The #1 Thing They Don’t Teach at Harvard Business School

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“All things being equal people will do business with a friend; all things being unequal, people will still do business with a friend.”

From time to time I reread the first part of Mark McCormack’s book, ‘What They Don’t Teach You At Harvard Business School,” and every time I’m amazed.

There’s lots you can take away from this book (since, evidently, there’s lots ‘they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School’), but today I’d like to share with you a couple of takeaways that have to do with people — takeaways that I’ll carry forward with me for the rest of my life.

I hold a simple but firm belief: organizations that prioritize people are a significant step closer to actualizing their goals than those that do not. These organizations understand something that we so often forget:

From the first few power-users on a software platform to the analysts crunching numbers at a consulting firm — every business and every transaction is driven by people!

What this book helped me understand is the importance of listening to those people: analyzing what they’re saying, how they’re saying it, and what they really mean. In sales, we often hear the phrase “Always be closing,” and I believe that should be prefaced by “Always be listening.”

It sounds trivial, but listening is the half of communication that so many take for granted. And communication is vital, especially when dealing with a diverse range of people.

In most of my day-to-day, I find myself navigating through a variety of dissimilar conversations and listening helps me communicate as effectively as I possibly can. The crux of being a great ‘people person’ is being a great communicator, and the crux of being a great communicator is being a great listener.

Throughout the book, Mark also drives home the importance of relationships.

“All things being equal, people will do business with a friend; all things being unequal, people will still do business with a friend.”

Relationships are everywhere. Putting people first and making a conscious effort to understand their needs allows me to ensure that the people around me are happy.

Whether you’re getting feedback from your users to iterate on your product, pitching your business to potential investors, or just kicking back with friends, you are building relationships that help you grow and make your efforts worthwhile.

There’s a mantra I live by: “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” I believe the takeaways from this book have allowed me to excel in creating relationships while simultaneously strengthening my respect for their value.

Wherever I go, I aim to build relationships and put listening first. Doing so has helped me succeed and become the person I am today. I hope that after reading this (or picking up the book yourself) you’re able to create meaningful relationships out of what most people see as ‘regular business transactions’

This Executive Summary was contributed by Manu Agnihotri.

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