Students share book recommendations for finding new meaning or seeing the world differently. Growing up, I liked to read so much it was almost annoying. On the day I got my first library card, I borrowed the maximum number of books I was allowed. From then on, I would go to the library with my… Continue reading The Books That Changed Us
Category: Featured
Featured posts
From the Heart: MS/MBA Candidates Reflect on the RC Year
Matt Hartsog (MBA ’23) and Morgan Moncada (MBA ’23) speak about their experiences juggling different priorities as dual-degree students. Matt Hartzong: Tell us more about your background and what inspired you to apply for the MS/MBA program. I grew up in West Virginia and graduated from the Naval Academy in 2011. Having spent close to… Continue reading From the Heart: MS/MBA Candidates Reflect on the RC Year
From Competitor to Coach: A Conversation with David Boudia
Gabriel Ellsworth (MBA ’20) talks with U.S. Olympic diving champion David Boudia. David Boudia has had the most successful career of any American diver in this century. After making his Olympic debut at Beijing in 2008, he brought home two medals from London in 2012 (gold, men’s 10-meter platform; bronze, men’s synchronized 10-meter platform, with… Continue reading From Competitor to Coach: A Conversation with David Boudia
Stability, Growth, and Radical Uncertainty: Assessing Options and Opportunities
Distinguished academics, policymakers, and thought leaders gather for the Alamos Alliance XXIX conference in San Antonio, Texas. From the emerging new geopolitics of international trade to what led to the downfall of the Chilean model in Latin America and the originally “transitory” but now not-so inflationary bubble, Alamos Alliance XXIX convened in San Antonio, Texas,… Continue reading Stability, Growth, and Radical Uncertainty: Assessing Options and Opportunities
Making a Difference in the World from the Day You Graduate
Hans Husmann (MBA ’22) argues why Effective Altruism is an idea worth considering for every HBS graduate . Hans Husmann, Contributor “Imagine there is a house burning and you see people inside. You realize that you hold the key to unlock the door. You could save those people. Sounds like a crazy story, another philosophical… Continue reading Making a Difference in the World from the Day You Graduate
Deep Purpose Leaders: How Mona Ataya Built One of the Most Successful E-commerce Companies in the Middle East
Ziana Kotadia (MBA ’22) reports on Professor Ranjay Gulati’s interview with Mona Ataya, CEO and Founder of Mumzworld Professor Ranjay Gulati has been hosting a series of interviews with CEOs to better understand how they’ve led with ‘deep purpose’ throughout their careers. As we honor International Women’s Day, and reflect on the theme ‘Break the… Continue reading Deep Purpose Leaders: How Mona Ataya Built One of the Most Successful E-commerce Companies in the Middle East
A Bullish Take on Inclusive Leadership
The RC Inclusive Leadership course had many detractors, but intrigued many others. Yoshita Agrawal (MBA ’23) opines on the latter. The Inclusive Leadership course has had mixed reviews this semester. While most of my classmates found it lacking in a multitude of ways, and there was a consensus on how it was not helping HBS… Continue reading A Bullish Take on Inclusive Leadership
Leadership and Happiness
Robert Waldinger joins HBS Professor Arthur Brooks in his Leadership and Happiness class to share insights from the longest study on adult life ever performed. Alex Smith (MBA ‘23) reports. I hesitated to write this article because, as an RC, I selfishly wanted to keep the secret of Arthur Brooks’ Leadership and Happiness class under… Continue reading Leadership and Happiness
Larsen: Empowering Managers with Smart Insights to Develop and Improve Their Teams
Mike Kelly (MBA ’22) talks with Alex Benoit (MBA ’22) about Larsen, his startup, and how it is helping managers build better teams. Tell us more about your startup, Larsen. Larsen is a platform that empowers managers with the data and tailored actions to effectively develop and improve their team. The combination of employee surveys… Continue reading Larsen: Empowering Managers with Smart Insights to Develop and Improve Their Teams
The VCPE Conference 2022
We are back to in-person conferences! What are the key trends impacting the current venture capital and private equity markets? Are we in a valuation bubble? What does the future of consumer investing look like in the midst of a pandemic? These, along with several others, were among the questions discussed at the 28th annual… Continue reading The VCPE Conference 2022
Women in Business: Building a Successful Life
Ziana Kotadia (MBA ’22) reports on the Women’s Student Association 31st Women in Business Conference Every year the Women’s Student Association (WSA), like many other clubs on campus, holds a conference to bring together women from across the world and offer a forum to reflect and discuss a relevant theme. This year, the conference theme… Continue reading Women in Business: Building a Successful Life
What Would Frederic Bastiat Say About Don’t Look Up and the State of Climate Change Policy?
The works of the 19th century French economist offer much needed clarity when it comes to tackling climate change, Martin Rodriguez Rodriguez reports. I watched the film Don’t Look Up and could not avoid thinking about what 19th-century French economist Frederic Bastiat would think about it. In terms of the current state of the… Continue reading What Would Frederic Bastiat Say About Don’t Look Up and the State of Climate Change Policy?
Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies
HBS Professor Ranjay Gulati provides a sneak peak into his new book about the revolutionary impact deep purpose can have on company performance. Why did you decide to write this book—and why is its message so important right now? Efforts to tackle pressing problems such as climate change and inequality have stalled, leaving society at… Continue reading Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies
The Details Matter for Carbon Storage
Alex Smith (MBA ’23) interviews Karan Khimji (MBA ’23) to gain insight into carbon capture plus storage as an instrumental tool for achieving net zero. Khimji is the co-founder of 44.01, which recently received a $5M round of funding for its innovative approach to permanent carbon storage. To start off, tell us about yourself. I… Continue reading The Details Matter for Carbon Storage
The United States Should Compete Rather than Block China
Jorge Heine, former Chilean ambassador to China, discusses US-China relations. Martín Rodríguez Rodríguez reports. I sat down with Jorge Heine at the Boston University faculty club in late October for a wide-ranging interview discussing the Chinese real estate bubble, climate diplomacy, big tech companies, Blackrock’s foray into China and international trade. Mr. Heine, a former… Continue reading The United States Should Compete Rather than Block China
Financial Empowerment or Dangerous Gamble?
Martín Rodríguez Rodríguez reports on the promise and perils of El Salvador making Bitcoin legal tender Last month, El Salvador became the first country in the world to adopt Bitcoin (BTC) as legal tender, granting people the possibility of discharging debts and contractual obligations, such as paying taxes, in the cryptocurrency. The new law raises… Continue reading Financial Empowerment or Dangerous Gamble?
An Introduction to this Year’s SA Executive Board
HBS’s student leadership team shares their goals and plans for the upcoming year, Katherine Richardson (MBA ’23) reports. The Student Association (SA) is the largest student organization at Harvard Business School, made up of the entire full-time MBA community. It is led by two peer-elected co-presidents and their appointed executive board who, alongside the SA… Continue reading An Introduction to this Year’s SA Executive Board
A Boston for Everyone
It’s fall, and we’re back in business (school). Boston locals share the must-not-miss experiences in our little neighborhood. A markedly different fall semester took off in late August, with not just RCs arriving on campus but ECs beginning their first classes in person. With Massachusetts declaring itself “fully reopened,” outdoor life largely returned to normal… Continue reading A Boston for Everyone
Too Good To Go
Asha Tanwar (MBA ’21) shares the story of a Food Waste warrior Too Good To Go is a start-up fighting food waste by connecting customers looking to buy discounted food to restaurants and grocery stores discarding food. Businesses discarding excess food (usually in a “surprise” bag) provide up to 70% discount on the usual retail… Continue reading Too Good To Go
Packing
Trevor Fetter gives advice to the graduating ECs. After so much unpacking, it’s time to pack. What will you bring? What will you leave behind? If you’re completing your first year, we’re basically talking, in travel terms, about an extended weekend. I hope the weather is good, that you like the destination, you get a… Continue reading Packing
Truths and Myths About the First Year MBA Experience: Evidence From the Class of 2021
How does the first-year HBS MBA experience differ across the student population? A class-wide survey of second-year students sheds light on this question. HBS students are a diverse population—different demographics and life experiences have shaped each of our journeys to and at HBS. We, a team of WSA members, conducted a survey investigating the HBS… Continue reading Truths and Myths About the First Year MBA Experience: Evidence From the Class of 2021
An Interview with Dean Srikant Datar
Ahead of his upcoming move into the Dean’s House, Dean Datar takes some time to talk to the Harbus. Israt Tarin (MBA ’22) and Raseem Farook (MBA ’21) report. On January 1 this year, Srikant Datar was appointed the 11th Dean of the Harvard Business School in the school’s 112 year history, replacing Nitin Nohria,… Continue reading An Interview with Dean Srikant Datar
From Haiti to Boston, Opportunity Can Make All the Difference
Ibe Imo, writes on Sebastion Francois, 2020 Venture in Management Program participant, his experience and the life-changing impact that access and opportunity provide. Sebastion Francois’s participation in Harvard Business School‘s 2020 Venture in Management Program was an affirmation that opportunity and education create life-changing impacts for people and communities. 2020’s Venture in Management Program (VMP)… Continue reading From Haiti to Boston, Opportunity Can Make All the Difference
⅗ of a Human
Tracey Thompson (MBA ’22) breaks down this 400-year long view of the Black Life in America, and how we can be better at discussing and dismantling it. When I first got approached to write an article about Black History Month, it was my instinct to turn it down. One part of me has never loved… Continue reading ⅗ of a Human
Honoring Holocaust Survivors at HBS
Samara Sone-Blank reports on the first time in recent memory when HBS commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day. January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day that commemorates the genocide of Jewish people that took place at the hands of the German Nazis and their collaborators from 1939 to 1945. Although Jews were the major… Continue reading Honoring Holocaust Survivors at HBS
Tackling the Pipeline Problem
MBAs need to prepare to be held accountable for building a more diverse workforce. In June 2020, while addressing his company’s response to the Black Lives Matter movement, Charles Scharf, the otherwise highly regarded CEO of Wells Fargo who was charged with turning around the bank after the scandals and missteps of his predecessors, asserted,… Continue reading Tackling the Pipeline Problem
50 Years of Women Changing Business
Earlier this month, the Women’s Student Association held its 30th annual Dynamic Women in Business Conference. 2021 also marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the WSA. Almost a decade ago, we started to research the history of women at HBS as part of the School’s W50 commemoration. As we interviewed alumni, faculty, and… Continue reading 50 Years of Women Changing Business
HBS Startup Bootcamp
Each year, over a hundred HBS MBA students participate in an immersion program to build on their skills to become an early-stage entrepreneur by starting a venture. Yvonne Ferrier (MBA ’22) talked with five founders-to-be about their venture ideas and aspirations. 2020 was a year described as a pause, standstill or hibernation time, but, in… Continue reading HBS Startup Bootcamp
How Star Women Succeed
Noelia Lombardo Gava (MBA ’22) reports on the EC seminar that focuses on career challenges and opportunities of female protagonists. As we dive into the third edition of this section, it is important to reflect on the amount of single stories we have about female leadership. Single stories told by women all over the world… Continue reading How Star Women Succeed
Making the Right Bets
Upoma Dutta (MBA ’21) speaks with Kevin Mayer (MBA ’90) about the leadership philosophies and self-discoveries connecting his past, present, and future. By many measures, 2020 has so far been an unprecedented year—a year in which even the best-laid plans went awry and even the most grounded of us were pushed off-course. Some experts say… Continue reading Making the Right Bets