Before starting her MBA, Lina Guerin represented France in rugby sevens at the Olympic Games. Back then, performing under pressure, leading by example, and trusting teammates implicitly were second nature.

It’s easy to think of leadership as a natural ability that some are simply born with. But in reality, it's a skill, and like any other skill, it can be developed over time. That’s why it plays such a key role in many MBA programs.

We spoke to Lina about how her MBA at HEC Paris has challenged her understanding of leadership, both on and off the field.

What practical leadership training looks like in an MBA

It’s not uncommon to see leadership taught as part of an MBA curriculum, but it’s the practical application that often leaves the lasting impact. 

At HEC Paris, these moments are built into the MBA experience. Lina took part in a mentoring program with senior business leaders, joined a two-day outdoor seminar where students rotated management roles and received feedback on their communication and decision-making, and led a 30-person committee to organize a major international event.

“All of these experiences were different,” says Lina. “We learnt reflection through the Leadership Fellows, put our skills into action for the Outdoor Leadership Seminar, and the MBAT was great for team development.”

Learning from business mentors

Through the Leadership Fellows program at HEC Paris, Lina joined monthly sessions with senior executives, where discussions ranged from professional challenges to the personal decisions that shaped their careers.

"One Saturday a month, you meet CEOs and they go deeply into professional and personal topics,” Lina explains. “You also hear from other students about their professional and personal journey. It gave me many insights, so I could reflect on what to apply to myself.”

For example, Lina recalls the CEOs explaining how they balanced their family life with the pressures of being a business leader. It gave her and other students a unique insight into what that kind of responsibility demands.

Testing your skills through team challenges

Learning doesn’t just happen inside the classroom, and this concept is taken quite literally by the Outdoor Leadership Seminar at HEC Paris.

Over the course of two days, HEC students tackle a range of outdoor activities ranging from abseiling down the side of a building to assembling and maneuvering a raft across the campus lake. 

Students worked in small teams, each taking a turn as leader—giving Lina the chance to manage different group dynamics and observe a range of management styles.

“It was very interesting because you can watch other people leading and learn from them. And afterwards you talk with the mentors who will explain what you did well and what you did badly.”

For Lina, who spent years as an athlete, the project felt both familiar and rewarding.

“It was a great reminder of how to perform in demanding situations and how important clarity and communication are when you're in charge,” she adds.

Taking part in an MBA Tournament (MBAT)

Few MBA experiences mirror the realities of leadership quite like organizing the MBAT. The three-day sporting event draws over 1,500 students from 15 international business schools—and is planned, funded, and managed entirely by HEC Paris MBA students.

For Lina, who led the 2025 organising committee, it meant overseeing a 30-person team, coordinating volunteers, and keeping the event on track.

“It was the most intense and transformative part of this journey,” she says.

“It was like running a small company because I had 29 people to lead, plus volunteers. So it wasn’t just about management and execution, but also about what I learned about myself, my leadership style, and adaptability."

Used to high-performance environments in elite sport, Lina discovered how different it is to lead in a team where motivation levels vary.

“Coming from 12 years of elite sport, I'm used to environments where performance and results were everything. But with the MBAT, I discovered that people bring different levels of commitment and motivation. It was a big shift for me,” she says. 

“I had to let go of perfectionism and adapt my expectations. I also had to lead with empathy, which was not always easy."

The same goes for the real-world of business. There will always be a range of different personalities and working styles across a company. Learning how to bring out the best in people who don’t always think or work the same way lies at the heart of good leadership.

This was all part of Lina’s journey from elite sportswoman to MBA candidate. And although she initially found the transition challenging, she says it has been a transformative experience.

“You learn a lot. You meet great people. You meet true friends. And you learn a lot from the other students,” she says. "It was also very intense, with a lot of late nights on top of the academic workload. But I don't regret anything, it was amazing."