Hello, Section F!
It was so great to see so many of you today for one of your My Takes.
I was glad that after a long, long week, so many of you were still joking with each other, smiling, and relishing a Section culture that your faculty have noticed seems special.
I also saw some of you for office hours this afternoon.
As you know, everything discussed in office hours is 100% confidential. But I did want to touch on something one of you mentioned that was not personal to that person: “The first HBS semester is like a forge.”
That really resonated with me based on my own experience as an HBS student. Here’s what AI says about the definition of “forge”:
A forge is a specialized hearth or furnace where metals are heated until they become malleable and easier to shape by hammering or pressing. The primary role of a forge is to bring metal up to a high enough temperature to allow blacksmiths or metalworkers to form, harden, or otherwise manipulate it for various purposes.
As you know, you right now are in “peak pressure.” You will get through it, just as 90K+ HBS alumni have.
But knowing that doesn’t make the process fun. I heard that the TOM mid-term was brutal, and that many feel stress about next week’s mid-terms. Your worries are natural. I do not think our powers of denial are so powerful that we can completely ignore tension.
Nor is the forging process convenient, easy, or without dis-comfort. It’s hot in the forge. It feels un-natural there. The HBS first semester also unearths everyone’s unique fears and insecurities. And we want to run away from the process.
In a way, the forge is also a crucible: it burns away parts of you to then create a new version of you.
The HBS program is not a summer camp, that is for sure. But the Case Method is done because it rewires your brain to be leaders who make a difference. You do the Case Method to get your “reps” in like athletes to become accustomed to making consequential decisions with limited information while under pressure.
You’re almost through “peak pressure.” To continue this journey, I gently ask you to remember what we discussed during the last Section Chair Check-In:
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- This moment is temporary. The forge will pass.
- Double down on the meaning/purpose that called you to HBS in the first place.
- Make conscious, proactive choices about your time allocation.
Regarding #2: Remember START in two ways. Visualize again the face of the person who most affected your life. Glance again at the list of leadership skills you most wanted to develop.
Regarding #3: Be ruthless about choices, kill FOMO, and be OK with your tradeoffs. For example, for me, I did zero networking. I hear that HBS students are “supposed” to network with classmates. I didn’t do any of that, and I don’t think it hurt me at all. I really don’t think having a five-minute conversation during the noise of the Gatsby party would lead to a meaningful business advantage, for example. And, as a newly-engaged person planning for a wedding we could not afford, my priorities were elsewhere.
Enjoy this beautiful fall weekend. Enjoy the cross-Section happy hour, the regatta gathering, the board-game night, and anything else on your agenda. Or enjoy some solo time with a good book and some naps. Either way, you do you.
Good luck next week. Take the work seriously, but don’t take yourselves too seriously.
Please continue to marvel that you are at the Harvard Business School.
Fondly,
Jo