A lot has happened in the past few months.

P2 was still the busiest period, coupled with a recruitment volley for the summer internship.
(*Lesson to share for coming 14Ds: those who are pursuing consulting internships should start preparing as early as P1.)

The beginning of P3 was marked with the ncampus exchange. Whether going or staying, the circle of friends changed. Exchanging stories between “Singy” and “Fonty” revealed that the 2 sister campuses, although offer almost identical academic experience, are completely different in terms of student life.

The most complex thing to do to prepare for P3 was choosing electives. INSEAD is packed with tons of electives to choose from, each tailored for students’ personal needs. Each subject involves world-class lectures and classroom experiences. The only downside: it is impossible to choose all of them. Limit on elective credits and bidding points, as well as conflicting schedules among subjects, make choosing an elective require significant amount of time and attention.
(*Note: invest a few days in choosing electives. Read the syllabus and ask around.)

Then we had the cabaret. A well celebrated INSEAD tradition. I don’t want to spoil the fun by describing what’s in there, but I do believe this tradition is worth mentioning due to its awesomeness! In brief, it is an amazing talent show by students, for students.

Cabaret is a key highlight for us at INSEAD & the latest edition did not disappoint.

The traditional acts – performances by the ruggers, men’s ballet (grown men in pink tutus – what a sight to behold!) and Desi dance – were very entertaining and everyone had a blast!

Sharing some photos which speak more than words

The Opening Act – Ladies (& gents) of the Moulin Rouge!

Our very own Backstreet Boys

Smouldering vocals

Yours truly, performing a medley (Starships, We Found Love & Sometimes When We Touch)

Taking a bow after our performance

Moving rendition of ‘Hey Jude’

Men’s Ballet – an evergreen!

A hint of what was to come:

Desi Dance!

Sizzling Salsa

Everyone on stage for a final bow!

INSEAD – where a diversity of talent is celebrated in all its glory!

A little over a year ago, I received the long awaited call from my admission officer. It certainly took a while for the idea to sink in…In my very first post, I said that while I was growing happier every day about my decision, I will only assess it on graduation day. And I was about to stick to this until last week when a friend of mine who just got accepted reached out to “to get my take on the experience”.

Suddenly the past 6 months flashed in front of my eyes and I have to say I was quite speechless! Or rather I didn’t know where to start! While INSEAD has been very much of an introspective experience, I never had the chance to look back as time has really been flying.

I wanted to tell him about the fascinating cultural and background diversity: having lunch with a different person every day and coming out of it feeling like you’ve learnt so much; laughing with my group mates when describing each other’s culture (” Brazilians party too much and wear too little clothing items!”).I wanted to tell him about the amazing encounters and nascent friendships built around the Heritage pool, the bonfire in Pangkil or while carpooling in Fontainebleau. I wanted to tell him about the adventurous and somewhat carefree life when on the flight to Borneo you decide to hike in the tropical forest or when on Saturday morning you convince 12 other MBA students to drive all the way to Brugges.

And then I pictured myself a year ago when all I was worried about was if the MBA would make me more successful in my future endeavors. I can’t really tell much about that either (I guess this will be my last post). But I certainly know that the last 6 months have been a unique experience. One that has made me grow so much as an individual, one that has made me much more opened to diversity and more curious than ever. I have met amazing people and learnt a lot on their sides. And all this I guess has very much contributed to my growth as a professional. With or without an MBA, one always has to fight to achieve his dreams but the INSEAD experience has certainly made me better armed for this fight.

And so I told him that INSEAD is little bit like a new notebook: it is one of the nicest you can get, we all start it together and take whatever notes we find appropriate. It is the learning support we all need but we make it our own! So have fun at it!

One week has passed since the start of classes (well, two weeks if you also consider the Orientation week) and it does feel as if at least a couple of months have already passed. Lots of new faces, friends, Facebook and LinkedIn connections, classes, career discussions – life has not been that busy for a long time! Here are a few first reflections from the first days at INSEAD:
1. Diversity. When someone talks about INSEAD, diversity is probably the first topic that pops up, and I myself have written about it in my application essays thinking I know what it is. The truth is you have no idea how diverse the class is until you experience it: when you combine national diversity with diversity of professional backgrounds and ages you get a truly amazing result.
2. School and classes. Studying at an adult age and having some professional experience behind is strikingly different than going to an undergraduate school or university. This is probably about the first time in life when you are studying because of your own conscious decision, and not because someone told you that you should, and therefore the focus is very different than what it was when you were an undergraduate. Exams are the last thing, which is important – there has hardly been any MBA student who did not graduate. So what is important? I think the key is to make the best use of INSEAD as a platform to stretch yourself and start doing things you have never done before: for some people it is getting a job in consulting, for others trying themselves as entrepreneurs or mastering new soft skills. The worst thing, which can happen, is not that you will fail at an exam, but that you will fail to make the right use of INSEAD’s resources to fulfill your own goals.
3. Organising your day. An important piece of advice, which I heard during Orientation week, is to keep your own pace, and that there is no such thing as ‘you should’. Every day there is something happening at and around INSEAD – parties, drinks, meetings, etc. It is really up to you to find your own pace of things, and I can say that so far I have had no problem finding a comfortable schedule for myself – INSEAD gives you a lot of flexibility in this.
On the family front – our older son has started going to a private school in Fontainebleau and although he does not speak any French or English, all the teachers are very acceptive to this and seem to support him well. The class in his school is quite diverse – many children of INSEAD students go to this same school – and we see several other children in the same situation as our son in terms of language. At his age there is no better way to learn a language than to be part of a language-speaking community!

Congratulations!  You “got the call” and you’re set on an INSEAD MBA.  You will be joining a diverse group of exceptional, globally minded individuals at one of the top business schools in the world.  You are thrilled and ready to shout it from the rooftops! Start the phone chain!  You tell everyone, your partner, your mom, that lady behind the counter at Whole Foods, your colleagues and your ex-boyfriends.

It is likely you will receive one of two responses:

1.)    That is AMAZING! INSEAD is such a great school!  Will you be in France or Singapore?  (These are the people who just know, you know?)

2.)    INSE-what?

I had heard response (2) so many times it prompted me to Google “How to pronounce INSEAD.”  Is this a French thing?  And so it goes as an American attending INSEAD.

I had spent the last two years living in Shanghai, studying and working. I had first heard about INSEAD there, amongst the ever-rotating expat population. INSEAD sounded like it would bring what I liked best about living abroad – meeting people from all over the world discussing diverse ideas that come seasoned with ethnic differences and international experience – and stuff it into an intense, life-changing, ten-month MBA program.  Yeah, that sounds about right.

Even during these few months pre-INSEAD after meeting only a handful of future classmates my greatest hopes are coming true.  It is clear, the group of people I am going to embark on this journey with have a few elemental things in common:

1.)    They want to see the world, have new experiences, and meet new people.  Both campuses have scheduled “pre-trips” for before orientation week and are already starting the “where should we go next?” chat, like some form of restless leg syndrome.

2.)    They look to redefine what being a full-time MBA student means.  If going back to school full-time sounds like you would be going back in time evolutionarily to your pizza-and-candy college days, think again.  People are cross-fitting, marathon training – wait, it looks like we don’t  already have a rock-climbing club, so a classmate, David Samad, is starting one.

3.)    They see INSEAD as a family. They appreciate that being at a top 10 global business program is a privilege, and want to pay it forward to those that come after them. From alumni to current students, everyone is looking to help, from which chateau to live in in Fontainebleau to the best chili crab in Singapore, to practicing case interviews late into the night.

4.)    They are all in.  Your classmates are looking to get things done, and have a blast while doing it.

INSEAD Blog Series on Diversity

At INSEAD, we put diversity at the heart. As most of us already have come to know, the 14J class is an extraordinary mix of vibrant, inspirational and exceptional people.

This is the first article in a blog series, that aims to capture some of the diversity that exists in abundance at INSEAD. It will profile some of our most distinctive class members, asking them to share their unique stories about life, moments of joy, but most importantly about their hopes and dreams.

So, first one out in our profile series is…..

Itamar Stern 

Nationality: Israeli / Canadian

5 quickies

1. If you had a superpower, which one would it be?

Time travel

2. Name one of the 14J classmates that you thought stood out on the first day and why?

Louise Rönnerdahl. First off, she has the best laugh and the best hug on campus, which is a deadly combination of love. Secondly, her background in accounting, consulting, and micro-finance is only surpassed by her vision and knowledge in developing leadership programs for young adults in East Africa.

3. When not in class, we can find you….

a)  indulging in some sort of liquid

b)  on a beach or mountaintop in a random country

c)  chairing a club meeting              

d)  running a marathon or triathlon

e)  case- and book worming

4. When was the last time you laughed? Watching videos on Vine in my bed last night

5. Which was the latest book you read? Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Khaneman

_____________________________________________________________________________________

….so, Itamar, what are you doing at INSEAD?

1. Your background is quite different from most of the INSEAD 14Js. Tell us how your professional career to date has led you to business school 

All I’ve ever been told is to speak my mind, mean what I say, and the rest will take care of itself. Well, sorta.

The long and short of it is that I’ve spent the majority of my life not competing in financial markets or on the basketball courts, but finding avenues to express myself and promote my values…in a spotlight, quite literally.

Professionally this has led me to running my own experimental theater company and teaching students in the US and East Africa techniques that help them deal with their lives (social emotional learning).

A social and cultural entrepreneur, of sorts.

Poor Dog Group’s production of Satyr Atlas at The Getty Villa Museum, 2011.

After I graduated from art school in 2007 (CalArts, Los Angeles, CA), my classmates and I founded Poor Dog Group, an experimental theater company dedicated to expanding our perceptions of performance through rigorous critiques of history.

In the past few years, we have:

• toured Eastern Europe, performing in over a dozen venues in 3 countries
• been commissioned by The Getty Museum

Poor Dog Group: GETTY VILLA WORKSHOP – 2010 from Poor Dog Group on Vimeo.

• operated a 2000 sq. meter contemporary arts warehouse space in downtown LA
• worked as City contractors researching government budget cuts to the arts
• presented original theatre works in five countries
• Stayed Alive

Our latest work, The Murder Ballad (1938) is currently being presented in Los Angeles at the Live Arts Exchange Festival, 2013

I also served as Strategic Advisor & Senior Facilitator for another non-profit called Mindfulness Without Borders that teaches basic mindfulness skills to high school youth and their educators, equipping them with skills needed to cope with the challenges they face in their daily lives.

Since 2008, we have:

• Implemented our 12-week curriculum in schools in Rwanda & Uganda, e.g. teaching former child soldiers in Uganda
• Led workshops for Teachers Without Borders in Nigeria
• Had curriculum scientifically evaluated by the University of Toronto, Faculty of Social Work.
• Scaled our programs in 18 schools across the Toronto Catholic District School Board

I have built these organizations with teams of less than 10 people.

A few years ago, I began reflecting on my years of managing two non-profit organizations. I realized that I may have the capacity to create sustainable change if I could re-think the non-profit model.

This new model will require cross-sector collaborations between businesses, nonprofits, governments, and their target markets. Developing a thriving community is not dependent on isolated initiatives, but collective innovation amongst diverse stakeholders. I can create new business models if I can build these cross-sector coalitions that challenge traditional market perceptions.

Click here to learn more about Collaborative Leadership

I decided to go to business school as a way to disrupt my career trajectory within an environment that will demand innovation for my survival.

Itamar played Sputnik, the Russian Satellite, in Poor Dog Group’s production of The Internationalists, 2009 – 2012

2. What do you hope to learn at INSEAD?

My main goal for my 10-month experience is to be inspired by my classmates and my courses. Ideally, I will create a new venture by the end of P5 with a few classmates.

Beyond inspiration, I am looking to understand the driving forces behind financial markets and global economies. I hope to gain a better understanding of what differentiates companies other than their bottom line. I want to learn about alternative business structures, creative solutions for business challenges, and what globalization looks like in the post-recession era.

As always, I am trying to witness the emerging identity of my generation. In other words, I like learning about people.

3. Gives us a couple of examples on how has your identity to date been shaped by your cultural and/or professional background?

It seems that my identify has in fact shaped my profession:

• For as long as I remember, I have been committed to self-expression and community building. I’ve been working as a professional theatre artist for the past six years.

• Friendships across distances and cultures have always been a part of my life driving me to take on the ultimate opportunity: making lifelong friends with people from over 70 nationalities in 10 months!

• Most importantly, building an organization with a small team (under 10 people) has informed my vision of serial entrepreneurship and scalability. Vision and leadership is something that can be dreamed up alone in one afternoon of superhero inspiration, or over many years of ongoing revision amongst trusted and respected colleagues

4. Tell us about a moment when you discovered your voice or your leadership potential (when you stood up and took a stand for what you believe is right)?

In 2011, I received a grant from the City of Los Angeles to complete a month-long research residency in Western Europe to examine the 30% government cuts to the arts sector in Holland. I sought to identify emerging operating models for small arts organizations.

Itamar being interviewed by Fox News on the set of Poor Dog Group’s production of Gertrude Stein’s Brewsie & Willie, 2011.

Before departing for Europe, Fox News interviewed me for a TV segment on the use of public taxpayer funds to support the fellowship. In response to the biased Fox News broadcast, I issued a press release articulating my stance, the purpose of my European residency, and advocating the legitimacy of public funding for the arts. Within three hours of the press release, The Los Angeles Times called me requesting an interview. The next day, I had hundreds of supporters publicly defending my mission. I saw the magnitude of the opportunity, and I seized it.

This was the moment. I convened nightly debates following my company’s performances. During these discussions, I personally facilitated a dialogue among our audiences to deliberate the role of advocacy in the arts. I redirected an attack by a TV network to generate public discourse, empowering dozens of artists to speak up and defend the value of art for LA taxpayers.

Sitting in the audience after the play, I had an aha-moment. I saw my true career mission so clearly: I wanted to tackle the lack of upward socioeconomic mobility facing artists in America, and since then I have been working passionately for this cause.

5. How do you hope to inspire your fellow students at INSEAD?

From my previous experiences, I have learnt what it takes to bring people together effectively, and also how to encourage creativity through dialogue. I hope to create an environment where my classmates are excited about stepping out of their comfort zones and into conversations that are driven by curiosity and vulnerability.

Failure should not be feared, but encouraged.

As one of my favorite poets, Samuel Beckett, said, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail better.”

I want to provide a safe space for my classmates to reflect on their values and challenge themselves to expand their perceptions of themselves and the world OR of themselves in the world; they should decide what serves them most.

On a snack break during Mindfulness Without Borders’ Mindfulness Ambassador Council at Hope North in Uganda, 2011

6. When we read about you in the newspaper in 10 years from now, what newspaper would you feature in and what would the story be? 

You will either find this article…

“Hailed by critics as an idealist, CEO breaks world record for fastest time to mobilize a nation.”

OR

“Failed entrepreneur turns to the plow; How farming techniques feed the soul.”

7. We have been told that INSEAD will push our boundaries and throw us out of our comfort zones. How do you deal with change and uncertainty?

I try to stay present and not allow my thoughts to drift into the future of uncertainty. I am confident in my ability to pay attention and respond to stimuli in the moment. Sleep is key for me to stay grounded and not get swept up in the turbulent environment on campus. Mostly, I place trust in the fact that change and uncertainty will continue to shape my values.

8. One thing that you will regret if you don’t pursue during the year at INSEAD?

Riding a horse to graduation.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog post!

Get in touch with Itamar – itamar.stern@insead.edu

Provide feedback - louise.ronnerdahl@insead.edu

My first week at INSEAD I climbed Mount Everest. Fortunately for me it was only a computer simulation. What my newly formed study group participated in was a pedagogical tool to help us learn teamwork and decision making under high pressure situations. Nonetheless the program’s algorithm, its internal rules and logic, was based on hundreds of real life expeditions to Everest – many successful, some not.

Fans of mountaineering may have read accounts of such expeditions from books like “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer. These stories present vivid illustrations of how adversity and hardship in extreme environments can cause unexpected changes in different kinds of people. This was my key takeaway from this simulation. Only by pushing yourself to your limits can you expose your weaknesses and reveal hidden strengths. I’m just glad I didn’t have to risk life and limb to do it!

Seeing the new 14J promotion try the simulation has brought back fond memories. It has also made me reflect more generally on the INSEAD MBA experience. For the new cohort these lessons apply to what lay ahead. Without revealing too much of the experience, I can only say “enjoy the ride.” For us 13Ds in the midst of recruiting, this lesson is just as applicable. Recruiting season is intense. But I, for one, try to remind myself to keep it all in perspective. Whatever we encounter ahead just remember that it will make us stronger.

As I prepare for recruiting season I feel energized and productive. I think all of us in the program have grown to be smarter, faster and more self-aware versions of our old selves. Each time we encounter a setback or self-doubt, let’s remind ourselves of our Everest experience to keep us grounded. We’ve accomplished so much already. Small setbacks aren’t the end of the world. Just keep an even keel and stay confident. I’ll see you at the summit.

As we finished our holiday in South of France and Croatia (both highly recommended btw!), we were greeted by a strange bittersweet sensation. On one hand there was the excitement leading to the orientation week and on the other hand, it was time to bid farewell. The farewell itself couldn’t have been scripted better – rainy day, teary eyed, standing at a signal waiting for the light to turn green, reluctant to let go and head in separate directions – very melodramatic!

The Internal Change: While Adya began her orientation week at INSEAD, I took my long flight home to Delhi, unpacked, repacked and was off to China to start my new assignment. In spite of all our preparations, our world had changed in a very short span of time. New people to meet, new cultures to accept, time differences, packed schedules, out of our comfort zones, residing in two different parts of the world – a nagging question at the back of our minds, how will it all come together?

The External Change: Walking the streets of Croatia the news ticker on our phones kept beeping. Within weeks the Indian Rupee had plunged close to 20% against the US Dollar, Pound and Euro.  Policy delays had led investors to steer away from India, our fiscal deficit was increasing by the day, high inflation lurking in the background – “India exits the Trillion Dollar club”. Since both of us plan to be in India after Adya’s MBA, a realisation that in a matter of weeks our student loans had gone up by 20%. Our world had changed!

Change is inevitable, so how do we deal with it? The internal change was the easier part. This is where the INSEAD community is incredible. Partners – near and far are an integral part of the experience, and are always kept engaged. The school itself fosters a warm culture which makes it so much easier for students to ‘blend in’. In terms of keeping in touch, after some adjustments to align the time difference and our packed schedules, we are completely up to date on each other’s lives. The quality of time and not the quantity of time spent becomes important.

The external change is the tougher part since it is out of our control. So we wait and hope that the market stabilises soon. Come P3/P4 it will be decision time as we plan the next step post Adya’s MBA. For now however, we count days till the end of P1, when we see each other again!

INSEAD entrepreneurship bootcamp was only 2 days but it has changed the way I used to see my start-up ideas. In this bootcamp, one goes through all stages of a typical start-up in 2 days. Everything begins with an idea-generation round on Friday evening and ends with pitching to real investors on Sunday evening.

For me, motivation to go to the bootcamp was the curiosity about start-up creation. Being a scientist, I held the belief that a strong idea can change the world. While this belief is still intact, bootcamp showed me how a great team or partner is an absolutely essential central element for success – even if the idea is not a strong one.  It went further. I learned due diligence in the correct way as well. The idea I pitched was one I had for at least two years. I had done some research into it. While going through the process of start-up creation, my team went through understanding customer, market, finances, timeline of the cashflows etc. I never thought these elements mattered so much. In some cases, I did not have a clue how to go about taking an assumption about these elements. It turned out that the idea I held for so long could not stand for long. My team discovered that there will be little customer demand for the product. We moved on to another customer base with a slight change in idea. Lesson learned here was amazing and a strong one. Even in the face of a number of crazy assumptions, guesses and gaps in understanding, it was possible to reject an idea through the process of due diligenece – critically looking at different sides of the creatable business. For me,  It was nothing less than a miracle. I came back empowered that now I can use the same process to screen good ideas.

I recently joined the INSEAD community (as a partner), in the last few months leading to graduation of the December 2013 promotion. Having previously worked in public relations and having a passion for producing short videos, it wasn’t long before I decided to interview and feature the remarkable and diverse individuals who come together to make up the INSEAD MBA experience.

With this series called “Life at INSEAD“, I hope to portray a real and “behind the scenes” perspective on students’ experiences and day to day lives. I also want to help viewers to get a feel of how INSEAD has impacted the students as well as their aspirations and vision.

Here’s my first interview with MBA student Guillaume Racine from Montreal, Canada:

Life at INSEAD – Meet Guillaume Racine, Canada, MBA 13D from Jessica Drolet on Vimeo.

In this video, Guillaume discusses his motivation for coming to INSEAD, his great summer internship and much more.

Here’s my second interview with MBA student Joy Kang from South Korea:

Life at INSEAD – Meet Joy Kang, Korea, MBA 13D from Jessica Drolet on Vimeo.

In this video, Joy talks about her past working experiences, the current situation in Korea, her appreciation for the Asia and Fontainebleau campuses and more.

And finally, here’s my latest interview with Giacomo Dolci, an MBA student who worked as a consultant in Milan, Italy:

Meet Giacomo Dolci, Italy, MBA 13D from Jessica Drolet on Vimeo.

In this video, Giacomo tells us about his relationships, explains why this MBA is important to him and shares some of his best memories.

I hope you enjoy them and get a better understanding of what the INSEAD MBA experience is all about! Please feel free to contact me for any feedback or ideas.

More videos will be posted shortly, stay tuned!

Of the many things I can say and share about my MBA life, I can safely say that I experienced being a global citizen. I travelled the world and various cultures and convictions manifested in subtle ways and for the first time, it was not a movie or a novel – it was real life. This year I lived in 3 continents and being in the same city for more than a week seemed remarkably slow.

I learned from my peers, learned to learn and unlearn and learned to absorb and shape the various shades, shapes and colours of life. I learned to be comfortable having no control sometimes and learned to smile in the midst of unabashed chaos. This year was about broadening and streamlining horizons and possibilities.

This year was also about exquisite wine, memorable memories and the fleetingly permanent realization that “I am here.” I sometimes wonder what my friends and family think of the life I lead – every week in a different city, if not country, almost a complete abandonment of sleep and well shot pictures of everything under the sun from Vegas to Bali to Paris to Oxford. All this along with a rigorous schedule comprising applied corporate finance, advanced derivatives and intense professional networking and “What happens in Tavers stays at Tavers” parties.

How does one learn a new language, develop aptitude for subjects unheard, relocate without locating in the first place, write cover letters with as much passion and energy as one wrote love letters in 11th grade and find a place within a cohort of 500 exceptionally talented women and men..All this in a few months..Through the process of learning how to learn, I became a Master of Business Administration..That’s my lesson, my story..Work in progress with relentless passion, purpose, effort and pursuit..

It’s hard to believe, but class of July 2014 is already in the middle of P2!

Nearly every blog-post by INSEAD students, which I read before coming on campus, mentioned how fast the study year flies. And now I get to experience it myself! It seems as if just yesterday I was setting up my INSEAD mailbox, but now I see the incoming group of 14Ds already having a tour around campus on the open day!

There is nothing new in days flying by – whenever you work hard you don’t notice how time passes. The difference at INSEAD is that your day is full with classes and activities which are very different from each other: in the morning you may have to quickly switch your mindset between completely different classes such as finance and marketing (one very quantitative and objective, the other very creative and subjective); later in the day meet with peers to discuss the upcoming national week and how to attract sponsors; in the evening go to the gym and prepare my CV for the CV book; before going to sleep I try to read at least some pre-readings for classes the next day. Those with families also try to squeeze spending time with their partner and kids somewhere in-between these activities. It is a tough exercise in time management and prioritizing, but I believe this is also the main reason why most alumni refer to their time at INSEAD as the best year of their lives – the richness of life on campus is hard to match in real life.

Two months ago, our second son was born in the Fonty hospital, and although this happened less than a month into P1, he ended up being the 2nd INSEAD child in the 14J class. This tells you that having children during the MBA year is far from being rare. Originally we were concerned with how to navigate the French medical system, but for the last 2 months we learned to manage this pretty well and I’d be happy to answer any particular questions in this regard.

Mid-P2 is also the time when people start preparing to switch campuses and choose elective courses. Most singles and some couples will leave Fonty for the warmer Singy in a couple of months, most families with kids will stay in Fonty for the whole year. While moving to Singapore has an obvious advantage of escaping winter, there may be more reasons to stay in Fonty – many people prefer to be in Europe when the recruiting season starts, and you don’t want to know how many points need to be spent to change campus in P3 only!

In terms of assignments of a different kind, P2 feels even busier than P1. But walking back home I sometimes stop for a minute, just to smell the Fonty air and think about how much I enjoy what I am doing here!

Chaos is consistent. As students at INSEAD, we can learn to rely on that. Now that we are in the midst of November and already making plans for our long winter break, our first period here in Singapore now seems like eons ago. When we were all in our first semester it was clear that – through all of the gatherings by the pool, parties in Marina Bay, barbeques, and inevitability long nights at the library – everyone was stretching themselves thin to be everywhere. This time around, it is just no longer feasible. Period 2 kicked in high gear with group assignments, double session classes, extracurriculars, competitions, trips, and career talks. By nature, we have thus eliminated what the administrative board had warned us about early in the year and diagnosed as “fear of missing out.”

Unlike many of my peers, this is the first time I am living so far away from home, so naturally my experiences feel more amateur. Regardless, when fifty plus of us travel to various countries on the weekends, I can’t help but notice how wide-eyed, curious, and even appreciative everyone becomes, and I see that this is just one of the many elements that truly bond us through this journey. While in Cambodia, we spent a day in Phnom Penh visiting the killing fields and the Genocide Museum to better understand the still existent after-effects of the terrors that took place during Pol Pat’s ruling, which was a stark contrast to the tranquil landscape of temples in Siem Reap (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) we had visited just before. The day in Phnom Penh will always be remembered as a difficult one; we discovered an inconceivable truth of brutalities that were so real and recent, and we saw the results of a ‘leader’ being able to wipe out more than three million people of his own population in a matter of three years. At the same time, this learning complemented what followed during INSEAD’s Social Impact week, INDEVOR. A week after visiting Cambodia with fifty classmates, INDEVOR’s kick-off event involved watching our fellow classmates brilliantly debate against each other and our professors on whether, as an MBA graduate, it makes sense to invest time or money when it comes to charitable causes. Students were spilling outside of the classroom to listen in, reflecting that we are not here simply as a stepping stone for our careers, but also to understand the world from different perspectives and see what we can do to change it in an effective manner.

Overall, I can already feel my colleagues and I becoming more aware. But that is what we are here for, isn’t it? I do not have enough fingers and toes to count what I have learned so far through the storytelling of weekend escapades, lectures highlighting a region’s current and future socioeconomic conditions, and our National Weeks which serve as a platform to shine the highlights of where we came from. Even more after two months here, there no longer lies a barrier that prevents us from learning, reinforcing what we know, and most importantly making light of all the stereotypes and preconceived notions we may have had of each others’ origins prior to our arrival here.

To give some more perspective on the beautiful madness that these two and a half months have been, I would like to note two things:
1.  I am currently on my way to the Philippines writing this entry. This is my third attempt to sit down on a flight and, via words on a piece of paper, ‘remember to stop and smell the flowers’ as one of my closest friends smartly advised me to do before I left.
2. I am writing this post after INSEAD’s Dash has taken place on the Singapore campus; Dash is our traditional run between the residences of Dover/Heritage and school. It so happened to take place on a Monday this year after a hectic weekend of traveling and exploring. Regardless of this fact, and now obviously so, we stormed and we sustained ourselves late through the night.

INSEAD Blog Series on Diversity

At INSEAD, we put diversity at the heart. As most of us already have come to know, the 14J class is an extraordinary mix of vibrant, inspirational and exceptional people.

This is the second article in a blog series, that aims to capture some of the diversity that exists in abundance at INSEAD. It will profile some of our most distinctive class members, asking them to share their unique stories about life, moments of joy, but most importantly about their hopes and dreams.

So, fourth out in our profile series is…..

Tu Ngo

Nationality: Vietnamese

4 quickies

1) When was the last time you laughed? 

I laugh everyday!  But the last time I laughed for an extended period of time was the Dash

2) If you had a superpower, which one would it be? 

Sounds corny, but the power to heal pains.

3) Name one of the 14J classmates that you thought stood out on the first day and why?

Joe Mela, the President of Raffles Club. You just can’t miss him!

4) When not in class, we can find you…

Traveling around a random country or talking to people about good business ideas.

1. Growing up in a wet market of Ho Chi Minh in Viet Nam, student at Stanford in California followed by stints in Venture Capital, and a serial entrepreneur at the age of 26 – your background is quite different from most of the INSEAD 14Js. 

Tell us how your professional career to date has led you to business school.

I grew up in Ho Chi Minh city, Viet Nam, where most people in my neighbourhood (to this day) sell fresh meat, fish, fruits and groceries for a living.  I was very fortunate to grow up in a family that realised the importance of, and prioritized, education. My dad managed to send me to one the best public schools in Viet Nam, far from home. It was a special time in Viet Nam in the early 90s, the post-war country was just opening up and I was lucky to be one of a few hundred students selected to study under a bilingual French-Vietnamese curriculum with international teachers.

Those first few years built the foundation for my inherent curiosity of the world and set on fire the dream to explore horizons outside of Viet Nam. I managed to win a full scholarship to Stanford, the first one ever awarded to a Vietnamese public school student.

Friendship has always been very important to me as well. That’s where I found inspiration for my various entrepreneurial endeavors. I like building something useful for people around me, starting with my friends – and it’s more fun to get together with friends to do something.

With the Yola team

I’ve built mini-businesses around study-aid materials, student life publications, and even an Internet café in a Cambodia school.  None of them still exist today!  I learned tons of things along the way, about building products and teams.

Stanford also played a big role in shaping my entrepreneurial dreams, with professors, mentors and friends who share the ambition of creating change in emerging markets. I was Co-President of the Southeast Asian Leadership Network (SEALNet) and led teams from Ivy League schools to execute youth leadership training projects in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.

Global Leadership Summit in Kuala Lumpur

After short stints in VC and management consulting in my college summers, I decided to start my own business right after graduation.  I was “naïve”, ignoring opportunity cost calculations and literally just focusing on the fact that the Viet Nam’s education market was composed of over 40 million people under 30 years old.

I met two old friends who also just came back from the U.S. passionate about exploring options to accelerate growth in Viet Nam through education, but setting up an entrepreneurial venture.  We did not have a lot of money, only US$ 10,000 that we had scrambled together from family and friends.  We also pivoted through different business models, from online social network for English to a brick-and-mortar model focusing on quality teachers and building an inspiring educational environment.

That marked the beginning of Yola Institute, now a leading education services company with over 4,000 students, three physical learning centers and 100 staff across Ho Chi Minh city.  Time flew by and before I knew it, four years was gone during which I had to evolve myself together with the growth of Yola. I wore different hats everyday: a product person carrying out market research and product strategy, to a manager solving employees’ issues, to a Board Director looking at long-term visions, building corporate structure and culture.

With Yola’s development, business school was not an easy decision.  I was skeptical of what business schools can teach about the unpredictability of emerging markets and about soft-skills such as leadership.  On the other hand, I knew that to expand and build businesses in Southeast Asia, I need more credibility, strategic planning skills and a wider business network.  Plus, I was only 25 – there must be a lot of things that I did not know yet!

Finally at INSEAD

That’s a major reason why I decided on INSEAD: a focus on global businesses and building friendships with people from all over the world – all within only 10 months.  While at INSEAD’s Singapore campus, I could also travel in the region to meet entrepreneurs, investors, as well as identifying new opportunities in private education.

2. Many of us are dreaming of starting our own businesses, but are held back by fear or the amount of risk-taking involved. You were very brave and threw yourselves into the “unknown”. What advice would you give to other students who struggle to find the motivation to say it is “go- time”?

I owe my success to many friends and mentors who help me along the way.  I also give back and help whenever I can (genuinely) – that’s one way “karma” can go and also a platform to meet people who share similar passions and visions.

With some of the students at Yola

In fact, I met my co-founders through a non-profit endeavor we were all involved in many years back.  My first client was introduced to Yola by my former internship supervisor.

An INSEAD friend recently shared with me that if we don’t choose our battle, the battle will choose us.  I’d like to modify a bit: if we don’t create our community (I got discouraged, directly and indirectly many times), the community will choose us (and hence, we’d have to conform to their norms and expectations).

So no real advice, just my personal opinion to share: find the courage to choose the story you want to write for your life instead of letting the pen take charge of your life. It will be worth it.

3. We all know that 90% of all entrepreneurial ventures fail at some stage, and it takes perseverance, courage and resilience to succeed. An emerging trend seems to be “fail faster, fail better to then succeed”. What is your view on failure and/or how to approach it as an entrepreneur? 

I’m afraid of failure too!  It’s important to consider the timing of things.  If there are not many family or financial obligations, it might still worth a try in our 20s.  Failing fast is a must to learning and improving. At Yola, we only figured out our model after a few times pivoting from our ideal business plan of online learning and running out of cash. It is not easy to be an entrepreneur. But when you manage to accomplish what you set out to do, it is all worth it. The stories from my students and how Yola has helped them changed their lives and pursue their dreams is for me the ultimate reward.

With Dai (in red)

For example, Dai Cao, one of my first students: when she first came to Yola, she was full of anxiety and even anger towards her family’s repressive style.  Through our college counseling program and the application essay course, I encouraged her to channel her negative energy into a positive dream, which she decided to be building a therapy program for teenagers in Vietnam.  She’s now at Bard College, New York on a scholarship and interning with advertising agencies in New York to prepare for her dream.

Remember, you can fail a 1000 times, all it takes is one success.

4. As women in business school, we are a clear minority. There are heaps of articles out there about how an MBA might, or might not be, the best investment for young, aspirational women. What would you say it really takes to succeed as a women in a top business school?  

I think an MBA can be beneficial to young women, regardless of how you define success. The MBA is a journey of learning, exploring and building things together. It is about personal awareness and growth.

We are used to being influenced and guided by obvious and conventional metrics (for example grades, status, names, money, intelligence). Business school allows you to explore other aspects of what makes one successful. Like with my students’ stories, I think many dreams and talents would have gone wasted and rejected by others as well as by ourselves.

Business school allows you to see beyond the conventional metrics that defines success. Take the time to think about how you want to be remembered when you are old, or even what we would say if we were to write our own obituary speeches. We all have some answers to ourselves.  A life of constantly pushing yourself outside the comfort zone is stressful and sometimes scary, but a life of creating and building things gives me purpose and meaning. Exploring new avenues and not letting fear or conventional expectations stop me is ultimately how I define success. I would recommend other women in business school to do the same!

5. From post-war Viet Nam to the beaches of sunny California to successful entrepreneur at the age of 25. How has your identity to date been shaped by your cultural and/or professional background?

Every Vietnamese wants to be an entrepreneur – and that’s not an over-statement. Growing up in that culture, starting a business seems less daunting to me – the hardest road is to scale small local businesses to the next level in the Southeast Asia region.  I also have a bias for execution, practicality, and being comfortable with uncertainty.

Learning French, studying in California, and with lots of friends in Southeast Asia, like many friends at INSEAD, I find myself not entirely belong to any country’s culture. But with my “anchor” culture of being Asian, family and relationships are of priority.

With friends at home!

6. Tell us about a moment when you discovered your voice or your leadership potential (when you stood up and took a stand for what you believe is right)?

I took part in the INSEAD Social Impact Week’s Great Debate to convince my classmates of using their management and entrepreneurial skills to build businesses in emerging countries. I was unsure of expressing my view, seeing that it’s a very personal decision and many friends would still prefer the more stable and predictable routes in developed markets.

At the Great Debate

But during our debate, many friends also started to speak up and offer different views on how they think they can make impacts.  Those moments that make people rethink their assumptions are invaluable!

7. How do you hope to inspire your fellow students at INSEAD?

That’s a big word. Besides sharing my stories and perspectives, I’d love to be part of my friends’ discussions and reflections on who they are and what they love, like really, to do in life.

I think it’s very possible that we can all find something to do that not only make us rich but can also help us live our lives fulfilled with passion and purpose – but we have to look for those opportunities, or even create them ourselves.

Life is just too short to delay our dreams.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog post!

Get in touch with Tu – ngoc-tu.ngo@insead.edu

Provide feedback - louise.ronnerdahl@insead.edu

Imagine an emotional roller coaster that shakes you to your core, pushes you to your limits and challenges your assumptions and career aspirations while exposing you to an invaluable learning experience… and in the end you emerge stronger, more confident, and even more inspired to make a difference. This has been INSEAD for me.

People here dream big – the energy, ambition, and passion on campus are simply contagious and create an environment that broadens your horizons more than you would have imagined possible. I came here convinced that I knew what I wanted to do after INSEAD. Thanks to a first hand experience over the summer, I was able to come back to school with an open mind to really explore the endless opportunities and think deeply about what it is that I really want to do. Coming here with a career in mind is good, but I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to really use this opportunity to learn as much as possible about different career paths and find the one that is right for you.

INSEAD teaches you humility, and at the same time gives you confidence –people here are truly impressive and there is always someone who is better than you even in the things you think you have mastered. This creates incredible learning opportunities for all of us and shapes the whole experience. Then comes recruiting and the endless automatic email dings after you poured your heart and soul into learning about dozens of companies and writing master piece cover letters. You can even get dings from companies that you didn’t apply for… I didn’t have this unique experience but it happened to some, and this just teaches you to not take recruiting too seriously J That’s when your friends here help you get through this, and in the end, it all works out and the hard work pays off. For me that happened when I got three job offers in one day, literally one after the other. I will be changing geography, industry and role!

The INSEAD network is simply unmatched – just think of a company and a location, and chances are there are INSEAD alumni there who will gladly get on a quick call with you. No other school has such a wide-reaching alumni network literally all over the world, and it has been great to already get exposed to it during my career search. It is scary to think that in less than a week our whole class will disperse to all corners of the world, but on the bright side – this just creates even more opportunities for reunions!

We celebrate diversity and like to have a good time – during the National Weeks we experience and immerse in different cultures; chateau parties are the natural way to end a busy week unless we are traveling in big or small groups to various exciting destinations; during Dash, we all show up to class wearing the most ridiculous costumes and still participate in highly intellectual discussions; Cabaret is a true showcase of the various talents that we have, the most notable of which is the annual Swan Lake performance… by guys wearing graceful pink outfits; the inclusivity of the undefeated rugby club also deserves recognition, especially the undefeated rugby socials following each weekly practice.

In just a couple of days over 300 of us are heading to Phuket for our graduation trip – can’t wait to celebrate this year with the rest of our amazing class of 13D!

About borders

Borders provide a means for separation, for keeping things within or without.

In the structure versus freedom discussion, we must at least ask ourselves whether a border is a good thing or a bad thing. When a certain entity threatens to engulf another, a border can be considered a good thing, preserving the status quo. The border is supposed to ensure the integrity of what is kept within.

I posit that external borders are a manifestation of internal borders. Internal borders are the ones preventing us from exploring possibilities, from opening up to new horizons… Borders exist because of fears.

When celebrating differences, however, borders become irrelevant.

Border challenge

My personal negative experience with borders, travel restrictions, work restrictions and the like is not even close to the negative experience of some of my colleagues from other countries. Sure, I need travel visas for some countries, work visas or study visas for others. Overall, however, I have it easy. Other people have it a lot worse: getting a visa to cross a border can become a logistical nightmare. In several unfortunate cases it can become an insurmountable obstacle.

The EU “borderless” reality comes to mind to represent the ideal opposite model to the visa restrictions. A vast expanse of land, equipped with regional individuality and proper local customs, integrated into an administrative reality which allows for a perfect choreography of movement. In other words, I can drive from the Netherlands to Austria and not meet a single border policeman, while speeding through the former customs checkpoints.

The irrelevance of borders

The November 16th Fontainebleau welcome day allowed me to better understand the immense diversity of the INSEAD MBA community and to conclude that we have it within us to demonstrate the irrelevance of borders. And if this seems like too ambitious a dream, we can at least set the stage for the future generations.

I believe that our challenge for the year is to overcome our own internal borders and to start thinking about taking down the external ones. Sure, we live in a complicated world, and idealists are often disillusioned by the harsh reality, but I am a hopeless optimist and I believe that sometime in the not-
so-distant future some of my colleagues will help shape a better, borderless world.

* Article inspired by the France / Luxembourg border at Audun le Tiche and Shakespeare’s “Henry VI” – ‘The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers’

I moved from Singapore to Fontainebleau after the summer. Although both campuses are identical in academics and most events (i.e. national week, etc.) are replicated across both campuses, the student life is completely different.

To put it in a nutshell:

“In Singy, I know more people. In Fonty, I know people more”.

The Singapore campus, right in the middle of the city, is rife with gatherings. Most students stay at Dover Parkview or Heritage apartments, and both apartments are next to each other. Student gatherings usually take place in one of the apartments and campus parties are hosted in clubs with enough capacity for the whole promotion.

Fontainebleau, a quiet commune 40 minutes train ride away from Paris, is much more laid back compared to Singapore. Students live in shared houses or single apartments. The nearest place with enough capacity for the entire promotion is about 25 minutes drive away from the city center, making the core hang out group those who share the same housing for convenience of transportation.

Which one is better? This is the toughest question. One consensus among my colleagues, to which I agree, is that the are both equally awesome in different ways, and yes, they are very different.

“The best year of your life”, has long been associated with INSEAD’s one year MBA program. Having experienced the year myself, calling it “the best year” is simply an understatement for a lack of a better word. Never have I been exposed to such diversity, where differences are celebrated and they blend perfectly to form a different kind of culture beyond religion, nationality, and other social nuances. This culture is filled with humility, respect, and at the same time, courage and tenacity to take on the world.

I’m now in the toughest period, P6 (out of 5 periods in the academic year), in which I woke up one morning in Jakarta, slowly realizing that I’m neither in my usual shared house Maison Royale in Fontainebleau, nor Dover Parkview in Singapore. I have no assignments due and nothing to read, however I’m nowhere near my usual friends nor my new found family to celebrate the free time. After 12 short months, 10 countries, with over 500 friends since my admission, I’m back in the real world.

This real world however, is different. Now I have friends to catch up with people almost everywhere I go, friends to ask any subject which may help me personally and professionally, as diverse as from interview tips, philanthropy, to hedge fund investing, and most importantly, a new family called alumni.

This will be my last post for this blog, at least as a student. It has been an honor and I hope my writings has been helpful. To end on a good note, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Dedicated to: INSEAD MBA Graduates, class of 13D

2014 is going to be defined as THE RUSH: I will most definitely not get enough sleep and I know I will look back in a year or so and not understand how the time flew by.

Pre-admission

I’ve been in a terrible rush ever since I decided to apply for admission to the INSEAD MBA in mid-June 2013. I had less than 2 months until the August 7th deadline for Round 3. It was a rush to pass the TOEFL exam (thank God I had passed the GMAT 6 months before!), a rush to find and coordinate with recommenders, a rush to finalize the admission essays and coordinate with alumni for their advice, a rush to organize all the required documents, a rush to organize and prepare for the alumni admission interviews, while still working full time. I did not get much sleep.

Post-admission & pre-school start

After the much awaited phone call, things picked up and I found myself functioning in a higher gear. It was a rush to find the needed financing, a rush to find the flat-mates and the new apartment, a rush to organize all the needed documents, for the school and for the banks, a rush to organize the moving out, a rush to organize the plane tickets, a rush to obtain the visa, a rush to arrive in time to the Fontainebleau Nov. 16th welcome day and meet my colleagues, while still working full time. I did not get much sleep.

New normal

Some logical conclusions could be that people should not wait until Round 3 to apply or that they should no longer work full time after receiving the admission decision, especially if they’re a Round 3 Admit. On the other hand, sleepless nights and staying on top of things with so many competing emergencies, in this higher gear, seems to be the new normal.

Great expectations

I’m looking forward to an EPIC 2014; I’m looking forward to meeting my colleagues and getting to know them; I’m looking forward to learning about myself and about the world; I’m looking forward to experiencing the world through the eyes of my classmates; I’m looking forward to forging beautiful friendships; I’m looking forward to unforgettable trips and to my discovery of Asia.

I’m looking forward to taking advantage of every single second – it’s obvious that I don’t need that much sleep.

Christmas break at INSEAD.

On the beach in Senegal, I look back at the first two periods just completed of the MBA programme. Only four months have passed since the programme started. Yet, we have come so far.

The first thought that springs to my mind is… wow. I survived.

On one hand the time has flown by, but on the other hand it feels like a lifetime has passed since I left life as I used to know it.

The experience has been a flurry of emotions. Excitement. Thrill. Joy. Love. Happiness. Courage. Empathy. Sadness. Confusion. Vulnerability. Fear.

When I applied to business school and was speaking to alumni, the message was always about what a great adventure INSEAD was, and truly one of the best experiences of their lives. No one told me about how hard it could be, too.

I wholeheartedly rank INSEAD as one of the most extraordinary experiences I have had so far, but life in business school can also be incredibly tough.  

The blessing of being admitted can quickly turn into an obligation, unless you can figure out how find balance, focus, how to respond to stress and the notion of being vulnerable and sometimes out of control. From time to time, this has felt pretty scary.

I have woken up in the middle of the night in cold sweat, dreaming that I would fail exams. I have cried in solitude in a break-out room after a very difficult conversation with my study group. The ability to bounce back from those setbacks has proven to be essential.

Most scary though, is the realisation that the MBA, when it finishes, is not the end. It is just the beginning. The beginning of the story of the rest of my life. When we graduate, diplomas in hand, we will be ready to succeed as future business leaders of the world. A great honour and responsibility. Quite an intimidating one too.

How will I, over the coming months, develop the courage to rise to the challenge, take a leap of faith and stare back at failure as a fighter in the arena when, and its not a matter of if, but when, I fall?

As leaders in organisations, large or small, you are sure to be scrutinized, faced with increasing complexity and under constant pressure to deliver. It is a wonderful but tough world out there, waiting.

What do we need to succeed?

To me, leading successfully today means to be able to motivate, inspire and build trust in an ever-changing and fast-paced world. People respect and follow courageous leaders, who are authentic, who are real.

To be authentic is to have the ability to believe and stand for something, but at the same time to be comfortable to constantly challenge one’s thinking, re-inventing oneself and dealing with change without losing one’s centre.

There is no status quo anymore.

So how can I, with six months to go of my MBA, practice courage and strength that prepares me for leadership?

As contradictory as it might seen, courage is built through vulnerability. Yes, vulnerability. So commonly mistaken as weakness, vulnerability is the ultimate measure of courage.

To be authentic and real is to be vulnerable. Vulnerability is about letting us be seen for who we are. It’s about honesty. It’s about openness. It is about putting your hand up in class in order to make a contribution that you strongly believe in, overcoming that feeling of “what if my classmates think I am stupid?”.

It is about having the strength to argue and defend your point of view when in a minority situation, for example in the study group or panel debate. It is about not hesitating to ask for help in order to act. It is about taking that life-long dream of becoming an entrepreneur and turning it into reality. It is about finding empathy to say “I know what it feels like” rather than pity when your friend or colleague is in trouble.

Vulnerability, when seen in ourselves, is often recognised and labelled by our inner critic as a weakness. When others demonstrate vulnerability, though, we tend to view it as courage.

Those instances at INSEAD when I have opened up to classmates, not once have I been disappointed or turned down. Instead, I have been met by incredible warmth, support and courage in return and received the gift of wonderful relationships.

To succeed in business, we need to be able to connect to other people in a meaningful way. Social and emotional intelligence are the most desirable skills when leaders are recruited. To inspire followers, to build strong teams and to develop a solid support network of family and friends, are all about connection. Vulnerability provides that connection.

Life after INSEAD comes with no guarantees. We need to build a safety net of people that we trust, both professionally and personally, and also the ability to believe in ourselves.

By practising vulnerability and letting ourselves be seen, which sometimes can be excruciatingly difficult, and to practice gratitude and joy in those moments of fear, when we are wondering, “Can I really do this? Can I believe in this so passionately? Can I be this fierce about this? Can I love this much?” Instead of giving in to the feeling of “I am probably going to fail, so there is no point in trying”, or “I want to do x, but people have expectations that I should do y instead” we will have the courage and resilience it takes to go after what we want, to act in times of uncertainty, to find strength to overcome fear and to be tough when needed.

And most importantly, to have the courage to lead wholehearted lives deeply connected to other people.

I promise myself to make the most of my months left at INSEAD by daring greatly. To nurture the authentic leader inside in preparation for whatever the future might hold.

Dawna Markova beautifully sums up in her poem what it means to be have courage:

I will not die an unlived life.

I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire.

I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible; to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise.

I choose to risk my significance, to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom, and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit.