When considering an IMD MBA, most people focus on the obvious benefits – networking, a strong alumni community, world-class professors, and a globally recognised brand. But one of the most overlooked benefits is the rare chance to step away from the working world and ask: Who am I as a leader, really? IMD offers all the traditional hallmarks of a top MBA, but what sets it apart is the leadership journey of deep, structured self-reflection.
Last week, I met with my PDE (Personal Development elective with a psychoanalyst) – an optional but, for me, transformative part of the program. We’d just wrapped up our first two intense weeks in Singapore, and sitting down for that session gave me the space to ask questions I hadn’t paused to consider: What do I want to get out of this experience? What do I love about being here? What do I miss about New Zealand? And perhaps most importantly: How might this change me as a leader?
Singapore has been a lot. In just a couple of weeks, we’ve dived into company visits, technology in Singapore, and back-to-back workshops. One of the highlights, and challenges, was our AI Bootcamp, where our team of six had to clean, analyse, and extract insights from raw datasets using Python and AI tools. Very late nights, steep learning curves, and navigating different data skill levels. Leadership here meant letting our natural curiosity take over, being willing to fail, and appreciating how we can play to our strengths. It also re-sparked the fire in me from my analytics days, and to keep building those skills long after the bootcamp ends.
The challenge so far in Singapore hasn’t just been intellectual; it is emotional too. How do you lead when you’re tired, busy, and surrounded by equally ambitious people? One question from my PDE stuck with me: “Why do you consider your introverted side a bad thing?” It stopped me. Somewhere along the way, I’d started suppressing parts of myself that didn’t fit the mould of the leader or entrepreneur I imagined I had to be.
I’ve long felt the need to distance myself from New Zealand – not because it lacks anything (it’s extraordinary) – but because I always sensed there was more out there. That drive took me to Australia, to Europe, and now to IMD – and it will carry me to Norway next year.
Amusingly, the more intense the pace got, the more I found myself drawn to quiet spaces. One afternoon, I wandered into the Jurong Lake Gardens; a rare moment of calm in a city that rarely slows down. I felt something I hadn’t in a while: grounded. The proximity to home and the sight of Weet-Bix and Vegemite in the supermarkets here made me smile – not out of nostalgia, but because I realized I’d been unintentionally reconnecting with parts of myself I thought I’d left behind.
So, I’ve decided to stop pushing those parts of myself aside. It’s time to reintegrate, to embrace my Kiwi-ness and introverted side, instead of editing them out to match some imagined “ideal leader.”
That theme carried into a long weekend in Bali with everyone. No lectures. No deadlines. Just laughter, swimming, and connections that deepened beyond the classroom.
With July around the corner, I’m looking forward to a pause. A month to reflect, write, and absorb all that’s shifted, not just academically, but personally.
Next year, I plan to move to Norway. I’m excited to bring my whole self with me. To connect the dots between New Zealand and the Nordics. To bring a global mindset to the entrepreneurship landscape and help build greater regional sovereignty.
Mostly, I’m excited to be back in a place with cool climates and wide-open nature. Because sometimes, the biggest shifts don’t happen in motion, they unfold in the quiet moments of reflection in between.
