Reflections from my first month at HBS
Original post at wilsonkyi.com
I’m taking a break from reading cases to write about a few thoughts in my first month. I can’t help but to imagine that I’m in Baker Library, sitting on the same leather chair on which Jamie Dimon or Sheryl Sandberg may have sat when they were cramming cases. In the world of instant media of FB, IG, and SC, I’m hoping this slower form gives a more balanced view of what I’m actually thinking.
As I take my first step onto campus, I’m staring at tall grand rustic buildings etched with names that are probably world leaders such as Bloomberg and Spangler. Words that come to mind are power, leadership, politics, money, and global. First day I walk into my section classroom, I already see my namecard “Wilson Kyi” in font size 50 bold. Looking across the theater-like room, I see namecards I could barely pronounce such as “Gregorio Colaci” and “Maciej Stański.” It’s diverse in every sense; in addition to banking, consulting, private equity, CPG, my section mates worked in public sector, marines, healthcare from England, Poland, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Nigeria, and the list goes on. It feels like a UN meeting, and every detail from class schedule to the section-mates is precisely planned.
As much as I’m in awe of the environment, part of me was concerned if I wasn’t able to feel comfortable living here and spending so much time with the people I just met. But within a few minutes chatting with a few section mates in passing, I knew that most of us were feeling the same shown through our excitement and eagerness. In fact, within the first few days I had more messenger apps than I’ve ever had in my life e.g. FB Messenger, Whatsapp, Wechat, Slack, and Groupme. Business school kids are the most social animals. Just in our first week, we went out 6 nights starting from our apartments/dorms to local bars in Harvard Square, and finally Kong, the end-up Chinese restaurant for the Scorpion Bowl. We were years out of undergrad, some ran regional departments at Coke or made decisions at the World Bank, but it felt like we didn’t age one bit (except for the next morning). Despite everyone’s diverse background, everyone seemed to enjoy the same things.. music, dancing, and late night grub. Suddenly, it felt more like home. My belief is that HBS is recreating genuine experiences, the same kind we had when we’re in high school. It’s the kind that takes time, interactions, and usually vulnerability to build these type of relationships.
Leadership. This is a topic we often talk about, but it’s a topic we always think about. It’s quite surprising, even odd, that it appears even in operations or accounting class. It’s subtle, and it takes the form of ethics or doing the right thing based on one’s moral compass. It’s learning how to value a new business model at Netflix or empowering the cleaning staff at the Japan Railway. And most of the time it’s just listening attentively before speaking even when you have a burning thought (especially in a 94-person classroom). We talk about our “feelings” more often than I previously thought great leaders would. Perhaps in our world today, understanding empathy and compassion is our generation’s form of communication. As someone who’s fairly logical and data-driven, I find myself grappling with this idea, afraid of being too “soft,” or maybe it’s called authenticity. It’s a new feeling, and I’m still learning how to embrace it.
It seems as though I’ve received a shiny badge wearing our swag, but I’m actually the same person I was a month ago, and I haven’t done much besides excessively spending (or investing.. we rather call it). Said in another way, I’m standing on the shoulders of giants. As much I may complain about the busy schedule or lack of sleep, I’m excited to take the next step to learn more about myself and how I can contribute.
Here’s a question for you from our first field course that I’m still toying with. Though I may not have a crisp answer by the end of the two years, I hope to find what matters to me, while being an authentic person throughout this journey.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” — Mary Oliver’s poem, The Summer Day
