A Transformative Journey to Advanced Leadership Frameworks

We sat down with Darron Rolle, Senior Vice President, Kiewit Corporation, to discover his key takeaways from Booth's Advanced Management Program, designed for seasoned executives looking to enhance their leadership and reach their next level of potential. Here's what the construction industry executive shared:

Why Booth’s Advanced Management Program?

I’ve made a lot of lateral moves in my career, and I think this journey has made me a well-rounded leader. I began at my company as an intern, then moved into engineering, project management, and HR. Now I’m a district manager and looking to grow as a leader. AMP focuses on developing leaders as whole people who need a range of abilities beyond management or technical skills. It teaches that we need to understand ourselves as much as we understand the people we lead. Because I had such a diverse career background and have begun learning to incorporate many perspectives, this was the perfect program to help me develop as a leader.

My Experience

The people in my AMP cohort are unbelievably talented. We’ve built a level of trust where we can always learn something important from one another. Those people and that environment have made the experience invaluable to me. I appreciated that we were given the whole schedule at the beginning of the program, so I was able to plug all the coursework and sessions into my work calendar. This helped me make sure I prioritized AMP while keeping my focus on my work and reports.

Career Impact

AMP has been transformational for me as a leader. The skill I’ve used the most is to be able to turn on one dimension of myself or another based on what’s most important to the person or group I’m leading. Because we’re in such a hierarchical business, I wasn’t confident leading in this style, but since I started the program, I’m finding it helps me truly motivate people and deliver results. When I explained this to my CEO he said, “That’s exactly why we sent you to the program.” The learnings are so powerful I’ve been passing them along to my direct reports to develop them as well.

What’s Next

I’ve been with my company for more than 30 years. I may stay here another decade and become a board member, or one day I may decide to start my own firm. Whatever I do, and no matter what, where, or who I’m leading, I know the lessons I’m taking from AMP will have trained me to be a leader who can transform.

Final Takeaway

One unintended benefit of the program is how much I get to share where and how I’m growing as a leader with my wife, my family, and my colleagues. They all sense my excitement and feel vicariously a part of this program. It’s been awesome. It might be my favorite thing

About the Advanced Management Program

Booth Executive Education's flagship AMP program combines three week-long core sessions in leadership, a choice of electives across strategy, finance, and innovation, and personalized coaching. From day one, you’ll apply practical frameworks, gain insights from world-class faculty, and learn alongside a powerful global peer community. Upon completion, participants earn Chicago Booth alumni status. Learn more.