Simple Pleasures

I have 2 amazing books to read over Thanksgiving - Winterson's Lighthouse Keeping and Murakami's The Elephant Vanishes. I am as excited as a 5 year old would be on Christmas Eve, waiting to open her gifts. I wish it was perfect weather to go with these books. There are plenty of wooden benches beneath maple, birch and other trees here, which are so forlorn - yearning for someone to sit on them. But the cold is just too bone chilling to read sitting on them.

Flag Day at HBS

Flag Day is an important section event. It's the day we hang our national flags in our classroom. The # of flags raised in my section is 30; i.e my section mates come from 30 countries. Unfortunately, HBS's policy dictates that the Taiwanese national flag should not be put up. Fortunately, for my Taiwanese classmates, we hung the Taiwan Olympic delegation's flag. That diffused the uncomfortable situation a bit. To introduce our flags, we give a 3 min fun presentation of our countries - quirky facts, trivia, a bit of patriotism thrown in. The below hilarious map surfaced during the USA presentation, all in good fun. Notice Africa doesnt even exist!

Are You Here Yet? -2

I know the heights of egotism and pomposity is to quote oneself. But i cant help it, I want to remind myself a promise I keep making to myself. I need this reminder ever more so here at Harvard, to not get drowned with all the work and the many ways one can spend time here. Eastertide, here goes all over again  March 09, 2009- 

You have to be a Jack of all trades. Being a Master is overrated. You need to be able to sing a ditty, dance the lindy hop, discuss the Palestinian situation in Middle East, solve a cryptic crossword, be content with your own company,be comfortable going to parties alone, steer a sparkling conversation over lunch, climb a peak - kilimanjaro or kinabalu - once in a while, run a marathon, swim a kilometer, backpack across continents, be kind to the dog or the kid, know all about wines and yet remain a teetotaler, know all there is to know of cigars, and yet remain a non-smoker, learn a language, give a dime to the old man selling tissues, canter and gallop with your horse. To all this, you need to have a sense of humor nothing can diminish, a goodness nothing can tarnish, a soul that is free and that transcends all this and everything.  Are you here, yet? 

Professors & Rankings

My 'homeroom' professor , the professor who is sort of the assigned 'spiritual' guide to our section, has been ranked #44 in World's Top Business Thinkers this year!

http://www.thinkers50.com/biographies/44/2009

Bob McDonald P&G CEO at HBS

My husband asked me to attend this talk without fail. And being a dutiful wife, I did just that. And here is my report -

Bob McDonald talked about his 10 maxims for leadership, a work in progress through his many years of leadership in the Army and at P&G. I have condensed a lot of points and hence may not be as eloquent as his speech. Anyhoo, here goes -

1. Have a purpose in life. My purpose has always been helping people. That is why I was a Boy Scout, then went to West Point and subsequently the Army. Then I joined P&G because the purpose of P&G aligned with my purpose. It was touching lives and improving life. He listed the P&G core values, etc.
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3. Everyone wants to succeed, success is contagious.
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5. Putting people in the right job is one of the most important jobs of the leader.
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7. Character is the most important trait of a leader. By character, I mean (a) putting the needs of the organization above your needs. Have ambitions for the organization, not for yourself. (b) Integrity - at P&G we dont cheat, steal or lie. And we don't want people who do that. (c) Taking Responsibility - In West Point, for any problem or issue, there are only 4 answers - 1. Yes, sir 2. No, sir. 3. Sir, I do not understand 4. No excuse, sir. And I learnt through experience that the correct answer is No, excuse Sir whenever you mess up. Even if the causes of the failure were outside your control. Take responsibility. (d) Choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong. Whenever something is turning out to be easy, think again. Maybe you are doing the wrong thing.
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9. Diverse groups of people are more innovative than homogenous people. We want our people to be exactly like our consumers. Diversity is key to innovation. And innovations are more about connecting the dots than straight lines. Inventions never get used for what they were meant/designed for. For, example, Graham Bell designed the telephone as an aid for the hearing impaired. Marconi meant the radio to be used to communicate from a ship. Certainly not for entertainment on land! Father of IBM's most famous quote is "I think in future, the United States of America may need one or two computers." P&G also uses the Platinum Rule (as opposed to the Golden Rule: Treat otheres as you want others to treat you): Treat others as they want to be treated.
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11. Ineffective strategies, systems and culture are bigger culprits than people. As a leader, when things go wrong, investigate processes and strategies first. Not people.
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13. There will be some people in the organization who will not make it on the journey. This is a difficult admission, as much as I am an optimist and an idealist.
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15. Organizations must renew themselves. The most important thing you will learn at Harvard is 'how to learn'. P&G wouldn't be celebrating its 172nd year this October if it hadn't constantly renewed it self. In 1980 (when Bob joined P&G from the Army), P&G's overseas business is 25% of the total. Today it is 60%. It had 60k people. Today 130k. It had zero billion dollar brands. Today it has 23 of billion dollar brands. It has 20 half a million dollar brands. (Quick aside: These 43 brands make up 95% of their profits. So Bob joked that what the other 180 brands were doing is a question he asks everyday and joked about cutting brands!)
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17. Recruiting is the top priority. We have a culture of promoting from within. This is why, I am here today and try to be here at HBS every year. This is why I am going to talk to you after this speech. Because, I am looking for the future CEO of P&G.
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19. The true test of leadership is the performance of the organization when he/she is absent or after he/she departs. He gave the illustration of how the true test of your parenting is how your teenager behaves when you are absent or on a holiday.

I found him to be very down to earth and personable. In response to certain Q&A, he asked the person to email him so that he can get back to him with more infomration! I mean how often does the CEO of a $80 billion dollar company does that?

Aldrich Art & Life's Little Things

The other day, I remember walking along the halls of Aldrich and coming across this piece of art I found quirky and yet haunting. I shan't quote it just yet because I want to get it exactly as the artist said of the piece. Tomorrow, I will go in search of it. And I will quote all of it. It reminded me of life's little things. A reminder to not be buried in the hurry burry of everything, and to marvel at the strange fates at work  that brought me to Harvard, to Aldrich, to that hallway, standing at that very art piece on the cusp of the beautiful moment that will be so full of comprehension and beautiful simplicity.  

 

If I Could Tell You, Auden

.... If we should weep when clowns put on their show,
If we should stumble when musicians play,
Time will say nothing but I told you so.

There are no fortunes to be told, although,
Because I love you more than I can say,
If I could tell you I would let you know. ...

I always always always end up connecting with Auden's magical, lyrical haunting poetry. No matter what I read or don't. 

W.

Shock of the week - to find out that of all the famous people in the world, George W. Bush was from my section. 

Just one question. Why?

PS: Mitt Romney was too.