China Fellowship Program - Ventures
Moving from Success to Significance
The word venture is defined as: a risky or daring undertaking or journey. And this very much captures the spirit of what we’d like our Fellows to embark upon.
The guiding purpose of the China Fellowship Program is to motivate high-integrity entrepreneurial leaders across the region to move “from success to significance” by mobilizing their energies, their skills, and the resources at their disposal to address the foremost social and economic challenges of their country. As such, an integral part of the Fellowship experience is undertaking a Leadership Venture by each of the Fellows during the Fellowship period – a chance to put their values into action. In designing and implementing these ventures, it is expected that the Fellows will apply the sorts of leadership principles and practices we have studied together around the seminar table.
The Growing Gap
We created this Fellowship to close a pervasive and growing gap: on the one hand, we have an increasing number of very complex challenges all around us; on the other, we have a range of “solutions” that don’t quite seem to be getting us to where we’d like to be.
We believe that entrepreneurial leaders are the key to closing this gap. Why? Because they “think different.” They are grounded, yet imaginative in design.
We encourage Fellows to consider ventures as an opportunity. An opportunity to do what they have always meant to do but never found the time for. An opportunity to bring a fresh approach to a problem they see in their community, their country, their world. To be daring. To be bold. To take some risks.
Do they have a unique idea that just might work? We encourage them to try it.
Do they see a solution that needs to get to the next level? We encourage them to give it that creative boost it needs.
John P. McNulty Prize
China Fellows with successful, sustainable ventures are eligible for the John P. McNulty Prize. This Prize aims to galvanize efforts to address the foremost social, economic, and environmental challenges of our time by recognizing the best of the exceptional leadership ventures undertaken by Aspen Global Leadership Network Fellows. The winner of the annual John P. McNulty prize receives a $100,000 award to further his or her leadership venture.
