You can catch the editorial review of my studies at Harvard Business School in the latest issue of Fast Company magazine. Here’s an excerpt.

FAST COMPANY – JUNE 2017 (page 18)

I was quite a naughty kid at school – my focus was more entertainment, rather than my marks. I cruised through and did ok academically. I can’t recall ever getting an A and there were times I hid the report card from my folks. I know my mum used to worry and I remember clearly reassuring her that everything would be fine. I was desperate to get out into the “real world” – I didn’t know what I would end up doing but I remember feeling like there was a plan that would somehow fit together, even though I didn’t know at the time how it would roll out. For me, school was more about my friends, rather than my marks. That said, it would be remiss of me not to mention my performance on the rugby pitch. After all, the monicker “C-TAP” (Coming Through At Pace) didn’t come from nowhere. Ask Rob Fleck about that, if you want to hear some more tales.

Back to my education.

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity and to get a degree in marketing which was great on the CV and certainly opened some doors. I was glad I did it, but by the end of it I could never imagine studying again – that was all behind me. Friends of mine did, mind. Even in the last couple of years, the odd mate went off to get his or her MBA. I never really understood why.

Two years ago I got my fixed-wing pilot’s license which was the first time I had studied since my degree. But it was different this time. I devoured every word in the manuals, ground school and in the air. I was studying something I was truly passionate about. Maybe at school and then in tertiary education I wasn’t truly passionate about every single word I was reading. Or maybe the pilot’s license wasn’t really “studying”, as in going to class at a higher learning facility. I still couldn’t imagine myself going back to school, as it were.

That was before I got my entrepreneurship certificate at Harvard Business School.

There are a number of programs at HBS and I had my eye on a handful relating to entrepreneurship. Having already written a book* about testing new ideas in today’s online world, the ‘Launching New Ventures’ program appealed to me. Why did I suddenly decide to study again? Well, I guess it was a combination of things. The course was short, which suited me on the home front; plus it was highly specific to my interests, and I also believed the networking opportunity and exposure to so many like-minded people would allow a fresh perspective to trigger and complement new business ideas. One idea, for example, is to consult to new and established companies seeking marketing and SEO advice, but with business and entrepreneurial experience as a key differentiator.

The application criteria had to do with business experience, company turnover and view points. Only 15% of applicants were accepted, resulting in a class of 75 people from 25 countries – all living and eating together on campus.

Each person was part of a discussion group, who lived together in the same wing on campus. I didn’t know what to expect and imagined an upmarket dorm room. Instead, it was basically a hotel. Like a Hilton or a Radisson. They even had porters to take your bags to the keyless room. Everything looked brand new as well. There were toiletries, a desk, computer, quality linen, hair dryer, safe – you name it. The mood lighting turned on automatically when you walked in and it had incredible climate control – handy, as we had a couple snow storms.. Every evening when I returned to my room to work, it had been cleaned from top to bottom, with the bed made perfectly. There was even a room service menu in case you got hungry while you were burning the midnight oil.

My room

That’ll do

Living quarters

The campus itself is visually astounding, with operations and facilities to match. Besides a fully serviced bar and meals with waiters serving wine and cleaning plates, I was squeezing in quick three minute FaceTime calls to my girls at home, from anywhere on campus. There’s permanent hi-speed wi-if wherever you go – even outside. They know what’s important and they simply do not compromise. And with the size of the eye-watering endowments they constantly receive from former students, they’ll never have to.

There was a heavy snow storm the one day which made travel between buildings pretty cold. But that’s not a problem, because there is an underground tunnel network connecting every building on campus. The wifi works there as well.

A so began back-to-back class sessions, case study assignments, groups discussions and meals. That was it – non-stop. I squeezed in a few treadmill sessions at 5am, but there was room for little else. I was given the role of team leader of my group, which included an Ozzie, three Americans, a Dutchman and an Italian who lived in Miami. The latter had just stepped down as global CEO of possibly the most well known cosmetics company in the world, with an annual turnover around $5 billion. And let me tell you something, the R200k cost of this course would have covered the consultancy fees for the things I learnt from this guy alone. Not that he would ever consult – he doesn’t need nor want to. Neither would the head of Tata (as in Mr. Tata), I’m sure, who also recently graced an HBS program.

My study group – Two Ozzies, three Yanks, an Italian, a Dutchman and 1 X Saffa!

Leading up to the Baker Library

Baker Library steps

The Dean’s House

Case study preparation

Chao Center

Sacred Russian bells

First faculty house on HBS campus – Ludcke House – 1927

Underground heated tunnel system with wi-fi!

Enjoying the Trump reality show from the treadmill

It was truly fascinating to learn about what everyone on the course was doing in business and what new ideas they had. It was equally rewarding and indeed satisfying on the rare occasion to offer advice on a particular issue I might have encountered in business. I quickly realised that possibly the biggest advantage of being at HBS is the networking opportunity. It would be crazy not to meet every single person – and I think I managed to do it too – even shaking hands and swapping cards with a guy when we were checking out. He has a great idea that he wants to bring to South Africa.

Everything is better at Harvard, and you’re reminded of that every day. There is a underlying confidence you see in the professors – it comes through via the tongue-in-cheek jabs they make when MIT or Yale is mentioned in a particular case study. But it’s not arrogant – they’re too smart for that – it stems from confidence.

We’ve all heard people talk about a particular professor they had at university, who had something special and somehow got the class to listen. Well imagine two main professors, then another eight guest speakers / Fellows who all have you hanging on every single word they say – but with their own unique styles and with so much energy you’d think it must be a one-off. And it’s not just them talking – they’re like philharmonic orchestra conductors, guiding a constant-stream of constructive and highly relevant debate amongst the learners, darting back-and-forth to the board to keep track and order of the flow of our collective consciousness. It is a fascinating spectacle to witness and to be a part of. The one guy, Scott, who had studied at Harvard at the same time as Mark Zuckerburg, wore bright orange running trainers. But not for fun, he needed them – that’s how fast he was moving around. One day he climbed up the blackboard partitioning, to make a note on the top board, instead of pressing a button to bring it down. His brain was moving too fast and he didn’t want to lose the momentum that was building in our class discussion. This is the kind of stuff you’re dealing with when it comes to these men and women at Harvard.. Crazy energy. Ridiculously infectious passion – operating at grandmaster-level of their game.

The discussion of Harvard itself and the things we were witnessing became a popular ice-breaker when meeting the other candidates. Someone said to me that the lecturers were “world class.” I found that funny, because he hadn’t yet grasped the fact that when people refer to “world class”, they’re referring to this precise level. You’re in it. In doesn’t require qualification.

In class action

Tunnel system came in handy the one day

One more of Baker library

High-end cuisine with staff pouring wine and drinks every meal

 

HBS makes use of the case study method, whereby businesses that have experienced or are currently experiencing certain challenges, are analysed, and the founders’ decisions dissected. Each case study tends towards a particular part of the business process for an entrepreneur – and you are given as much information as possible – around 25 pages per case, outlining the story, with visuals and spreadsheets. Some of the businesses had folded, some sold for a fortune, and some of them are still going – in which case the class would use up to date analytics to discuss what the company should do next. Some of the cases I had never heard of and some (like Dropbox, Tesla and Amazon) I had. Very often there was no solid definitive answer as to what the protagonist in the case should or should not do. But for me, the process of dealing with the case on my own at night, then in my discussion group the next day and then again in open class with 75 other people from all over the world, applying lessons they’ve learnt along the way, unlocked so many fresh thoughts about new and existing and ideas of my own, I had a separate pad of paper just to keep track of that.

But we weren’t just doing case studies about businesses winning or failing. We discussed dreams and family too. Do you want cash or do you want to be king at home? Are you a success if you have billions in the bank but your marriage is over and you spend your life flying from city to city? Harvard Business School doesn’t shy away from that kind of stuff, because it’s necessary. That is why you came here – things need to be thorough – with no stone left unturned.

Most of us went out for a drink on the last night which was great fun. Then, when we said goodbye to each other after class on the last day, it felt like this particular group was special. It seemed impossible that any other group at HBS could be this great. But they all (every course) are – because you cannot absolutely guarantee this kind of success and customer satisfaction without having the world’s greatest facilities, systems and people at your disposal. It takes a day or two before you truly digest what you’re dealing with. It’s massively seductive.

Hitting the town on the last night

It can become addictive, too. A lot of the class were talking about which program they were going to do next year. Because the courses are short – anything from a week to a few months – they’re manageable in terms of our busy lives. And because the content is so up to date and fresh, the relevance to your business or your job is exponential. That was probably the biggest takeaway for me. I need to keep doing this. I need to keep learning, and with short courses I can.

Market trends, ideas and business tools change, and without constant learning you will get left behind and your brain will get stale. Look, it’s never guaranteed that we can get to Harvard every time, but there are a number of excellent short courses available for a variety of disciplines at most of South Africa’s top universities. And you don’t even have to physically get there either. In collaboration with the likes of UCT, MIT, HarvardX, and Cambridge University, online education companies, such as GetSmarter, offer those same programmes as tutor-led, certified short courses – accessible entirely online.

I pray to the gods daily that some of the agencies and media buyers we deal with at 2oceansvibe could be sent off to do a fresh digital marketing course, at the very least. These guys are blowing the client’s cash on ideas, campaigns and metrics that are so 2012 it’s not even funny. And that’s not just my opinion – I’m yet to find someone in the industry who does not agree. But that’s for another article, another time.

On a lighter note, yes I did get the T-shirt. And the hoodie, jersey, caps, keyring, folder and stickers. I didn’t think the ‘Harvard One ring’ (Google that) was appropriate!

I hope you enjoyed the review – there’s so much more to tell you but Fast Company has only so many pages. If you do ever consider it and you can make it happen, please don’t hesitate.

Seth Rotherham

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