Alumni Association

BEACON

Charting Your Next Phase

August 20 - 23, 2012
Knight Management Center, Stanford Graduate School of Business

Registration will be available May 15th

"We came to Stanford to figure out our first career. Why wouldn't we come to Stanford to figure out what to do in our next phase?"

Beacon is a program designed for GSB alumni who have the time and freedom to focus on their passions and the energy and ambition to continue to have an impact on the world.

The average GSB alumnus/alumna can expect to be fully-functional, both physically and mentally - - well into their 80s and very possibly far beyond. After you've already accomplished the objectives of your primary career, you will have ample time to pursue activities that are most meaningful to you, and to leverage your experience and skills to continue to make a difference. Where can you best contribute? What will bring you the most fulfillment and joy? And, how can you best achieve this?

 

Beacon combines leading-edge academic research, the latest tools on how to unleash insight and innovation, and accomplished peers, all in the cooperative, supportive environment that is the hallmark of the GSB. Beacon is intentionally agnostic about the path you wish to take. It instead focuses on providing the time and venue for you to reflect as well as the learning, resources, tools, and support to maximize your progress.

As a member of Beacon, you will:

• Gain a stronger understanding of your values, passions, and sources of happiness
• Attain greater clarity about your goals and priorities, both long-term and short-term
• Identify novel, innovative and practical ways to realize your ambitions
• Develop concrete action steps and continued support to help you achieve these objectives
• Provide and receive help from similarly-minded colleagues
• Learn from GSB faculty and coaches who can assist you through your transition
• Leverage knowledge and resources within the Stanford community

Why This Now?

Statistics show that you can expect to remain fully vibrant and capable well into your 80s and possibly 90s. Yet, many GSB alumni are in careers that trail off in their early 60s, 50s and even 40s. The question is: how best to spend the next 30, 40, and possibly even 50 years of your life?

This represents a tremendous opportunity. It is an opportunity for you to pursue projects that bring you fulfillment and joy. It is an opportunity for you to enrich the lives of others by contributing your skills and passions. It is an opportunity for you to model a different expectation of how to live the second half of your life, both to your peers and to future generations.

Moreover, by seizing this opportunity, you will benefit. Your physical health and mental well-being will be improved. And, you will reap the satisfaction and sense of achievement that comes from making a difference.

Beacon has been developed by the GSB at the specific request of alumni like you. Their challenge to the GSB was: "Just as we came to Stanford to launch us on our first careers, we'd like something that can launch us on our next phase." The programming has been developed with substantial input from alumni who are in or have transitioned, to meet the unique needs of such a talented and ambitious cohort.

Who Should Attend?

Beacon is aimed at GSB alumni who have already achieved much in their career, and are now at the point where their next steps are driven not by monetary goals but rather by a desire to pursue projects and ambitions that they find personally meaningful and by a drive to continue to have an impact.

 

It is for those who:

• Have considerable time and energy to dedicate to the activities that yield joy and meaning, and who wish to explore how to go about this deliberately and purposefully
• Wish to leverage their experience and skills to continue to make a difference
• Are ready or close to ready to take concrete steps to realize this new direction
• Seek to connect with and contribute to a group of similarly-minded colleagues
• Are curious about how the latest research and tools can unleash insight and innovation to help them move forward
• Are looking for learning and inspiration, open to new experiences, and ready to commit to realizing their dreams

Beacon is not for alumni who are looking for new ways to get ahead in their careers, nor is it for those who are looking to re-enter the job market after a considerable break. Rather, it is for those who have already achieved career success, and are now seeking new ways to contribute and to achieve fulfillment.