemnity health care coverage; group life, accident and disability insurance; retirement services; and investment management.

CIGNA offers a variety of health plans inclusive of various physical and behavioral wellness options. As part of its Healthy Rewards program, CIGNA Healthcare offers its customers a care option in “Guided Imagery and MindBody Techniques”.

MindBody skills include a variety of relaxation methods to help alleviate stress and its associated symptoms such as pain and headaches. The CIGNA care program, offered in association with American Specialty Health Networks, Inc. (ASHN), aims to teach techniques on:

• Meditation

• Abdominal breathing

• Guided imagery

• Physical relaxation while being mentally alert

On the corporate front, CIGNA believes strongly in giving back to the community and in channeling some of their resources into programs that improve the quality of life for others, beliefs that are embodied in the company motto: “A Business of Caring”.

CIGNA sponsors many initiatives such as a “Be Healthy Be Fit” program for children, and a “Power of Caring” campaign for various charitable causes. Many educational institutions around the country have been beneficiaries of CIGNA’s contributions -- while the contribution program’s main focus is preventive healthcare, CIGNA has been generous in funding other events as well. And we are deeply grateful to them for their support of this event.

SPEAKERS

William W. George is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic, Inc. the world’s leading medical technology company.  Mr. George is a Visiting Professor for Management at two Swiss institutions: International Institute for Management Development (IMD), and Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne (EPFL).  He is currently writing a book, entitled “Authentic Leadership”, to be published in 2003. 

Mr. George joined Medtronic in 1989 as President and Chief Operating Officer, and was elected Chief Executive Officer in 1991, serving in that capacity through April 2001.  Mr. George became Chairman of the Board in 1996. 

Mr. George is a member of the board of directors of Target Corporation and Novartis.  He is Chair of Minnesota Thunder Pro Soccer.  He is a member of the board of directors of Harvard Business School, American Red Cross, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.  He is past Chair of the Greater Twin Cities United Way, Allina Health Systems, the Health Industry Manufacturers Association, Abbott Northwestern Hospital, the Health Industry Manufacturers Association, Abbott Northwestern Hospital, the Food and Drug Law Institute, and past president of the Guthrie Theater. 

Prior to joining Medtronic, he held a series of executive positions with Honeywell from 1978 to 1989.  From 1969 to 1978, he worked for Litton Industries, serving as president of Litton Microwave Cooking Products.  From 1966 to 1969, he worked in the U.S. Department of Defense as special assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and assistant to the Comptroller. 

Mr. George received his BSIE with high honors from Georgia Tech in 1964, and his MBA with high distinction from Harvard Business School in 1966. 

John Osborne is the U.S. President of the Art of Living Foundation, a chartered U.N. NGO founded in 1982 and active in 130 countries around the world in the areas of stress management, mental and physical health, and human values education. Mr. Osborne also acts as the organization's liaison with both the United Nations and the World Health Organization where he has conducted meditation workshops as well. One of his recent workshops was for a group of over 20 CEOs in the Bay Area.

He is also the CEO of Intermarket LLC, a private equity management firm in Santa Monica, California. Mr. Osborne, active in financial and investment management for over 20 years, was formerly vice president of the Boston Company, a private bank owned by the American Express Company, and General Partner of Osborne Applegate, a management consulting firm whose clients included Dunn and Bradstreet, Wells Fargo Bank and Ford Motor Company. A graduate of Hamilton College and Yale University, Mr. Osborne resides in Santa Monica, California.