Lessons from business school. And the court (not that one)
Many years ago now, I had the great opportunity to go back to school. It was a little nervewracking, since it had been years since I had been in a formal academic setting. It was also unfamiliar. I was going to a U.S. business school, with clever and experienced business people all around me - CEOs, CFOs and other C-somethings from all over the world, who were often leaders of thousands of people. By comparison, I was just a technician. But the experience was great! I saw how many people were willing to speak their mind, whether they were ready or not, and not immediately worry about whether they were right. A lot of thinking was wacky - and that was the point - I started to understand why that country has so many moonshot successes, and why their innovation culture is so strong, even amidst the many bad ideas and failures. This concept of "success amidst failure" brings me to the present day. When I returned to Singapore, I joined the local alumni club of the bu...