Tony Ferrari ’18 on Management and Leadership

The Management and Leadership Development Program (MLDP) is a one-term program offered three times a year that prepares undergraduate students to succeed in their management and leadership endeavors both on and off campus.

Tony Ferrari ’18, a Psychology Major from San Diego, CA, took MLDP in the spring of 2018. As his Dartmouth career came to a close, he applied to MLDP to serve as a student ambassador this past spring, eager to meet new people.

“I was excited to learn how to empower people by listening to their ideas, relate to them, and just have an open mind,” says Tony.

Tony’s Personal Leadership Challenge revolved around his start-up. He recently founded a non-profit, The Dartmouth Business Review, a nonpartisan publication that aims to share innovative and inspiring ideas to the next generation of business leaders. Tony knew that, in order to run a successful business, he would have to be able to delegate tasks to his editors while simultaneously fostering an environment that allows for the creation of good content. Doing this meant getting well acquainted with everyone on his team.

“Business is an inherently social endeavor,” Tony says. “Really, business is about people coming together under a unified vision and wanting to make the world a better place.”                          

One of the sessions that stood out to Tony was the Week 5 session, “Being an Effective Team Player,” led by Stephen Spaulding, Assistant Athletics Director for Leadership. In particular, Spaulding’s advice for keeping a journal in which one writes daily reflections inspired Tony to do likewise.  After making it a habit, Tony noticed a remarkable difference in how he goes about goal-setting. “You’re more focused. It allows you to live a more purposeful life.”

Tony says that he owes MLDP and programs like it a huge debt of gratitude. “It [MLDP] has taught me how to be a better leader and how to bring out the best in my people.”

Tony plans to take the skills he learned into the real-world and make The Dartmouth Business Review a full-time endeavor.

-Written by Tyler Malbreaux '20, Rockefeller Center Student Program Assistant for the Management and Leadership Development Program