Hello! This goes out to Old J, New F, and VCPE-01.
I’m writing this on a typical autumn New England Friday at HBS, with an overcast sky, trees starting to be stripped of leaves, and a campus about to empty for the weekend.
I appreciate the opportunity to get to know so many of you in the classroom and during office hours. I appreciate your candor and willingness to share your personal experiences as we grappled with difficult business decisions and life choices.
I thank you for sharing your stories.
We had a special semester in the VCPE course. I thought you handled the cases well. As mentioned, I’ve taught the course eight times, and you were the strongest VCPE students I’ve ever had. And, no, I don’t say that every year. Every class has been strong, but you pushed things to the next level with your prep, eagerness to learn, and deeply personal and personalized takes.
As we all ready for Thanksgiving, I hope you all find time to rest up. Yes, final exams are coming and final projects are due. But, all of you are used to hard work, and you’ll find winter break will soon be upon you.
I have a request during your break: choose not to worry.
Old J and New F: you’ve heard the My Take I give each year. VCPE-01: I will see you on December 4 for it. To the former, you know I believe that we always have the agency to choose our responses to stress. To the latter, the My Take will be a TMI session that tries to prep you for post-HBS life. You’ll also see a new slide that the other classes have not seen, and it is above. It is based on something KKR’s Dane Holmes said in our class.
He told us to delay our worrying. He said that he delays his worrying until he has to make a decision about the topic that worries him so much. I also believe it’s important not to worry about things over which we have no control.
I think a little bit of worry is good. It motivates us. It helps us plan. From personal experience, I can tell you that too much worry is unproductive. At its worst, it can be debilitating. It robs us of the joys of and from today.
I wish to you a wonderful Thanksgiving break. As we continue our HBS journey together, may we choose productive worry.
See you when you return.
Fondly,
Jo