This is an unusual post in that it is not about us as a class or our partners, but about a different group of people that walk along in the shadows with us on this journey. A tribute to the unsung heroes. Guest post from recent MBA graduate Noah Lev.
In our personal pursuits to achieve we often under estimate the contributions of many who, together, are responsible for building the foundation for our development. Taking for granted the very things that perhaps, deserve our gratitude the most. The kind of things that we will only really notice when they are no longer there. As Joni Mitchell said:
‘’You never know what you’ve got till it’s gone’’
However, it is not the ‘things’ that I would like to focus on, but the people that make those things a reality for us MBAs. The comforting faces that we have seen during the length of our MBA, quietly passing us in the halls.
Hervé, a man of many talents made sure none of us ever got soaked by the rain and always knew where to find a quiet study room.
Mireille, our on-campus mother, with the unique ability to provide a shoulder to cry on with the perfect cup of coffee. She was a breath of fresh air and brought out the sunshine in us on the darkest days.
Arnaud, the chef with a heart of gold, from gluten free to vegan keeping us all well fed. He ensured our taste buds never missed home with comfort foods from around the world.
Corinne, our light house in the fog of research, her help in everything from Bloomberg to IMD’s World Competitiveness Online, and everything in-between, navigating the databases was a cinch with her knowledge.
Jacques, a friendly smile any time of day, always facing the sun with a quick ‘bonjour’ welcoming us on campus. Ever present and always running to assist when we locked ourselves out.
Margarida, a cheerful soul with never a complaint, from Holi colors to java spills, helping us keep our home away from home clean as a whistle.
Pierre-Alain, our pillar of technical patients, no question or challenge was ever to small. Readily available for last minute sprints to help us with webex conferences or projector malfunctions.
Guillaume, our invisible vitamins supplier, quietly making sure that we were well supplied with a variety of fruits to prevent scurvy. Especially needed during the cold and wet of winter.
It was never my goal, with this post, to focus on a single few, but rather an entire team of wonderful people. All the above heroes are part of a team here at IMD that deserved to be recognized for everything they do, day in & out, in the shadows. All working behind the scenes here at IMD. Providing us with a strong foundation to achieve our dreams. We as a class have come a long way since the beginning of this adventure but to think we did it on our own would be foolish. So, without further ado, thank you! From all of us to all of you, for all the times your actions went unnoticed. I speak for all the group when I say: We shall miss you dearly.
A word of advice to the next class: seek these people out, share your journey with them, get to know their stories, for your life shall forever be richer for doing so.
Noah
