Leading With Purpose: How an MBA Can Impact the Lives of Real Communities

Immersive and practical. These are two of many words to describe the Full-Time MBA at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. It’s home to a hands-on curriculum designed to bring business to life through experiential modules, case studies, and challenges. With the introduction of the four-month-long ‘Leading with Impact’ course, the emphasis is on responsible leadership. Sustainability and social impact are more than buzzwords. Instead, they are guiding principles that help shape students into well-rounded future leaders.

BOOKBRIDGE is the ideal partner for this innovative approach to professional development. With a strong track record of developing leaders through social impact, BOOKBRIDGE empowers individuals to drive entrepreneurial projects that transform the living conditions of communities abroad. From upcycling plastic in Cambodia to creating jobs for unemployed young people in Sri Lanka. The collaboration offers a truly distinctive experience at WHU, making it one of the few business schools worldwide to integrate such a high level of hands-on, purpose-driven learning into its curriculum.

Leon Langmack joined the first module of the ‘Leading with Impact’ course in February, which saw students travel to Toruń, Poland, to work with local entrepreneurs. Toruń is in the north of the country, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and known as the birthplace of the astronomer Copernicus. However, like many bustling cities, it faces various social problems, from homelessness to unemployment. “One of the most profound lessons I learned is that good intentions alone are not enough,” says Leon. “Social initiatives must be built on a solid business foundation to succeed. We realized that we needed to think beyond charity and develop a model that allowed the organization to sustain itself independently to make a lasting impact. This shift in thinking from aid to empowerment was a pivotal moment for me.”

This first module teamed up with local NGO Heart of Toruń, who work to combat homelessness in the city. Students were then tasked with developing a sustainable business model to help the NGO employ homeless people and eventually aid them in gaining financial independence. The module aims to test leadership and collaborative aptitude, placing them in groups and then using MBA skills learned in class to work with local entrepreneurs and define problems they could solve within the community. 

Ultimately, the module acts as a social lab experiment; students explore different leadership styles and behaviors, testing how they can best interact with each other and people from various walks of life. They try to solve social problems sustainably, all while learning design-thinking, teamwork, prototyping, and pitching. These ideas are then later presented to real-life impact investors.

“Toruń is beautiful, and the social entrepreneurs there deeply impressed and humbled me,” says MBA student Kainan Xu. “Working as a team was a valuable experimental experience for me, where I could play around with leadership approaches for different situations and see what was appropriate for me and my teammates. I feel I now have a deeper understanding of leadership in practice. Leading is difficult. It sometimes feels against human nature, but it’s certainly a skill that can be acquired.” 

“To me, responsible leadership is about looking beyond short-term gains and making decisions that create long-term value for people, communities, and the environment,” adds Leon. “There are several aspects to consider, such as leading with integrity, recognizing the needs of those who often go unheard, and finding ways to combine business acumen with social benefit. In Toruń, I learned first-hand that leadership is not about commanding from the top but about listening, learning, and co-creating solutions that empower others.

“The journey through the ‘Leading with Impact’ course and our work in Toruń has reiterated a simple but powerful truth: Leadership is not about you but the people you serve. And the most responsible leaders ensure that their success inspires others.”