When Suzy Welch lost her husband, legendary management guru Jack Welch, in 2020, she was left grappling with profound grief and disorientation. For years, she had co-authored bestselling business books, written leadership columns, and built a career as a respected voice in management thinking. But widowhood forced her into an uncharted phase of life—one filled with questions about meaning, resilience, and purpose. Out of this deeply personal struggle, Welch reinvented herself in an unexpected way: by creating what has become New York University’s most popular business school class.
The course, centered on helping students define and live with purpose, has struck a powerful chord with Gen Z, a generation that increasingly views meaning as just as essential as money in their career decisions.
The Genesis of a New Kind of Business Class
Welch’s personal experience of loss became the foundation for her teaching philosophy. She found that in the wake of grief, the most urgent question wasn’t about strategy or financial performance but about why we do what we do.
When she was invited to teach at NYU Stern School of Business, Welch didn’t replicate traditional MBA courses focused on markets, management, or finance. Instead, she crafted a class that zeroed in on purpose as the guiding principle for leadership and life.
Students were encouraged to ask:
- What do I truly value?
- How do I align my career with those values?
- Can professional success coexist with a deeper sense of fulfillment?
The result was a curriculum that blended business theory with raw human introspection—something business schools rarely prioritize.
Why Gen Z Is Hungry for Purpose
Welch’s course quickly gained traction because it met a need that had been quietly growing on college campuses. Surveys consistently show that Gen Z values purpose, authenticity, and social impact as much as, if not more than, financial compensation.
Unlike previous generations who might have prioritized stability or prestige, today’s students are asking whether their jobs will align with their personal mission. They want to work for organizations that care about sustainability, social justice, and ethical leadership.
Welch’s course, with its focus on finding alignment between personal meaning and professional ambition, has become the perfect response to this cultural shift.
Breaking the Mold of Traditional MBA Education
Business schools have historically trained leaders to optimize profits, manage risk, and scale operations. Welch’s class challenges that mold by suggesting that purpose is not a distraction from business but a catalyst for long-term success.
Students are not just taught frameworks for decision-making but also guided through personal reflection exercises, discussions about vulnerability, and real-world applications of purpose-driven leadership. This mix of personal development and professional training makes the course stand out in a curriculum often dominated by spreadsheets and case studies.
The Human Touch That Resonates
Part of the class’s popularity lies in Welch’s authenticity. She openly discusses her journey of being widowed and the lessons grief taught her about resilience, reinvention, and what truly matters. This vulnerability builds trust with students, who often feel pressured to appear polished and flawless in competitive business environments.
Welch demonstrates that leaders don’t need to project invincibility—they can lead with openness, empathy, and purpose. For Gen Z, who values mental health and authenticity, this approach feels both validating and aspirational.
Lessons Beyond the Classroom
Graduates of Welch’s course say the experience has left lasting impressions:
- Career clarity: Many students report that they rethought job offers and career paths, choosing roles where they could make an impact rather than simply earn a paycheck.
- Personal growth: Others found tools to navigate setbacks and transitions, carrying purpose as a compass through uncertain times.
- Leadership ethos: Some are applying the idea of purpose-driven leadership to startups, nonprofits, and corporate environments.
The course has become less about academic achievement and more about equipping students with a framework for life decisions.
A Wider Impact on Business Education
The success of Welch’s course may signal a broader shift in business education. Other institutions are beginning to recognize that purpose and profit are not mutually exclusive, and that tomorrow’s leaders need to be equipped to balance both.
Her class at NYU Stern serves as a case study in how grief and personal transformation can fuel innovation in unexpected fields. It also underscores a growing demand for business schools to teach not just management skills but human skills—self-awareness, empathy, and meaning-making.
Purpose as the New Competitive Edge
For Suzy Welch, teaching this course is more than a professional milestone—it is a way to transform personal tragedy into collective growth. For her students, it offers something even more profound: the confidence to chase not just success, but a life of significance.
In an era where Gen Z is rewriting the rules of work and leadership, purpose has become a competitive edge. And thanks to Welch’s vision, NYU’s most popular business school course is helping shape a generation of leaders who will carry that lesson into boardrooms, startups, and communities worldwide.
