2025 Session Schedule
Please keep in mind that participants are required to attend a minimum of 8 total sessions in order to meet graduation requirements for BFL. However, there are 3 sessions where attendance is absolutely required in order to graduate, and those sessions are indicated with an * below. Please adjust your schedule accordingly to maximize your success in this program.
TOTAL # of SESSIONS: 11 (1 optional) – 3 sessions are virtual, the rest are in-person
TOTAL # of PROGRAM HOURS: 55
*Session 1: Orientation + Harvard Business School, Module 1 [13 hours]
Thursday, March 13 @ 1:00 - 7:30pm
Friday, March 14 @ 8:00am – 4:00pm
Location: Harvard Business School
Refreshments: provided by HBS
In the orientation, Chamber learning & development staff welcome the incoming class, facilitate introductions among the group, and outline program content and expectations for the year. Immediately afterwards, participants begin their leadership journey at Harvard Business School in the first module focused on leadership authenticity and identity through case studies and discussions. The first day includes a reception and welcome dinner at HBS while mingling with some of the country’s most prominent minds in business, while the second day includes breakfast and lunch. Attendance is required for both days in order to graduate.
Session 2: Leadership Challenge Kick-Off Panel + Networking Session #1 [4 hours]
Thursday, April 17 @ 2:00 – 6:00pm
Location: Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce + Granary?
Refreshments: networking reception (apps + drinks)
The Leadership Challenge is a capstone experience of BFL, and this session introduces this year’s partnering organization and challenge topic. Participants go “behind-the-scenes” of one of Boston’s most interesting and influential places of business, and hear directly from prominent leaders on a hot topic directly affecting not only the business but the Greater Boston region as well. Project teams are assigned and brainstorming begins. Afterwards, participants get to know each other in the cohort’s first official networking reception.
Session 3: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in Today’s Workplace [4 hours]
Tuesday, May 20 @ 10:00am – 2:00pm
Location: Virtual – Zoom
Diversity @ Workplace, the Chamber’s delivery partner, focuses this session on the critical skills and awareness needed to manage a diverse workforce and to build inclusive environments for equitable workplace experiences. Moving beyond basic training, participants gain a greater understanding of key DEI concepts and learn to navigate the current state of DEI in the workplace through supported collaborative problem solving.
Session 4: Effective Supervision [3 hours]
Tuesday, June 17 @ 9:00am – 12:00pm
Location:
Refreshments: coffee & breakfast bites
TSNE Missionworks, the Chamber’s delivery partner, assists participants in finding their preferred supervisory styles that also consider their individual team members’ needs. Participants practice adapting their supervisory approach and communication style in several hands-on activities, then engage in a reflection discussion while getting tips on how to hold successful one-on-one meetings.
*Session 5: Leadership Challenge Charrette [7 hours]
Tuesday, July 15 @ 9:00am – 4:00pm
Location: Nutter
Refreshments: light breakfast + lunch + coffee service
In the morning segment, participants finalize and practice their Leadership Challenge pitches/presentations in their assigned groups. After lunch, project teams present to a judging panel comprised of leadership from the partnering organization and other civic leaders. This session provides an important opportunity for participants to apply what they’ve learned in the program and in their own careers to a real-world business problem outside of their own companies. Full of buzz and excitement, this all-day session feels like a hack-a-thon. Attendance is required in order to graduate.
Session 6: Individual Action Project Kick-Off [2 hours]
Tuesday, August 12 @ 1:00-3:00pm
Location: Zoom
Chamber learning & development staff introduce the parameters for the Individual Action Project, an opportunity for participants to apply what they learn in the program to a specific problem or issue in their own companies or communities. Then BFL alumni share their experiences with the IAP, followed by Q&A to help participants understand the assignment and feel prepared.
Session 7: Government Affairs Forum (Optional) [2 hours]
Date: TBD
Location: TBD
Refreshments: breakfast bites & coffee
Participants attend one of the Chamber’s Government Affairs Forums, a series investigating the political and business landscapes in Boston and the state of Massachusetts. Speakers vary, but typically the September forum features the current city of Boston mayor. This session is optional but highly encouraged. Once the date is confirmed, participants will be notified and given the option to register.
*Session 8: Harvard Business School, Module 2 [8 hours]
Friday, October 10 @ 8:00am – 4:00pm
Location: Harvard Business School
Refreshments: Breakfast + lunch + snacks & coffee
Participants return to Harvard Business School for a follow-up session to module 1 in the spring. Expanding to encompass leadership’s impact on companies and society at large, participants continue to dissect, analyze, and discuss case studies as a cohort and in small groups while engaging with returning and new Harvard faculty. Attendance at this full day session is required in order to graduate.
Session 9: Innovative Approaches to Communication + Networking Session #2 [5 hours]
Wednesday, November 12 @ 1:00 – 6:00pm
Location: Nutter
Refreshments: networking reception (apps + drinks)
This session introduces an innovative and impactful way to change how participants communicate within their own workplaces, run meetings, and establish equitable learning opportunities for their teams. The Chamber’s director of learning & development, an advanced Visual Thinking Strategies facilitator, demonstrates how to elevate your company’s social-emotional intelligence and cultivate community and respect using visual arts. Afterwards, participants continue to connect as a cohort in their second and final official networking reception.
Session 10: Pacesetters Presentation + Civic Engagement, Part 2 [3 hours]
Tuesday, December 2 @ 9:30am – 12:00pm
Location: Virtual – Zoom
This brand-new session includes a deep dive into understanding the Chamber’s Pacesetters program, examining the importance of procurement and spending with minority business enterprises. The Chamber’s economic inclusion staff engage with participants, take questions, then lead a discussion connecting civic engagement to corporate responsibility. Participants connect their previous sessions in DEI, civic engagement, and Leadership Challenge to current efforts in procurement best practices and fostering meaningful change within the business community.
Sessions 11: Individual Action Project Presentations + Graduation + Reception [4 hours]
Tuesday, December 9 @ 2:00 – 6:00pm
Location: Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
Refreshments: networking reception (apps + drinks)
In the final session, participants present their Individual Action Projects to each other and Chamber learning & development staff, debrief the IAP experience, then celebrate each other and the cohort’s success in a small graduation ceremony. Immediately following, participants mingle with Chamber staff, board members, and select special guests in the closing networking reception.