“When I look back at my MBA, I often have these a-ha moments when I can say, “Oh, this wouldn’t have happened in my life if it weren’t for my decision”. The point is new and amazing things you don’t know and can’t conceive of will come from your choice.”
These were the thoughts a friend and mentor of mine, James Bailey, shared before I chose to join IMD.
At the time, I had doubts. I was 33, recently married, and felt I already knew a lot (or so I thought) about business, having studied actuarial science and worked for over 10 years in different businesses. I had a good life, with a budding freelance career and a writing hobby on the side. Taking a year off to go back to school felt like a big disruption.
I was wrong.
We’re only two months in, and so far, my expectations have been exceeded. From day one, the program has stretched me and taught me new things about business, working with others, and myself.
Tyler Cowen has this great quote about raising aspirations:
“At critical moments in time, you can raise the aspirations of other people significantly, especially when they are relatively young, simply by suggesting they do something better or more ambitious than what they might have in mind. It costs you relatively little to do this, but the benefit to them, and the broader world, may be enormous.”
This place feels like an aspiration-raising machine
I’m surrounded by fellow students who impress me every day with their ideas, intellect, and empathy. They’re ambitious (in a good way), which has pushed me to lift my game. The faculty know what they’re doing, bringing their knowledge, personality, and energy to every lecture. We also have renowned speakers visiting campus. Not to mention the dedicated support staff who manage countless details behind the scenes.
Contrary to the nagging voice in my head, I still have so much to learn. The MBA is far more practical and hands-on than my memory of university. Instead of memorizing theory and formulas, we’re encouraged to experiment and get our hands dirty. From playing business games where we compete against other teams in the hairdryer market, to optimizing our stock portfolios, to unpacking past leadership struggles, to helping Taylor Swift enhance her legacy.
It’s not always been a breeze. We’ve had late nights and tight deadlines (a one-year MBA isn’t for the faint-hearted), and I miss my wife and our dog. But overall, I’m happy I took this leap of faith.
Last week, we finished our second module (out of 10), and everyone has been studying hard for our first set of exams. It’s a bittersweet moment, too, because it means we say goodbye to our original group project teams and join completely new ones.
You never forget your first team
Some say you never forget your first team, and I believe there is truth to that.
Our group, Team MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Completely Exhausted), had a great vibe and dynamic. We even created a “Wall of Jokes” for the random stuff we blurted out late at night (some best not circulated for publication). We learned a lot by tackling challenges, sometimes failing, but always growing from the experience. My favorite moment was sharing “gifts” with each other at the end of the Leadership Lab, where we handed each teammate a note with two compliments and two areas of improvement.
Talk about raising each other’s aspirations! They say people often see more in you than you see in yourself, but that exercise took it to the next level.
Some highlights from these past few weeks:
I’m grateful for the conversations that got me here, and I’m excited to keep raising my own and others’ aspirations.
While there’s still so much to look forward to, I can already see some of the amazing things that have come from this choice.
