Program | ABA-Wharton Leadership Lab | American Bankers Association

2024 Schedule

We’re updating this year’s Leadership Lab program to reflect today’s relevant topics. To see the types of sessions you can expect, check out the 2023 program. To receive notifications on the updated program and Leadership Lab content, sign up for updates.

For the 2024 program, sessions will start on Aug. 7 at 10 AM EST.

2023 Schedule

All times are in ET

Wed. Aug 2
Thurs. Aug 3
Fri. Aug 4

Wed. Aug 2

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM	Program Registration & Lunch
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM	Program Introduction Peter Cappelli, Academic Director, ABA-Wharton Leadership Lab; George W. Taylor Professor of Management, The Wharton School
1:30 PM – 1:35 PM	Break
1:35 PM – 3:00 PM	Attract, Train and Retain Talents This session illustrates how an organization's HR strategy can reinforce its business strategy―with real-world examples. Often, bad practices create behaviors that actually fight the competencies that the organization needs to execute strategy. Every company needs to find practices that support its own unique strategies, rather than leaning into a one-size-fits-all approach to best practices. Peter Cappelli, Academic Director, ABA-Wharton Leadership Lab; George W. Taylor Professor of Management, The Wharton School
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM	Break
3:15 PM – 4:30 PM	Networks and Innovation Marissa King, Ph.D, Alice Y. Hung President’s Distinguished Professor; Professor of Health Care Management; Professor of Management, The Wharton School
4:30 PM – 4:45 PM	Break
4:45 PM – 6:15 PM	Creating and Sharing a Vision It is vital to share a common vision before engaging in purposeful strategy, but big ideas aren’t easy to convey. In this session, we will explore the role managers can play in effectively communicating vision and strategic purpose―within and beyond the organizational hierarchy. Participants will have an opportunity to try different communication methods and adapt tools and insights from this session to their own organization. Marissa King, Ph.D, Alice Y. Hung President’s Distinguished Professor; Professor of Health Care Management; Professor of Management, The Wharton School
6:15 PM – 7:00 PM	Cocktail Reception
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM	Dinner

Thurs. Aug 3

7:30 AM – 8:30 AM	Breakfast
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM	Review & Integration Peter Cappelli, Academic Director, ABA-Wharton Leadership Lab; George W. Taylor Professor of Management, The Wharton School
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM	Identifying Value Drivers Too often, organizations equate growth to value. However, top-line growth can be deceiving. What really matters is whether the company’s growth is profitable, whether it is sustainable and how much investment is required to achieve it. In this session, we derive a valuation tool that allows management to assess projects, products and even customers, to determine where and how to prioritize resources. David Wessels, Ph.D., Adjunct Full Professor of Finance, The Wharton School; Director, Wharton Executive Education
10:30 AM – 10:45 AM	Break
10:45 AM – 12:15 PM	Setting the Right Goals Managers often receive redundant, poorly structured metrics―making it hard to evaluate success. In this session, learn to develop a set of robust operating benchmarks that explicitly tie to a key financial driver. Focus on the principles of “mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive” to prevent double counting and omissions. Examine the operating metrics which best correlate to long-term health of the organization, and which metrics have the largest impact. David Wessels, Ph.D., Adjunct Full Professor of Finance, The Wharton School; Director, Wharton Executive Education
12:15 PM – 1:00 PM	Lunch
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM	Strategic Agility The increased speed of change in today’s business environment has caused a movement from discrete-event strategic planning to more dynamic planning―the quarterly strategy “refresh,” for example. However, many organizations struggle with the ability to stay nimble. This session explores the common barriers to agility, provides tools to overcome these barriers and describes three concrete actions in achieving strategic agility. Kathy Pearson, Ph.D., Adjunct Senior Fellow – Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania; President, Enterprise Learning Solutions
2:30 PM – 2:45 PM	Break
2:45 PM – 4:15 PM	Strategic Agility Cont'd Kathy Pearson, Ph.D., Adjunct Senior Fellow – Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, University of Pennsylvania; President, Enterprise Learning Solutions
4:15 PM - 4:30 PM	Break
4:30 PM – 6:15 PM	Creating and Sustaining Meaningful Relationships Fewer than half of people’s conversations are substantive and meaningful. In this session – field tested by Wharton Neuroscience and used throughout Wharton executive education initiatives – we will engage in an exercise that creates deeper conversations and stronger social ties, even between strangers. This session will allow you to engage meaningfully with your peers, whilst adding to your own leadership skills. Elizabeth Johnson, Ph.D., Executive Director & Senior Fellow, Wharton Neuroscience Initiative, The Wharton School
6:15 PM - 6:30 PM	Break
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM	Dinner

Fri. Aug 4

7:30 AM – 8:30 AM	Breakfast
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM	Review & Integration Peter Cappelli, Academic Director, ABA-Wharton Leadership Lab; George W. Taylor Professor of Management, The Wharton School
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM	Executive Reflection Peter Cappelli, Academic Director, ABA-Wharton Leadership Lab; George W. Taylor Professor of Management, The Wharton School
10:30 AM – 10:45 AM	Break
10:45 AM – 12:15 PM	Program Wrap Up & Commencement Peter Cappelli, Academic Director, ABA-Wharton Leadership Lab; George W. Taylor Professor of Management, The Wharton School
12:15 PM	Optional Lunch

Program Year

Immerse yourself in an Ivy League education, taught by renowned experts, for aspiring, high-achieving bank leaders. At its conclusion, you will earn an ABA Wharton Executive Leadership Certificate.

Engage in change and crisis management techniques
Explore maintaining and elevating your bank’s culture as the workforce shifts
Learn how to affect timely, sound decision making and engage with board members
Purposely embrace diversity and inclusive behaviors
Fulfill your bank’s brand promise to be a community partner
Learn how to adopt continuous innovation to succeed
Engage in the discovery what it means to be a leader

Program | ABA-Wharton Leadership Lab