Harvard Professors Come to Pinterest
“Leadership, at its core, is about making other people better as a result of your presence — and making sure that the impact lasts in your absence.”
— Frances Frei, Harvard Business School
School was back in session at Pinterest this autumn. We had the honor of welcoming five Harvard Business School professors for a custom series made available to all Pinployees around the globe. Bookended by Frances Frei’s courses, our team had the opportunity to learn from some of Harvard’s finest faculty: Tom DeLong, Francesca Gino, Tsedal Neeley, and Amy Edmondson. The goal of the series was to enable Pinployees across all levels and functions to lead with excellence.
“I am so grateful for this series. It gave all of us a common language that we can use together as we are working to develop these concepts in ourselves. I made a post-it of the ‘trust triangle’ on our very first day, and have been referring to it ever since” reflects Kristen Scully, Program Manager at Pinterest.
The series took place weekly from September through November, and saw high participation — more than 1700 attendees worldwide. Each session ran for approximately 90 minutes, and topics ranged from leadership and meaningful collaboration to managing global teams and creating a culture of inclusion.
Keegan Carter, an Account Manager in our San Francisco office reflects: “The series offered me a glimpse into my life at scale as a more refined and impactful leader. The course showed me what habits, practices, and skill sets distinguish good leaders from great ones. And the communicative ability of the lecturers allowed me to understand how to become one of those people. This experience is one that I will cherish and consistently take with me along my journey.”
The courses helped Pinployees action our mission to “bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love,” because when we support each other and lead with empathy and inclusivity, we can bring the best possible experiences to our Pinners. Pinployees had the opportunity to connect prior to, during, and after the courses over a dedicated Slack channel, and to share their thoughts and feedback both publicly and anonymously throughout the series.
“Our intention behind bringing Harvard Business School professors to Pinterest to lead these sessions was clear: to enable our teams to be the strongest, most empowered, and most inclusive leaders possible. We are grateful this series allowed us to continue to transform our culture into one we are all proud of, and express deep gratitude to each of the professors and Pinployees who joined us” said Tyi McCray, Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity at Pinterest.
For more information on culture and careers at Pinterest, visit our Pinclusion blog, careers page, and Instagram.
