Howie after IMD

Last MBA Journal Entry...

2012-01-30T17:46:00.000-08:00

Here it is! My last contribution to Bloomberg BusinessWeek. I must say, they are really easy to work with and the since the IMD timelines are different from traditional business schools, I also enjoy some flexibility in submissions. Thanks again for the opportunity, it has been tough at times to crank out an entry, but fun nevertheless. Enjoy!

Last Entry

Transition period

2012-01-30T17:34:00.000-08:00

Between graduation and starting my new gig is a time to relax and spend some time with the family. Alison and I were lucky to ham it up with Grandma Millie, our old neighbor Sonja, Uncle Steve, Aunt Ruth and of course Toby and Dorothy. And on the Asia side, we spent time with my niece and nephew, cousins from Ipoh and Kuantan, and my parents.

Our belongings were finally moved from the Roseville residence and on its way to the Netherlands last Friday. We are next! Wish us luck as we will aim to step foot into our new country sometime in February!

At the MIA with Grandma!

Christmas time with the family

At the BOH tea plantation, Cameron Highlands with Mum, Dad and Ipoh crew

Aunty Alison with Nephew Jo Jo

Some relaxing time at NIKOI island (more to come on this!)

The best spa... ever!

2011-12-23T13:49:00.000-08:00

I admit, I am not the guru of spas and I am not one that frequents them either. But this particular bath that is found in the middle of no where in Vals is simply phenomenal. Anyone that visits Switzerland NEEDS to pay a visit to this sanctuary of relaxation and pruney skin. Welcome to the Thermal Baths by Peter Zumthor.

The outdoor bath combines breath taking scenery and warm blue waters.

Smooth as silk

Vals

Breathing in peace

Good bye luxurious relaxing weekend... till next time!

One last graduation!

2011-12-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

Art! We dug deep into our sub-conscious and painted...

Graduation procession

Awaiting our diplomas

Cha-ching! Howie Chan, MBA

Savoring the spotlight

Doing my best for my class (IMD MBA 2011)

No more IMD responsibilities... for now

With my Japanese advertising guru and main actor - Takashi

Rali, Hannes, yours truly and Alison

The boys having some fun with the props

Singapore connection - Andrew Wong

The "Before" picture...

There you have it! We are on our way to the next thing. We will be celebrating the holiday season with both our families: Christmas, New Years and Chinese New Year.

Graduation Speech

2011-12-09T12:27:00.000-08:00

Check out the speech on Vimeo!

IMD - Graduation speech from Howie Chan on Vimeo.

A journey ends and a new one begins

2011-12-08T14:32:00.000-08:00

Last Friday was our graduation and we had a blast. I had an absolutely fantastic time delivering our graduation speech on behalf of the class and the party at the Beau Rivage was such a good time. It ended at about 5.30 in the morning. Alison and I ducked out at about 3.45am, thinking it was over as the lights came on.

In the last month, we had our electives and a last week that consisted of learning about the first 90 days in our next job, painting and learning about team work from a string quartet. It was a perfect way to end the year as we reflected and start to process the intense experience of the year. Good byes were said over the next few days during dinners and getting together at the White Horse for some pints. There were lots of hugs and lots of kisses as we part and move to different regions to start a new chapter in our lives.

I will miss the camaraderie with my class. We were really close and the intense experience really brought us closer together as a group, which is evident by the tears after it hit us that the year is over. For me, I look forward to the visits and laughing about the hard and fun times throughout the year. It is the thought of reminiscing that will help us all move on. Alison and I also look forward to building a home together, this time hopefully in a better living space!

As I start to catch up on the pictures, emails and closing out the year, I will post more pictures and videos.

Graduation Ball at the Beau Rivage Hotel, Lausanne, Switzerland

Cheers,
Howie Chan, IMD MBA Graduate

Graduation Ceremony Speaker

2011-10-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

It's official! I will be the graduation speaker for the class of 2011 IMD MBA on December 2nd. May my creative juices start flowing!

Feel free to give me some ideas as well. Cheers!

A hilarious yet thoughtful speech by Conan O'Brien

IMDeception - Private showing

2011-10-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

To commemorate the year, I have put together a short film that spoofs different movies with an IMD spin.

Sowing the seeds...

2011-10-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

... of a career! It is an apt metaphor as I continue to navigate the world of jobs and find one that fits. I must say it continues to be an amazing experience of connecting and talking to people. It IS true when Forrest Gump says, "you never know what you are going to get"!

So in line with building an online presence, here are qualities that exemplify me:

- Marketing excellence
- Customer focused
- Leadership & influence
- Innovative drive
- Curiosity & learning agility
- Breadth in communication
- Global awareness
- Adaptability

There you have it, a little teaser about me and find me on LinkedIn!

International Consulting Project Final Presentation

Calm in uncertainty

2011-10-16T02:07:00.000-07:00

It is down to the last 2 weeks of ICPs and we will then start the last stretch of electives. At this point, offers have been starting to come in for some and for most, it's still a wait and see game. To help ease the ups and downs, Alison and I have been taking advantage of the weekends and also making plans to spend christmas in the Twin Cities!

Eze - Cote Azure

I have also launched the IMD movie trailer this week and anticipating the full launch sometime in November! This is a project that started in the first half of the year and have continued through the holidays and into the ICPs. A couple of scenes left to film, but it will be a hit for sure... since most of the students are part of the cast... cheers!

Nespresso & Career Search

2011-09-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

The International Consulting Projects (ICPs) are well under way. I am working with Nespresso, which is a 5 min walk west of campus. Pretty sweet huh! Being close has its perks, since we can get together with our client as often as we want and we can meet with pretty much anyone in the building. Don't forget about the endless cups of Nespresso we can enjoy!

We are halfway in and have completed Phase 2 last week. We are gearing up for an exciting Phase 3. It will be intense, but I think it will be great fun. At the same time, we are also in the midst of our job hunt. It will definitely be a trying period as we try to stay true to what we want. The pressure from friends, family and a "deadline" of December 2nd will continue to brew and I think this is where persistence and optimism will play a great part to stay above water.

For me, I know my long term targets and being sure about them gives me a certain calm that everything is going to be alright. A great quote (more of a paraphrase) from an Alum this past week:

"All of you are already one of the best in your field, and you have all been thrown here together to experience something very unique. Your system is continuing to digest the changes and becoming slowly aware of what has changed within you. Take your time and figure out exactly what you want and do not worry, it will work out."

I believe I HAVE changed and I look at the world a little differently than before. My system is still adjusting, I am certain of that. I will continue to reach for what sends a tingle in my spine and excites me, for our lives are very short and I want to spend my time doing what is worth doing.

MBA journal out!

2011-09-10T04:36:00.000-07:00

Surviving and worldwide whirlwind

South Africa - Discovery Expedition

2011-09-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

It has been almost a month since I last blogged! I must say, the break was so good, I long for it again... Anyway, things are now better and more human than the first six months. We actually plan our schedule and we can get to bed at a decent time. Even though it is better, the stress of finding a job and client presentations for ICPs take on a different dynamic. More on that later!

South Africa... where should I start? It was a fantastic experience. I was in a group of four: Pasha, Michael, Kingshuk and I. We spent our time working with a company that makes accessories for 4x4 vehicles. You know the documentary with Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman in Long Way Around and Long Way Down? This company outfitted the support team which made their expedition possible. In addition, they outfit modern day explorers like Kingsley Holgate that brings mosquito nets, reading glasses, you name it, to different parts of Africa. The company is FullOutput and their leading brand is AfricanOutback Products. Adolf the entrepreneur is an absolute amazing guy that came from Germany more than 40 years ago. Working with this company was just great, Adolf was inspirational and spent a lot of time with us, even bringing us to a Rhino and Lion park as well as the Cradle of Human Kind.

The factory workers and his staff were absolutely great and very hospitable. They would chat with us and tell us their life stories without hesitation. We were also fed like we were eating our last meal when we were there. Homemade meals and all! I must say, the challenges of high youth unemployment, lack of high skilled workers and spillover from the apartheid regime makes it a complex system to operate in, and especially to grow and sustain a business for the long term. We learned a tremendous lot and I would say a truly amazing experience.

The rest of the trip was spent at a Pilanesberg National Park, where we did safari hikes and tours. It was stunning and it is safe to say that I will definitely be returning with Alison. No more zoos... ever.

Front: Pasha, Back from left: Kingshuk, Michael (in our daily van ride)

Kingshuk ready for safari

demonstrating the ostrich wing!

Pasha and I just chilling in a vehicle

Being fed... constantly

Michael is just a workaholic! Well and a sweet-aholic

dried worms anyone? (it was crunchy and salty...)

Tribal dance

At the cradle of human kind

just after a good meal of steak

brothers rubbing horns

protecting the herd!

Bongiorno Lausanne!

2011-08-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

It has been over a month without blogging! I am finally back in Lausanne. Sorry, I have been busy taking a long and well deserved summer break and just returned from our Discovery Expedition in South Africa.

Our 3 week break was spent entirely in Italy, driving from Venice, all the way down to the Amalfi coast, past Naples. It was glorious! We were able to spend quality time together as well as indulge in everything Italy has to offer: fantastic wine, pasta, pizzas, seafood, art, ruins and last but not least, crazy drivers! I must say, we really enjoyed all parts of the break, we were able to get back into "normalcy" for a few weeks and really enjoy each others company. We experienced farm stays in Tuscany, roof top pools in Umbria and fancy Amalfi coastal towns. That is one of the reasons why I love Europe; just a few hours away lies a totally different culture to explore and learn about, simply amazing.

reflections of venice

agriturismo in tuscany

quick bite in florence

food dictionary put to good use

relaxing in beautiful siena

up and down gubbio

pizza town
warning: heart burn ahead

a dip in the sea - positano

colosseum

In the alps - Rochers De Naye

2011-06-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

One of my wishes is to be in the mountains more often and so Alison will always hear me suggest - "how about going to the mountains?" So while we were planning for this sunday, we tried to figure out where the closest mountain adventure would be and we ended up with Rochers De Naye. It is a really short trip from Lausanne; short train ride to Montreux and then a 45min cog wheel train up the mountains. I must say, the train ride was magnificent and well worth the money. We went all the way to the top, above the clouds.

We then proceeded to hike down... this was the tougher part. It was really steep and not exactly a leisure hike like we planned. Kudos to my in-laws for toughing it out! Nonetheless an excellent adventure we walked away with some wonderful memories, pictures, a great story and some sore quads.

Cog wheel train (Toby & Dorothy)

Less than 2 hours later, we are above the clouds

Signs?

The great steep descent

Reminiscing the journey

Alp horn cheese aliens!

2011-06-26T02:49:00.000-07:00

Alison, Dorothy & Toby in Gruyere

Raclette - melted cheese... mmmm

Gruyere cheese metropolis

The alp horn masters

The Giger bar where aliens dwell

Alien watching over Gruyere

The Giger museum!

Our side trip to Gruyere was great! The old town was beautifully set on a hill overlooking the area. We ate, walked and appreciated aliens in the Giger museum. I must say, it's such an odd location for a sci fi museum. Nevertheless, it was great to get out and it was fun to spend some time with the family.

Exams are over!

2011-06-12T12:31:00.000-07:00

The long week of exams are finally over! The last exam was five hours long and I was almost in a daze afterwards. No, I was definitely in a daze. With finals over, we are halfway through the program and the next milestone will be our discovery expedition to South Africa. From here on out, we will have few classes on various topics, but mainly we will be applying everything we have learned in SA and our International Consulting Projects. They officially start in August, but we have already been spending several hours meeting and preparing to jump right in after SA.

This weekend felt like a real liberation and I got the chance once again to escape Lausanne! We took day trips to Gruyere and Rochers de Naye. Pictures to follow!

The magic number 3

2011-05-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

One

Remember the video submission to GBSN? We actually won 2nd place! The news article by IMD was actually featured on the homepage for a couple of days, maybe weeks? Nevertheless, this again proves that you will never know what happens when you give gifts (thanks Seth Godin for Linchpin). I never did expect anything to come from it and being in second place, we actually do not receive a prize. Our program director, however was kind enough to sponsor one of us to Mexico city for the conference in June. So guess what, I will be heading to Mexico for the GBSN conference in a few weeks. Thanks again for all that participated!

the creative director at work!

the smile on Alison's face says it all

Two

The MBAT concluded several weeks ago and I must say, the IMD crew was the ones that made the entire event fun. The logistics at HEC was nothing short of disastrous, and not at all family friendly. The meals I heard were really bad and the parties were equally frustrating. IMD should have their own party! It is no wonder that we are a great crew, since we have close to 100% attendance from the entire class, whereas the other schools only send their athletes and they usually just stay in Paris anyway. Alison and I were lucky we rented a car, since on campus transport was limited to buses that did not run on schedule and were prone to getting lost. However, we spent so much money on the trip that if I were to do it over, it would have been much different.

Negatives aside, this trip showed me how united our class has become, and it is a great feeling to feel the sense of camaraderie. This IS unique to IMD, and when we face outside competition, you can be sure we have each other's back. Thanks guys for a fantastic time!

the cheerleaders!

handling the rock

Three

The start-up projects have concluded! It has been a great learning experience. We learned first hand what it means to work in a start-up and to feel his frustrations and struggles. Although I am glad we are done with another milestone of the program, I also feel that after everything we learned about this company, I want it to succeed. Secretly, I wish that I can help them take it to another level.

Raphael serving us some pasta

champagne! (Raphael, Christian, Kamini, Kemi, Veronika, Saskia, Me)

Yet another integrative exercise

2011-05-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

The third exercise involved a full hands-on-deck simulation that involved every aspect of running a manufacturing business. We were given very tight deadlines to make decisions and agree on a winning strategy. I must say that it was more enjoyable than the first integrative exercise, that one still haunts me from time to time...

Two days of simulation and a presentation, we are finally done. Hopefully this is the end of integrative exercises. On another bright note, we will be presenting to a board of venture capitalists this Friday on the value we provided to our startup. On Saturday, we will travel to the clients office in Geneva to show him all that we have done and then attend his party in his new office.

Tomorrow, we are also meeting our International Consulting Project (ICP) Client. I will be working with a firm right here in Switzerland! Things are moving fast as we have also formed our South Africa groups. At the moment, I am in four groups:

1. Study group
2. Startup group
3. ICP group
4. South Africa group

Luckily, only 3/4 groups are running at the moment. All day back to back, double booked meeting days is getting to me!

Businessweek post finally out...

2011-05-16T15:00:00.001-07:00

MBA Journal: Becoming a leader

Integrative Exercise 2

2011-05-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

In our second integrative exercise, the 90 of us were split into four different universes that consists of three groups each. In each cluster of three, there was Egypt Telecom and two other telecom consortiums. Our team was Egypt Telecom and we were to run the negotiations starting at 8am the next day. In the mean time, we had to figure out a strategy, role play the Egyptian culture and figure out how much we are willing to sell a subsidiary for!

Our team started reading the pile of papers at 5.30pm and started discussions during dinner at 7pm. We then discussed the structure and how we want to split up the team. By 10pm, we split up to do the work. At midnight, we gathered to discuss what had been done so far and we decided to send out a memo to the groups the criteria - we had a board covered with the different items we were going to look at! At ~4.45am, I walked home and slept at about 5am. I woke up at 6.30am, well, not really waking up since I didn't really go into deep sleep. Anyway the team met up, some of them stayed in school to sleep in the nap room. We took the floor at 8am...

The discussions throughout the day was fun, but also frustrating as it was hard to keep the entire team on one strategy as there was a lot of improvisation on the spot. All in all, we learned that building trust in negotiations is definitely key! We ended the day with a happy hour which I hear lasted past 1am in the foyer! I left stumbling home at about 9.30pm.

Cheers to Team Fortynine!

brain dump

morning cheer after minimum sleep

bright and early 8am in the boardroom

There and back again...

2011-04-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

I have been nominated for Best of Blogging by ClearAdmit! Vote for my blog here.

In the past few weeks, there has been a frenzy of activities in the program. We completed our first round of exams at the beginning of April and had a real weekend! It ended all too quickly and when we came back to class, we had the innovation bag challenge, in which the MBAs and EMBAs were pit against each other to come up with the best bag for students/executives. I must say, the innovation class was great; I thoroughly enjoyed myself and am pretty confident to lead an innovation exercise wherever I may end up. Next, we also had to pick our International Consulting Projects in one hour. That was a tough exercise, as we struggled to find the “right” project that will define the rest of the program. And in the midst of all these activities, we find ourselves having to finish the strategy mid-term, in which most of the class stayed up through the night to complete it and then go to class… class attendance was at its lowest at ~70 the day after! Following this intense week, we raced into the Easter break.

A few of us escaped to the vineyards for a picnic that Thursday. It was beautiful and we had a fantastic time. Alison and I then fled to Lugano and Como to enjoy the rest of the long weekend. All I have to say is: Wine, Pizza, Pasta, Sunshine and Gelato…

Next up, integrative exercise number two, finishing up our startup projects and never ending accounting and finance!

Lugano, Switzerland

what it's like in Gelato heaven

Innovation challenge

2011-04-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

we recently had a bag innovation challenge and we put forward a series of marketing videos to gain market awareness for our brand. it was fun and very different from other exercises. here are the campaign videos.

it was fun while it lasted and then we were faced with a strategy midterm that we had to complete in two nights. most of us worked till 4-5am and some did not even go to bed. we then had to head to class at 8am. i think it was a record that almost 20 people did not show up.

IMD Video Contest

2011-04-08T04:23:00.000-07:00

Video editing, interviews, photos for the stop motion segment probably took more than 40 hours of work! Thank you Alison for providing some editing help when school got really crazy and being the creative director for the stop motion segment. We did have to cut it by 30sec to fit into the final video. Thanks to all who helped and pitched in!

Global Business School Network competition

Done with classes!

2011-03-31T12:18:00.000-07:00

For now anyway. It has been a while since I wrote, and rightfully so! I've been extremely busy and have been on 8 espressos for the past couple of days. Sleep has dropped to 5 hours a night and being in the front row, it would be pretty obvious if I dozed off.

We finished our class today and start exam preparations tomorrow. We have 4 exams next week and each will take about 4 hours. I'm apprehensive about it, but at the same time, relieved that I will not have to do any group assignment or any cases. On that note, our experience with the first study group is also over. Team MonX will hereby retire and we will get new teams once we reconvene on April 14th.

I am exhausted, but excited to hit the books and do some reading during the day and not at 1am in the morning. Such are the little pleasures in life.

It's time to exercise

2011-03-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

D-day: Thursday 1.30pm

We were faced with our first integrative exercise that lasted from Thursday to Saturday morning. I slept for a total of 2 hours... I learned so many things in these 2 days, primarily about business analysis, but also about group dynamics and the effects of sleep deprivation on behavior. I am lucky enough to be naturally calm in these kinds of situations, probably because of my time in the military, where sleep deprivation was a constant phenomena.

Our group survived, and it's one less integrative exercise I have to go through. Time is zooming by and I'm going to enjoy these insane moments. Cheers!

Goodbye Economy

2011-03-07T23:12:00.000-08:00

Our last economy class... the whirlwind tour of economics has ended, and we are now facing a test to wrap it all up. The last class culminated last Friday, where all 11 groups presented their work. Class lasted 7 hours, but I have never had so much fun in class before. It was filled with wit, charm, intensity, passion, conflict and even alcohol!

Each group presented on the micro and macroeconomics of a country or region and introduced challenges and potential solutions. It was extremely interesting to hear the issues of economic growth and if it is the only solution and how might change come about. In the end, for every single country or region, it came down to changing the mindset of the people, which means it will take years and would require strong leaders. A coincidence that IMD focuses on leadership? Maybe not.

I will miss Prof. Boscheck and I will miss this class. Cheers to economy!

We discussed gender discrimination and this created some tension in class

The India group came with costumes and all!

Prof. Boscheck in all his glory

A beer in class - priceless!

Businessweek Blog finally posted!

2011-03-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

MBA Journal: B-School on a Caffeine High

Everyday is Monday at IMD

2011-02-25T09:36:00.000-08:00

Classes, homework, meetings... they take up most of our time while at IMD. So far, we have our Startup project, an Economy project and an up and coming Marketing Simulation. Three different teams and all great fun! I must admit that there are tough times, but I can feel the knowledge pouring into me. The trick is to retain all of that. It is a marathon and it's a little scary to think that we will hit March next week. Whether we like it or not, the integrative exercise is coming nearer and so are the mid-term exams.

Wish us luck!

The creation of team MonX

2011-02-17T11:11:00.000-08:00

Enjoy!

We are here to make the market fail

2011-02-13T23:42:00.000-08:00

In our economy class, we travel from the ancient Greeks to the current crisis. Prof. Ralf Boscheck is philoshopher economist that imparts his knowledge through 7 chalk boards and a string of examples that capture the intricate details and on a global level, invariably linking these intertwined systems to historic thought leaders in economics and philosophy.

Business leaders are here to make the market fail because we are here to create company that is "in-substitutable" and aim to dominate the market by sheer differentiation and value (a monopoly...)

Cheers!

A tale of the dysfunctional geese

2011-02-11T13:56:00.000-08:00

Our team contemplated and contemplated: What are our problems? How can we depict our harmony along with the frustrations of not getting the best ideas on the table for discussion?

We finally agreed on this depiction:

We have a difficult time defining the task

We raise concerns, but sometimes not really discussed

In the end, we value harmony over achieving our goals!

We are on a journey of change and what makes good teams is the ability to pick ourselves up from mistakes and continue to strive for both task and relationship.

Cheese to temple

2011-02-06T03:28:00.000-08:00

Team Gruyere has transformed to Team MonX! Here is a clip from our outdoor exercise, where we worked as a team and reflected on our behaviors individually and as a group.

It was an amazing end to a long and tiring day. We went back into the dungeons after the exercises and spent the rest of the night reflecting and discussing how roles and group dynamics were represented.

Cheers team!

No people, no business

2011-02-03T23:13:00.000-08:00

This week has been "different" to say the least. Each group was introduced to a consultant (psychology background) who will be working with us till May. The focus for the past few days was to really dive deep into our group and understand how we feel and interact, both among group members and among other groups. A full day of outdoor exercises and competitions ended in some heavy debriefing and reviewing at night till about 1.20am, then followed by a sharing of learnings the next morning.

Watching our own behavior, sharing very personal thoughts and putting everything on the table made me feel a sense of relief, but also made me feel uncomfortable, especially in the larger group setting. We could all feel the tense atmosphere and the "rawness" in the auditorium. Every group is in different stages of evolution, and we will continue to grow. There were tears and there were intense emotions throughout the day, and I can say it was a truly real learning experience. My senses to emotions were sharpened during the past few days and I promise to continue using them and sharpening them throughout my life. I believe this to be important, as without relationships, not only is there no business, we are also denying the most basic of human needs.

Domino Project Street Team!

2011-02-01T22:10:00.000-08:00

The Domino project is a new publishing project by Seth Godin powered by Amazon, it represents a challenge to current publishing models. I am part of the street team and a part of this experiment. So here it is, the first book by the Domino Project: Poke the Box!

Poke The Box

Enjoy and Cheers!

Team Gruyere

2011-01-29T09:23:00.000-08:00

As part of the MBA program, we work extensively in groups. Since we will be exercising leadership all our lives in small groups throughout any organization, we put a lot of time in our groups. The great part about IMD MBA group work is that in addition to case discussions and completing assignments, we also study our own behavior in these groups. We use video, group observation techniques and various psychological assessments to really dig deep into who each of us really are and how we can view the world from another person's perspective, at the same time taking note of what our initial reactions were.

This may sound very "touchy feely"... well it is! But it is so important! Effective leaders must understand themselves, both the dark and light side, the conscious and the subconscious. Throughout our short time together, I came to realize the power of active listening and self reflection as well as how better decisions can result from the conflict and differences in the team. Cheers team, our roller coaster ride is just beginning!

Team Gruyere - From left: Ayman, Hannes, Constanza, Elisa, Nicole, Sanjar

Getting in the groove?

2011-01-25T11:20:00.000-08:00

It's about 2 weeks into the program and I am starting to feel the load of work on my shoulders. It's no joke, I am probably averaging between 6-7 hours sleep during the week and it's just go go go every day. We all know it's going to get worse, but the thought that all 90 of us being in the same boat gives me some comfort. So far the classes have been great and we went through an operations simulation today, which was great! We had the choice of several input variables including mobile phone design and supplier allocation. We ran the simulation through 4 years and we were presented with financials at the end of each year. It was a great break from the usual 4 hour class routine. But the down side is that our group spent about 5 hours on it... until next time!

The power of 90

2011-01-15T11:04:00.000-08:00

Where else but IMD would you get the highest number of faculty to student ratio?

Where else but IMD would you get 90 students from 45 countries?

Where else but IMD would you get a fruit basket and never ending coffee a few steps from the auditorium?

Where else but IMD would you get 90 students with an average of 7 years work experience?

Where else but IMD would you get a personal card to welcome you into the program, signed by the MBA staff?

There is no where else... that's the power of 90

Half a week

2011-01-15T06:56:00.000-08:00

The first weekend of the program! After a packed couple of days, we finally have a short break to catch up on some sleep, readings, life and some homework. Our Saturday class ended at ~12pm today and after a short group huddle, we left IMD and greeted the sunshine and balmy 43F weather!

So far, the experience has been simply amazing.

Starting with a team building activity (scavenger hunt) in Lausanne, in which our group spent the longest time running around town (since we love each others company so much!), 90 minutes and 90 people to build an arch (talk about too many cooks in the kitchen! We completed the project nonetheless) and lastly a group homework in the evening and into the night (we left IMD ~12.30am). This was our kickoff to the program.

I loved our classes. Although each class was 4 hours long, I loved the fact that philosophy and history was a strong part of them. (I wrote a post on Leadership on the IMD blog). Here's to a great start and a wonderful experience. Cheers!

Economy Class

Team 4 aka Team "Gruyere" in our study room

IMD MBA 2011 has begun!

2011-01-11T10:14:00.000-08:00

After 2 days of administrative to-dos, we are finally ready for the official kick off tomorrow. The 90 of us along with our partners have been welcomed by the MBA team and ate at the wonderful restaurant for both days. It's amazing that we get a buffet lunch everyday, along with coffee and fruits in the MBA building outside of lunch. Believe it or not, I am excited to be a student and am looking forward to the bonds we will form in the year ahead.

GEM #6

2011-01-09T07:40:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows Seth Godin should already have read Linchpin. I am somehow late to the party! Seth gives amazing insights about your career and how to be indispensable in this age where workers are minimal-ized by processes and systems. Seth uses the term "emotional labor", which is the key to being indispensable. His advice also leads us to be the artist and creative beings that we all are!

GEM #6 - Linchpin
My top 3 book quotes:
1. "Work is nothing but a platform for art and the emotional labor that goes with it"
2. "Passion isn't project specific, it's people specific"
3. "Transferring your passion to your job is far easier than finding a job that happens to match your passion"

Linchpin is a must read for anyone who wants to be free of the "work" and perform art on a daily basis in any career. It will motivate you to face your fears and dare to be successful! Will you commit to being indispensable today?

It's a MAD world after all

2011-01-09T07:16:00.000-08:00

Last night was the first time the majority of students got together. One of our fellow students organized a party at MAD, in Flon, Lausanne. I believe we had more than 70 students and about 30 partners. It was really great putting the real person behind facebook profiles and introduction posts. We get more excited about this journey every time we meet new and interesting people. It is truly an amazing experience! I can't wait to chat with my fellow classmates and not have to shout over Lady GaGa and huddle in front of a bar serving 13 CHF mixed drinks.

Here's to a great year and the life changing experiences it will bring us. SALUT!

MAD - a Lausanne club/ bar with an attitude

Welcome 2011

2011-01-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

The countdown to 2011 was a remarkable one, surrounded by classmates and new friends, we toasted to the year ahead. The 36 of us, students and partners find ourselves at Le Bleu Lezard, where we had a six course meal, complete with wine, champagne, funny hats and some party props.

2011 New Years Eve Party @ Le Bleu Lezard

All of us left something safe, familiar and comforting behind, and took a leap of faith to challenge ourselves, to put ourselves out there for something a little more dangerous, adventurous, and different. I applaud us, the students for steering our future and the partners for being strong and supportive so far and even more so throughout the year.

Here's to a life changing year ahead, as all of us dig deep within ourselves and have the courage to grow a little more each day. Happy New Year!

IMD students and the White Horse Pub

2010-12-30T05:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday night, we met up with a bunch of 2011 MBA students at the white horse pub, which is a located down the street. How convenient! It's literally a stone's throw away. We met up and exchanged travelling stories as well as the logistics of acquiring internet access, mobile phones, registration...

It was a great feeling that we are not alone and everyone of us is in the same boat: anticipating the year, excited to start the program and some more jet lagged than others. After an hour or two at the pub, the owner came over with two bottles of champagne and two trays of glasses. It was on the house and he wished us a great year ahead as well as a happy new year. Considering the price of drinks in Lausanne, it was a really nice gift! The sudden appearance of champagne delayed fondue and sleeping plans for some students. Who could pass up on some free booze!

I am convinced the white horse will be a frequent drinking hole for us... cheers!

the white horse pub

Bonjour Lausanne!

2010-12-23T08:07:00.000-08:00

We finally made it to Lausanne. After months of planning and figuring out logistics, we are here setting up our new home for the next year. A couple of highlights:

Before departure:
1. Alison receiving her visa 3 days before departure
2. I realized that I did not have a lien release certificate on the day I was selling my car
3. My Macbook Pro's graphics chip gave out on me the night Ali got her visa
4. I fell sick the day before departure

The day of departure and arrival:
5. We found out at the check in counter that each passenger could only take 1 bag per person
6. 3 extra bags and 2 overweight bags would cost us $350
7. We lucked out and only had to pay $200
8. We hauled about 400 lbs worth of luggage on the train, off the train, on the cab, off the cab and into our apartment without breaking our backs
9. I picked up the keys at IMD and bumped into an IMD classmate
10. We registered at the local authorities only after 3 unsuccessful attempts
11. The passport photos we took in the US were not usable
12. We hooked up our WiFi
13. We tried to open a bank account, but was turned away because there were special restrictions for US citizens and even for green card holders
14. Ate a pretzel
15. Bought some groceries and pillows
16. Received our skis, snowboard, linens and towels
17. Crashed in bed at 6.30pm

All in a long days work!

Counting down, counting up and counting on you

2010-12-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

We are counting down to our big move to Lausanne, Switzerland. It's 7 days, 18 hours from this moment before we take off from the MSP airpot runway. Once school begins, it's Day 1, 2, 3... as I am immersed into the full business school experience. Lastly, we are counting on you, Switzerland, to approve Ali's visa, so we can close out the last logistical item on our list and move on to Europe without worry.

Down to the wire

2010-12-07T10:01:00.000-08:00

We are waiting for the last piece of the puzzle! It turns out that we have to submit a list of documents for me to the Vaud Canton authorities to register as a resident. This should allow my wife to get her "family reunification visa". We submitted the new documents on Monday, Dec 6th and we are slated to depart Tuesday, Dec 21st. The countdown is on! We will still have to mail her passport to the consulate in Chicago and then wait for it to come back. It's no doubt going to be tight and because of the time difference, I've been aching to get up in the morning to check my email. Hopefully, I'll get an "Approved!" email in my inbox sometime soon...

Wish us luck!

A test of influence?

2010-12-03T10:15:00.000-08:00

In the past few weeks, I have become increasingly frustrated at trying to close out some items before we head out to Switzerland. One particular item is the visa. The situation is as follows:

1. Holding a Singapore passport allows me to go to Switzerland without a visa
2. After consulting with members at the Swiss Consulate in Chicago, my wife applied for a family reunification visa at the end of July
3. The process is supposed to take 8-12 weeks
4. At the 12th week mark, we started to inquire about the status
5. It turns out her visa is "In Process"
6. The Swiss consulate cannot contact Switzerland to inquire about this visa
7. We are recommended not to contact Switzerland
8. My wife cannot fly while her visa is "In Process"
9. It is recommended that the school inquires to get more information

It is at number 9 where my frustrations come in. How do I get more information? I cannot just wait, without knowing an end or what to do next! The first email out was at the end of October, but it is now December and the only information I've received is still "In Process". By putting myself in the shoes of the support staff, I try to understand the difficulty in getting an answer.

1. Perhaps the support staff is extremely busy
2. Perhaps the consulate in the canton is extremely difficult to deal with
3. Perhaps no one really knows what's going on with the visa except for this one person that went on vacation

These may all be possible, but the last one I've considered is this:

Perhaps, this is all a big case study on how to influence someone to perform a task with urgency while minding cultural differences and priority levels. This is a business school after all, specializing in leadership. And we all know that leadership IS influence, no more, no less.

I really hope this is all a "test" or case of some sort and we will get answers from IMD as well as a visa from Switzerland before December 21st, when we are supposed to fly out...

What business school cannot teach you

2010-11-30T20:12:00.000-08:00

During the Thanksgiving holidays last week, I visited my wife's Grandmother Millie in Chicago. At a young age of 93 years, she is witty, very much mobile and plays a mean game of Scrabble. Throughout the couple of days, I find myself practicing my note taking skills as I scribble down quotes and meaningful advice as she doles them out at random times. Here are the best ones:

Grandma says:

Personal Development

- "laugh out loud and laugh often"(as she points to a plaque on the wall) "that's the secret to long life!"

Facing Adversity

- "live your life one day at a time, and be flexible when things happen"

Strategy

- "do what the kids tell you to do" (she gestures to my mother in-law) "until they are gone" (she grins)

Profit through ethics

- "I follow the angel in my heart"(she points to her chest) "and the devil in my head" (pointing to her head with a cheeky smile)

and my favorite advice she has for an MBA student like myself:

Prioritization and time management

-"less loving and more studying!"

We will miss her dearly and I expect during the tough times throughout the year, I WILL remember her kind words of wisdom.

We love you Grams!

Grandma Millie and Alison

2nd installment on BW

2010-11-22T11:20:00.000-08:00

"Completing the MBA checklist" by Howie Chan

My second article on Bloomberg BusinessWeek is posted! As a follow up, I'm glad to say that my loan was approved and will be disbursed on my birthday. We are still waiting on my wife's visa... so that is still somewhat concerning.

Enjoy!

Getting used to homework

2010-11-22T10:19:00.000-08:00

As I continue to work on my pre-MBA assignments, I cannot help but feel lucky as I have not days but weeks to read the assigned books and complete the 15 page essay. This privilege will no doubt disappear when school starts in Jan. Meanwhile, I am slowly getting used to the idea of no free time and in preparation for this, I will continue to take things easy until school starts. It will be interesting to see how ridiculous hours are going to be, but I have a feeling I'm going to have an extraordinary amount of fun while facing 5-6 hours of sleep a night. This is what I say now anyway...

2.5 books to go, 12 more pages to write!

Tawantinsunyu - The Inca Empire and the Inca Trail

2010-11-16T10:51:00.000-08:00

Our trip to Peru was anything short of amazing! Primarily due to our guide Miguel, who is sort of a renaissance man, proud of the Quechua culture and really a great guy. We were fortunate enough to spend a whole lot of quality time with him, since it was only Alison and I in the group during our 4 day hike along the Inca trail. It was a tough hike but it was an experience of a lifetime.

Instead of putting all of it down in a long narrative, here are the highlights:

Altitude sickness - headaches, fever, elevated heart rates, indigestion
Coca leaves - went on a quest for some leaves, drank them in tea, chewed them
25 lbs on our backs? - both of us carried our own packs (~80% of hikers do not!)
Highest elevation - dead woman's pass at 14,000 feet!
Microclimates - the mountains presented us with: humid, hot, dry, cold and rainy weather
Porters - the heroes of the hike: with >55 lbs on their backs, they leave later and arrive earlier to cook and setup camp
Ruins - beautiful and amazing ruins that are part of a grand vision of the Incas that radiate from Cusco, the navel of the universe
Machu Picchu - the most beautiful and spectacular experience after ~26 total hours of hiking

Day 1 - at the start of the hike

Day 2 - at the top of dead woman's pass

Day 3 - close to campsite (Winay Wayna)

Day 4 - Machu Picchu

IMD MBA is going to start... today?

2010-10-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

This week, pre-work has been posted in the IMD MBA 2011 portal. The classes that will require some work to be done before January are:

1. Leadership - a book and some articles to read and a personal and professional narrative (PPIN) to write.
2. Finance - two chapters of a finance book to digest
3. Entrepreneurship - a book to read and an assignment to prepare
4. Global political economy - a book to read

So here it is, a couple of books to start reading, some questions to prepare, and an essay to write. Clearly, as my work winds down (9 days left!), my MBA program will start to ramp up. Although I would have liked some real down time before school begins, I'm starting to enjoy this self paced learning and eager to open my mind and soak up all there is to absorb and experience all that I can in this once in a lifetime opportunity...

Cheers! We're off to Peru tomorrow, catch you all when we get back!

Pleasant surprise, great company!

2010-10-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, my wife and I met with a future classmate right here in Minneapolis! It turns out that in order to meet up in the Twin Cities, we had to both be planning a life changing trip to Lausanne, Switzerland. We also found out that they lived within minutes from us. We were anxious to meet them and wondered if they would be good company. We were optimistic and this was yet another step that moved us closer psychologically to Lausanne. It was great fun! We chatted about our interview process, other future classmates, plans and our hopes for next year. It was a fun double date and it helps to have a familiar face when we jump-in in January. I'm becoming more confident that my classmates will be great and our intereactions will form lifelong bonds. 14 working days to go!

Count down

2010-10-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

I've begun to count down the work days... 17 days! It's slowly started to sink in that we will be in Lausanne in about 2 months. In the mean time, we are still scambling to get the visas, our finance in order and insurance for next year! By constantly checking the school portal and chatting with future classmates, I feel like I'm somewhat in control and that I have not slipped up on any major dates.

On another note, we are considering getting a pair of Kindles so that we will not have to haul books all around the world. We are considering the WIFI only, and it seems reasonable that we download books only in hotspots. Anyone has Kindles out there? I would love to hear some thoughts and reviews!

My first article

2010-10-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

"Finding the right match in B-School" by Howie Chan

I found it really hard to actually find this article. The MBA Journal section does not really link to the new articles! Perhaps, they are still trying to revamp the MBA Journal page. I stumbled upon my own article while surfing the web. Enjoy the article nevetheless!

IMD Contest

2010-10-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

Do you want a fully paid trip to IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland to take part in the Orchestrating Winning Performance Conference and an iPad? Take part in this easy contest for a chance to win any of 9 prizes!

Click "Here" for the video that explains the contest.

Back in town

2010-10-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

Back in the cities and the first article on BusinessWeek is out! The trip out west was fantastic, we drove west from Minnesota through South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, then south through Utah, Arizona and then back east through Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa. The road trip covered 9 states, 6 National parks and we probably collected over a thousand bugs on the windshield.

Badlands - South Dakota

Yellowstone - Wyoming

Grand Tetons - Wyoming

Grand Canyon - Arizona

Zion - Utah

Arches - Utah

Camp, camp, I wanna go to camp!

2010-09-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

The first part of our move is complete and now comes a series of vacations before the big jump over the pond. Our much anticipated trip out west is finally here! We will be leaving tomorrow for our little over 2 week road trip. We will hit Yellow Stone, The Grand Tetons, North Rim of the Canyon, Zion and Arches National Park. It will be a blast and after the past few weeks of logistical and physical stress, it will be a relaxing break from it all.

Bschool Rankings

2010-09-10T07:32:00.000-07:00

IMD does not usually turn heads, especially not in the US, unless you have been one of the people researching Bschools around the world. In Europe, I'm sure IMD is more recognized and the brand much stronger. So what do rankings say about IMD? There are several main rankings that we see in the market today:

1. BusinessWeek (Non US - 7th)
- Based largely on MBA grad and recuiter surveys
2. Forbes (Non US - 2nd)
- All about ROI, purely financial score
3. Financial Times (World - 15th)
- Survey of MBA alumni 3 years post and some business school data
4. The Economist (World - 2nd)
- 20% based on student and alumni surveys and 80% data provided by the school

Not too shabby? The ranking game gets really old as each organization ranks the MBA programs differently. What an applicant needs to do is to really understand what the main goal and purpose is when going for an MBA. Keep asking yourself Why? Why? Why? Weight your factors selfishly and you will have your own ranking of Bschools, which in the end is the MOST important!

Apartments and furnishings

2010-09-08T06:21:00.000-07:00

The situation for next year is that furniture in the apartment is sort of "rolled over" to the next tenant for a price. However, sine the apartment was listed as furnished, this comes as a surprise. It seems that students in the past have bought things for the apartment and simply sold them to the next ones coming in. The first thing that came to my mind was what if at the end of next year, the next set of tenants don't want to buy the furniture? What do I do? Do I have to haul all of it to my new place? Yikes... it's definitely a tricky situation. In the end, I think we will bite the bullet and pay for all the furnishings hoping that someone will buy it the next year. I do not know what I might do different, knowing what I know now, but keep that in mind when you find yourself a place to stay! At least we have a place ready when we get there.

MBA journal writer - On a stick?

2010-08-31T11:14:00.000-07:00

It IS in my stars to write for Bloomberg BusinessWeek for 2011! I am honored and excited to share my experiences at IMD. I believe the last representative for IMD on BusinessWeek was for the class of 2006, it's time to give another boost to the IMD brand. Well... I will try anyway.

So immediately after I received an email from Francesca this morning about the news, I sent a text to my wife about it. The return text was a "Sweet!" and a row of corn layed neatly next to each other. No, it's not an inside joke between us, she is spending the day at the great Minnesota State Fair and secretly giving my subconscious a craving for some beautifully roasted sweet corn. The state fair has been a tradition for many minnesotans and in my view, all about food, on a stick!

I'm going this evening and I ate a salad for lunch. Bring It On!!!

Big dog, small dog, no dog, hot dog

2010-08-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

The meeting took about 5 min. It seems we can have as big a dog as we want! Unless of course there are complaints. Seems fair enough. Now we have 3 potential leads: a couple with a big dog, a dude with a small dog and a international visitor with no dogs. Which of these will pony up and sign the lease?

On another note, we have been finalizing our vacation trips in the next few months and that has been fun. The dates are drawing near and the anticipation is building up. In the mean time, the 2011 class has also been filling up. About 60 students (33%) in the class already and 8 months (33%) have gone by in the year... talk about swiss precision!

Next week, a trip to Nathan's hot dog in NYC? A friend of mine also mentioned a Kim Chee ladened deep fried hot dog at PDT (please don't tell) pub. I don't know about that one.

GEM #5

2010-08-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

John Maxwell does an incredible job boiling down the "laws" of leadership, 21 to be exact. After reading this book, it definitely seems to me that only a handful of leaders in the world are practicing every law and great leaders are definitely hard to come by. A clear, succinct book with numerous examples that show you the way to being the best leader you can be.

GEM #5: The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership
SPECIAL BONUS! My top 5 quotes:
1. "Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less"
2. "Leadership is developed daily, not in a day"
3. "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care"
4. "You are the message, people buy into the leader first, then the vision"
5. "A leader's lasting value is measured by succession"

Use this as a guide in all your future leadership endeavors and I know you will be successful. I'm preparing for the day that followers will look to me to steer them into the clear, are you?

Sneaking up on you

2010-08-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a flurry of activities trying to get ready for the move, and the weeks are just flying by at this moment. There are a couple of big rocks to move before the trail gets smoother. The 2 big things are the Condo and Financing. Other little ones include insurance, visa and storage.

The trick is to keep our focus on the big rocks and still enjoy the anticipation and excitement of it all. It's never easy, but constantly stepping back and looking at the big picture always helps to bring us back to the ground. Little distractions will continue to pop up and try to steer us away from our main items! IMD activities have slowly started to gain momentum. Enthusiastic MBA candidates are planning a ski trip in January and perhaps a new year party. Pre-program courses have been suggested by IMD on Finance and Finance Accounting. I anticipate more TO-DOs will pop up shortly.

In the mean time, reading about current students continue to prepare me for the next year. The second half of the year seems to be more dynamic and less structured. No more big lectures, traveling to different countries for the International Consulting Projects, just a more flexible schedule in general. I have a feeling the second half of the year zooms by pretty fast and that is the part most students will miss.

On a different note, but related, our big dog meeting has been moved again! Alright, time to buck up and flyer the town this weekend. I have 80 flyers waiting to be posted and I know there is a potential renter out there waiting to be found.

To rent or not to rent

2010-08-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

To our dismay, the one showing we managed to score did not pull through for us. Even after listing our condo on the MLS ($400 down the drain), we did not receive any hits. We are finally open to the idea of renting and perhaps, it may be the better option after all (only option?). We have a good candidate as a renter, but the only problem is that our friends that want to rent our place has a Bernese Mountain Dog. It's a 100 pound dog, that's affectionate, good natured and stable, one big friendly giant!

The problem is our association has a weight limit on dogs - 35 pounds. All we have going for us is that there is a dog that's about 75 pounds that is living in the building and it was allowed for special reasons. I think helping us get good renters is a special enough reason! Maybe we can get the dog to lose about 20 pounds...

The verdict comes August 20th, let's hope it's a good one, if not, it's time to cast a wide net and hope we nab some fine renters.

1st showing

2010-07-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

We showed our condo the first time this week and it went pretty well! The couple recently got married and a little older, so they should have no problem with the condo price. They were pretty impressed with the space and the best condo they've seen so far. So it's time for us to just buckle down and wait. Hopefully we get more bites now that we listed our condo on MLS (multiple listing service).

With the real estate market still pretty depressed, it has been a bear for sellers and a bull for buyers. Since we want to sell and nothing to buy, we are in a challenging situation. There is always the option to rent out, but that would mean managing the property from afar.

I'm visualizing the sale and I hope readers send out some positive energy to make this happen!

A time to reflect

2010-07-16T07:34:00.000-07:00

I've been following the 2010 students on the IMD Blog and it's been fascinating to live vicariously through their posts. Summer vacation is almost over and they head to South Africa on Sunday, as they head into the 2nd half of the year. I feel their sense of excitement while realizing that the program is a little more than halfway done. I feel some really complex emotions as I put myself into their shoes: apprehension, excitement, calmness, sadness, happiness, melancholic... Deep down, I also prepare for a quick year, but also reminding myself to savor each moment. The over-night assignments, hanging out with my classmates, the lunch buffets, and dates with my wife over the 11 months next year .

I sense a common theme in the blog posts. It's apparent that the MBAs have already transformed quite a bit after a couple of months at IMD. I'm more excited than ever, to learn, to transform, to experience.

Good luck applicants and see you soon future classmates!

Ouchy Ouchy Ouchy

2010-07-07T15:50:00.000-07:00

We've reserved an apartment on Ouchy street, and have received the lease contract. We will have to pay about 4000 CHF up front as a deposit. I guess it's not that bad, a little less than 3 months rent. I don't really have a sense of how this compares in other European countries, but we have no choice.

On another note, more and more students are being admitted and the class of 2011 is slowly forming, it's been fun looking at the sitebuilder webpages and facebook profiles of my future classmates. Our condo is currently on sale and hopefully we will get some bites, but in the mean time, we are selling items and lightening our load as best we can. December will come very soon!

our humble home - up for sale!

GEM #4

2010-06-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

An absolute awesome read, Scott Bedbury gives his learnings at Nike and Starbucks which, under his watch, became one of the most well known brands in the world. He goes through 8 crucial and distinct principles to achieve brand leadership, but I will yet again condense and give you my top three learnings.

GEM #4: A new brand world

My top three ideas from the book
1. Support innovative products with emotional branding as emotional connections last longer (safety, love, affection, belongingness, esteem and self actualization)
2. Brands are defined by a lifetime of collective experiences and actions... so are WE!
3. Fight for brand stewardship with a CBO (chief branding officer) that will control all aspects of customer experience at every single touch point to ensure brand consistency both internally and externally

Passed round 1, now for round 2

2010-06-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

Received an exciting email this morning on my ipod touch, I've made it past IMD's review of the Business Week blogging candidates and was given the go ahead to send my entries to BW. I've now gotten into the habit of checking my email right when I wake up using my alarm clock (ipod touch), anticipating any kind of emails from IMD or the relocation folks.

So it will be in the hands of BW now as I prepare my application to be submitted before June 30th. Successful applicants will be notified in September. It seems that BW only selects a couple of students a year, so hopefully IMD will be represented!

Time to go take a decent photo of myself...

2 essays, 60,000 CHF

2010-06-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

Talk about pressure to perform. I have never written anything or much less do anything in a single sitting that can potentially make $60,000. I'm talking about the two IMD scholarships that I am eligible to apply for.

1. IMD MBA Future Leaders Scholarship
- Essay on "Leadership in an era of Globalization"
- 750 words

2. IMD MBA Alumni Scholarship
- “As a business leader, which issue would you set as your first priority to address in your region / country? Why would you choose this issue? How would you, personally, address it?”
- 1000 words

So here it is, $34 a word to help finance an IMD MBA. It's going to be fun, well it WILL help lighten the debt load obviously, but definitely a great challenge!

visas

2010-06-15T06:27:00.000-07:00

The visa situation is a little complex. Alison is a US citizen and I'm a Singaporean Citizen. The swiss consulate website that we were referred to is quite complicated. There were the required forms available, but we had no idea what documents to send, how to send the payment, what is the payment, who needs to send forms...

It turns out that Singaporeans do not need any visas, either short term or longer than 3 months. All I need to do is to show up at IMD and they will take care of the residence permit. Apparently I will need a residence permit for long term stay. Alison, however will need a visa for stays longer than 3 months. After several email exchanges with the consulate in Chicago, we got an idea of what to do. Alison will fill in a "family reunification" visa, and along with it, submit our marriage certificate, her passport, my passport, my permanent residency card and a letter of enrollment from IMD. At least we have an idea now of what to send. They estimated a turn around time of up to 12 weeks.

As we start the process to obtain our visas, I will post a more definitive entry on how we obtained our visa.

Wish us luck!

"furnished"

2010-06-10T09:45:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to confirm our reservation with the relocation partner for IMD. We are good! A 2 min walk from the Lake, a 5 min walk to school... I'm pretty psyched! I had a quick phone call with the IMD relocation manager and she urged me to contact the current tenant as well as start getting our visas in place. That's reserved for a whole other post on visas... anyway, I contacted the current tenant and it turns out the apartment is not furnished. Apparently the furniture is sold from one outgoing tenant to the next incoming tenant. What! What if the next tenant does not want the stuff? Do I have to bring it all with me? Not cool. It's also kind of weird as I put myself into the shoes of the current tenant. "Here I am, only halfway in the program, and this dude is asking about taking over the place" I hope I don't have to deal with an incoming tenant in the first half of my school year... Oh well, at least it's a reminder that 11 months go by just like that!

So hopefully it doesnt cost an arm and a leg to get at least the bed and some cooking utensils. Furnished or unfurnished, there is nothing much we can do now as the location and size of the aparment is a perfect match. Moving along with the preparations!

entering the portal

2010-06-07T13:23:00.000-07:00

Last week, just before I flew to New Orleans for some seafood and jazz, I received a notice for the portal being available. This is the much anticipated IMD portal for the 2011 students! I was selected to do a beta test for the login and soon after, it was populated with all sorts of information. Needless to say I went straight to the housing section and forwarded the list of apartments to alison. My excitement level spiked again as I saw a renewed list of future classmates and where we would spend the year in Lausanne. We picked an apartment that is 5 min walking distance to the school and had a bedroom separated from the living area.

After reserving the place online, I immediately felt something was amiss when a confirmation window showed a different apartment! Ahhh! We were deftly afraid that the apartment will be taken. The IMD admin staff and the relocation personnel were extremely helpful and very responsive to help solve the issue. After a few days of back and forth, I think we settled the issue... well, hopefully. There is still much to do for preparations for the trips ahead and the big move.

On Ave d'Ouchy

GEM #3

2010-06-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

This book was an absolute stunner! An easy read that will open your eyes to relationships and how an organization can leverage the insights in this book for team building, conflict resolution, and leadership development.

GEM#3: Leadership and self-deception

My top 3 ideas from the book
1. Be extremely self aware on how you treat people as it starts a vicious cycle of stress, conflict, poor team work etc.
2. Acknowledge that everybody slips one time or another, do not try to be perfect, instead always try to be better
3. Don't worry about how others are helping you, instead think about how you can help others

Businessweek blog writer?

2010-05-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

Is it in my stars to write for businessweek? It may be so! It turns out that I may have the opportunity to write about my experience at IMD in the MBA Journals section of businessweek's online business school coverage.

I have to submit some writing samples to IMD marketing and if I am picked, I will submit them to businessweek with IMD's blessing. This should be fun, it will help me get back into planning mode. My activities to get ready for Lausanne come in waves as my wife and I start to de-clutter the home, plan trips and sell used items on eBay. These are interspersed with daily mundane activities and work. It's definitely hard to keep the excitement level at a high, but it's little things like these that puts a smile on my face: a new and exciting adventure awaits... cheers!

GEM #2

2010-05-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

To be a successful leader and visionary, it is extremely important to communicate with impact. What does that mean? Do we have to leave them wanting more? Do we have to entertain and wow our audiences? Do we have to come across as passionate and very clear on where we are going? I believe it's all of these and more. The way to lead that will help your organization understand the why and the purpose of their existence is to communicate in a way that inspires and conveys the purpose/vision with a bang. This easy to read book gives many examples of strong communicators and the secrets of their success. I definitely used these to my advantage as part of my interview, but more importantly it adds to my arsenal when delivering business presentations

GEM #2: 10 simple secrets of the world's greatest business communicators

My top 3 ideas from the book
1. Leverage your tone, speed up, or slow down to bring to life your words and its meaning
2. Speak with high energy and passion as people naturally gravitates towards those who are passionate
3. Start and end your presentation strong, it's the ending that is the most memorable

one countdown after another

2010-05-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

My wife has finally finished her masters of architecture degree and it was a well deserved 3 years of hard work! We can finally start to plan for our move and figure out what trips we want to take before embarking to Lausanne.

Yesterday, I was fortunate to chat at length with a 2009 IMD graduate and it was great! He talked about his experience in the program and he had nothing but good things to say. He definitely thought the work load was heavy, but the sense of accomplishment was well worth it. He also talked about how the soft skills and leadership training helped tremendously, and he definitely looks at the world differently now afther the IMD program. His words added to my excitement as I flip flop between being really excited to start the program to wincing as I imagine the 16 hour days, 6 days a week.

So here we go, I am anticipating the start of my adventure, but also anxious to enjoy the summer as well as having fun planning out our vacation time before school starts.

GEM #1

2010-05-08T07:02:00.000-07:00

Growing up, I was never pushed to read, and so I never really found much joy in reading. Perhaps a few novels here and there, but that's about it. It's only during the past couple of years that I devoured books and read as if I was afraid I would not get to the gems out there before I hit the bucket.

There are so many great books that changed what I do on a daily basis and I will start to post them here. The first one is really a book that changed how I read books. Something that caught my eye in a second hand book store and when I browsed through it, I instantly knew this was the one I was searching for. I do not really read fiction, and I think that is something that will slowly be added to my list of books. For now, I crave for any non-fiction about business, leadership, communication, influence... hard to believe that a MBA candidate will be drawn to these genres huh?

So this first one is special: Love is the killer app by Tim Sanders

My top 3 ideas from the book:
1. Constantly help your peers, your bosses, your friends by giving knowledge
2. Use books as a solution to their problems
3. Instead of reading, STUDY the books you love; summarize, digest and apply!

Why do we help?

2010-05-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

I engaged in an interesting discussion with my wife yesterday. "Why are you helping other applicants?" I was stopped in my tracks for a moment and wanted to quickly defend myself by saying "well, it's all public information, I'm not providing any secrets that you can't find out anyway". But then I really thought hard about why me and other past applicants help out by answering questions and giving tips.

I think I may have got it. Well, it's my best answer for now anyway. We understand what other applicants are going through because we went through the same process. We scoured the internet for tips and any statistics that will help us be more confident, be more prepared, because it IS a big step and whatever happens will change our lives forever. At least that is what we think when we are in the process of it all, essays, interviews, etc...

In the end, even though getting the extra information may help, the true value is that you will feel more confident, more prepared and that may add a little bounce in your step, a little more passion when you speak, and I think that makes all the difference. You want to get to that state where you feel like you can take on anything the world lashes at you, that's when you perform best.

So there, I'm helping out because I know what it feels like to be an aspiring MBA student, and I'm merely providing common sense tips and public information that will not thwart the intricate admissions process to ensure a fantastic class.

Impromptu presentation

2010-05-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

For applicants that have been invited to an interview, congratulations!

The impromptu presentation can be a cause for concern for some of you since it is going to be a "surprise". I must say you need not be anxious, because I do not think they are looking for the content within your presentation. Well it has to at least be logical! I do not know if they keep the topics consistent, but I can tell you this. If you can tackle the case study given to you (and you probably can, since it's a required part of the interview), you will have no problems with the impromptu presentation!

I recommended Case in point in an earlier post if you really want to feel prepared for this section. It will help by giving a structure for tackling the presentation topic. With that said though, the book felt like an over kill to me. Again, I do not think the content matter as much as how you deliver your presentation.

I leave you with three thoughts:

1. Be confident
2. Be logical
3. Be concise

Contact!

2010-04-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

The strength of having an IMD brand is already starting to show. I've contacted several current students and alumni, asking for advice and help with the move. The response and advice were great! They were helpful, candid, down to earth, everything a good friend can be, and yet, I've not even met most of them!

I've received a certificate of admittance and am looking forward to accessing the IMD student portal in June. That is when we will be able to pick apartments, start the visa process and figure out other logistics to the big move.

On another note, I know the second round applicants will be getting the call pretty soon this week. Stay positive! Good luck and hang in there!

Reality is still fuzzy

2010-04-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

Made the 15,000 CHF payment! It was a big step, but I have officially reserved a seat in the 2011 IMD program. It's still too early to get the warm fuzzies and understand the impact of this decision. I must say, it has not yet hit me that we are actually picking up and moving to Switzerland. I joined an IMD 2011 facebook page, but right now there are only 3 of us in it. I guess it is a little early and we have not gained access into the IMD web portal, where I hear are tons of goodies and information on moving to Lausanne. I've heard that one of the benefits of getting in early is the best choice of apartments... I want to pick my apartment! 5 min walk to IMD, fireplace, fully furnished, wood floors, a view of the lake, a grocery store on the 1st floor, charming neighbors...

I guess once we actually start to complete tasks that move us closer to being ready for the move, I will start to feel excited again. =)

Planning the move

2010-04-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

Now comes the bombardment of activities that will lead to the eventual move to Lausanne. Visas, loans, housing, selling our cars, our condo... the list goes on! I think I am the one that is now scouring for tips and "How-Tos". Once I go through these items, I will be able to post some helpful hints!

Interview tips

2010-03-31T16:57:00.000-07:00

Today is the deadline for round 2 applicants! (it's April 1st here in Bangkok anyway...) As you guys prepare for your long wait ahead, what is there better to do than to start preparing for the interview? I know it might seem like a huge waste of time if you do not get the invite, but you should at least start!

To prepare, I made a list of potential questions that can be asked. A great resource for this is the Accepted site, where they store a number of feedback and interview questions from previous applicants.

From there, I listed all my answers and read them a couple of times, I also then made sure that I knew the main stories and examples that would cover multiple questions. It is at this point you have to make sure that it gels with your essays and strengthen it.

TIPS

General:
1. Stay hydrated! (you will be talking a lot)
2. Get to know your fellow applicants (they will most likely be awesome people and the rapport will help in discussions later in the day)
3. Be yourself (they are looking for the genuine you, will you fit in?)

1:1 interview:
1. Establish good rapport with your interviewer (show high EQ)
2. Do not be defensive, even if there are "holes" in your application, show them why that does not matter and how you are still the ideal candidate
3. Show confidence that you WILL achieve your goals and IMD will want to be a part of it (confidence is not arrogance)
4. Enjoy talking about yourself! Everyone does and this is your big opportunity to share your story

Impromptu presentation:
1. Relax!
2. If you have a business background, this should not be a problem (The book Case In Point can be helpful)
3. Create simple slides and brush up on the DOs and DONTs of verbal presentation (Slide-ology, Presentation Zen
4. You have 5 min, so be simple, concise and to the point

Case Discussion
1. Read and re-read
2. Jot down the main points and your thoughts as well as strategy
3. Contribute! Work with your fellow applicants and build on their ideas
4. Be positive and upbeat, it's not about the solution, but team dynamics

There it is. These points are just from my personal experience and is by no means gospel, I am not in admissions! If it makes sense, use them towards your preparation, if not, leave'em out.

The interview day is for you to find out if IMD is right for you as much as for them to find out if you are right for IMD.

Cheers! It's going to be a fun ride =)

Application strategies

2010-03-30T01:05:00.000-07:00

There are many essays to be written in the application and when they mean 1230 characters, they definitely mean it!

I wrote my essays by planning out what exactly I want the admissions committee to know about me - strengths, weaknesses, experiences and values. You want to convey to admissions that this is a person I want to invite to an interview because the responses were compelling and very interesting. Remember folks, that these committee members have to read a lot of essays... a lot. You have to find a way for them to stand out. Think about stories, use stories to convey who you are, what you did and where you want to go. In essense, each essay has to be concise, be part of the larger story that is consistent with your personality. Remember that the key areas of fit are:

1. Leadership (why do you value it? why do you think you are a good leader?)
2. Drive (are you driven? what experiences have shown this aspect of you?)
3. Contribution to class (how would you contribute to the class? what do you bring?)
4. Industry focused (are your aspirations to be a leader in the industry? how? why?)
5. Fit (why this school? why would you fit in?)

I think if you position your "story" that covers these points, you will be very strong in your candidacy. Remember that IMD also looks for a specific profile:

1. Strong industry work experience
2. Committment to leadership and long term learning
3. International experience and outlook

If you convey the overall story this way, I think you will have a great chance to score an interview.

Be bold in your essays and position yourself as an ideal IMD candidate.

Good luck!

Accepted!

2010-03-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

wow... after a few grueling days of anticipation, I finally got the call this morning! 7am, 10 days later, my phone vibrated and a +41 area code appeared on the screen. Lisa Piguet congratulated me and apologized for calling too early =). Well, turns out I was up at about 5.30am this morning for a conference call with a physician. So it was ALL GOOD... although I was in a dreamy state, it felt great. Called my wife immediately and did a little dance in the hallways of the office building, luckily it was too early to attract unneeded attention.

It's amazing how many times my mind slipped back to the interview day and scrutinized everything I said and how I behaved, wishing I could have answered questions a tiny bit differently so I may stand a better chance. Questions bubbled to my head about "what were they thinking when..." "did they realize this..." and then I would gather myself and then tried to feel confident again. That cycle was definitely spun several times in the past 10 days. I'm so glad that is over and new chapter will begin!

One School Application, One Acceptance! 100% field goal percentage, I guess I'm done and I will keep this stat.

Good luck to all those out there and I will start posting some advice and tips.

Cheers!

The waiting game

2010-03-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

It's going to be harder than I thought. 10 business days before I find out how the rest of my life will turn out... wow. Perhaps this is as dramatic as when I was applying to school in the US about 10 years ago. I remember I was not at all nervous or anxious as I was probably not expecting to leave the country. Or maybe I was too young to understand the consequences of an admittance letter.

Well, it has only been 2 days and I am already restless. I guess I can focus my energy on forming backup plans in preparation for bad news. What am I going to do? Well, I am going to look for a new job for sure and maybe an alternative school? I don't know, I am so convinced that IMD is the best fit for me, I remain unmotivated to go anywhere else. Perhaps Cambridge? Sigh... I think the better path for me is to plug ahead in my career and if need be, I will get an executive MBA in the future.

I am pretty sure I can leverage my experience to get a job with more responsibility. Well, at least I will be preparing to go train the Asia Pacific field force in a week. =)

Interview day

2010-03-16T13:42:00.001-07:00

First of all, I would like to say that conditions for me could have been better. I was jet lagged and down with a sinus infection for the interview day. Well, no excuses right? I definitely put my best foot forward, especially in the late morning, having warmed up with the 1:1 interview.

I must say, that the calibre of the applicants are impressive, I feel that most if not all of the group of seven should be offered a place in the program. Well, let's see, it could be the magnificent seven, the courageous six, the elite five, or even the fantastic four. Any less would be unthinkable. So all in all, I was very impressed with the candidates and also the faculty. Well, we met with Martha, the director of the program, Lisa the admissions director and Prof. Bris for our case study discussion. I felt very comfortable with them as they were definitely very welcoming and warm.

Let's just go through the day briefly. It started off with a quick tour of the campus and Q&A with the ever so sweet admissions coordinator Corinne. Thereafter, I had my 1:1 with an admissions member. I think it went pretty well, except it was early in the morning, and in the last 15 min, I felt like i had cotton mouth... I was so thirsty! So an advice is to take 2 of those mini water cups, it will help you... The rest of the day was 45min breaks, the impromptu presentation on a business topic and a case discussion. I felt those went alot better, as we dive into cases and scenarios, I felt more comfortable contributing and being a part of the applicant team.

In summary, I had a great day, met some pretty cool people and I have no regrets. So the waiting game begins and lets hope I get a place in IMD, if not this blog will obviously be very short lived.

Cheers and good luck to all the 2011 applicants!

4 days till the interview

2010-03-11T17:24:00.000-08:00

I am anxious to interview at Lausanne. I'm privileged to have visited IMD last year in 2009 and had a great time. I was able to meet with two students and had an awesome lunch at the cafeteria, more like a restaurant. To think that these two students are already out there in their new job, taking on the world. Interview preparation has taken over most of my nights, jotting notes for the case discussion, reviewing my application and anticipating questions that will arise in the 1:1 interview. To think that in 1 day, my entire life can totally change, how exciting! I guess athletes make history in hundredths of a second.

Well, I hope my next entry will be after the interview, and then the wait begins...

Application submitted!

2010-03-09T17:24:00.000-08:00

As a Singaporean with 7 years of work experience in the US medical device industry, I've decided to apply to IMD for an MBA program. Some people have asked me what other schools am I applying to? Well, I've only applied to IMD. Looking at the school and the unique niche it is in, I believe that is the only school for me. Silly? Maybe so, but if I don't really want to attend any other program, why would I apply?

So I've applied for the Feb 1st deadline and received an interview invite on Feb 13th. The 2 week wait was awful, but I'm definitely lucky as IMD usually send out interview invites after 4-6 weeks. So is this good? I'm trying not to think about it and I'm concentrating on the interview on March 16th. So this means I find out by March 26th if I am going to Switzerland next Jan! Wow, I can barely hold in my excitement. It is so hard not to make any plans and get myself overly excited, but I can't help it. I will continue writing if I get admitted as this would no doubt be a roller coaster ride from that point on. So either this will turn out to be a blog that may help future IMD hopefuls or it may fall flat and join all the other applicants with a big fat ding.

6 days till my interview... I'm sure I will write more to keep my excitement on a leash.