In the course of the week I wondered what motivates people to do an EMBA – a yearn for more money, status and/or power? What is the end game? How many of us are actually close to self realisation? Or are we already there? Are we even honestly focusing on getting there? To me life is about achieving inner peace, being true to oneself and to continuously narrow the gap between one’s passions and work in order to achieve and maintain optimal happiness. That way it would be easier to give back to society to close the cycle of life. Now, an EMBA might just help facilitate the process.

As with most groups do EMBA programmes encourage herd mentalities? Things that make some people happy might not be perceived as cool or to be the norm. But that is fine (as long as our moral conscious has played its part of course). Daring to truly be oneself – to march to the beat of one’s own drum and show one’s true colours – is without a doubt far cooler than trying to follow a mold that society, the media or herds deem to be desirable. We are born unique and we should stay unique as ultimately, that is what makes us special.

During one of the inter-class gatherings I pondered upon how our paths will cross post-EMBA? Whilst we continue to move up on the pyramid the world certainly becomes even smaller. Without a doubt, I shall be seeing some of my new friends within a business context at some point. As we move up the ladder and are faced with challenging decision-making, how many of us will have the strength to keep our integrity intact? How many of us will compromise on our values in order to reach and stay at the top? And at what cost? Is ethical leadership a fundamental topic that business schools ought to address and if so, to what extent? As all of us gain more influence – the higher we reach the more far reaching and amplified our actions will be – I personally believe that it is our responsibility to back and nurture good and sustainable behaviour. By the end of the day we are the minority who can and if we are not doing so then who will? The world is what we choose to make it to be. After all, there is only one planet for all of us to share although true, Virgin does seem to have a brief solution for those who need to eject into a quick fix.

When the London block week came to an end and having soaked up information like a sponge I was now ready to take a step back to reflect upon the valuable knowledge and experience gained. Whilst I slowly transitioned into the process I reminded myself to stay focused on the important things in life be it at or off work.

As Warren Buffet, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway appropriately said: “In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.”

What is within my power to foster and change, I certainly will. The rest karma will take care of.

Peace out.

Got to see the best of London with best people – Our London classmates and school had arranged networking events all through the week to meet and greet with other MBA programmes, especially our Asia class. Thanks for organizing!

Lot of work, lot of fun and NO sleep – all in all, very rewarding. I am looking forward to next block week in NYC – please check in with me in a couple of weeks!

With the name tag nicely secured on my suit jacket, I started walking towards the lecture theatre area where I spent most of the time during the orientation week. While walking up the stairs, the sense of excitement was building up rapidly. I could hear the sound of people chatting got louder and louder every step of the way. When I opened the door and entered the refreshment area, I was greeted by my new classmates and the first lesson began (although the school didn’t explicitly say it): How to effectively remember the name and face of the person you have just met and the conversation you had with that person, then multiply this by 75? No matter what level you are, this does really sharpen your social skills. The good news was that everyone genuinely wanted to get to know each other well. So it was a great atmosphere.

The first week of lectures was amazing! I attended a class visit a few months back and the experience was great. However people couldn’t help but thinking that the school might have arranged the best lectures for the visits, but they are wrong! All the lectures were equally as good. The applause from the class at the end of each lecture clearly reflected this. It was an amazing experience, I have learnt a lot and I felt very inspired to apply the learning at work.

One of the advantages of being an EMBA Global is that we have an average of 11 years of global work experience, so we can relate to the topics and discussions in class. More importantly, people who are here want to be here, so everyone was very engaged. We were asking constructive questions, giving insightful comments and challenging assumptions professionally. Despite the rigorous schedule and extra curriculum activities, no one fell asleep in class despite the lack of it!

Among all the core courses in the first term, “Executive Leadership” and “Leadership and Organisational Change” were my favourites, where as “Financial Accounting” was my least favourite (no offense Professor, I am just telling the truth). However the first week of class changed my perception to Financial Accounting. The professor turned this seemingly boring, dull and complex subject into a very interesting and easily understandable subject. Well… come to think it, it shouldn’t be a surprise, right? Now Financial Accounting is one of my favourite, in spite of the heavy homework

The orientation week went pass really quickly. It was the last day before I knew it. It has been a fun week. It has been great! I have learnt a lot. I have met a lot of nice people. So I am looking forward to the next class week in New York. See you there!

If you’re reading this, it probably means you have had similar thoughts.  It may well be why you are contemplating an MBA in the frst place?  Lets face it, London Business School is one of the premiere institutions on the planet, and the education and opportunities you will experience here are life changing. Certainly, you will be exposed to some of the thought leaders of our age, and will mix with  (and perhaps become one of) the thought leaders of tomorrow.  London is an international capital of commerce, and LBS draws students and professors from around the world, but wouldnt it be good to  push this experience even further? Is there a way to maximise the international component of the learning experence.  Well the simple answer is yes … you can have your cake (or sould that be apple) and eat it!

EMBA-Global is the partnership between LBS and Columbia Business School in New York City. I joined the program in may 2010, and am in the middle of semester 4 right now.  It is an extraordinary experience, and in my opinion is a real ‘force multiplier’, as you are able to combine the best of LBS with the best of CBS – faculty, network, clubs & societies are all doubled … you even get 2 MBAs!

I realize there is a danger of sounding big-headed here, and that couldn’t be further from the intention.  I hope the blog posts I add will answer some of the questions you may have, and give you a flavour of the experiences that make this such a special program.  I’ll cover the ups and the downs of the rollercoaster; the curriculum, life in 2 cities (plus your home), life outside of the classroom, logistics verses experience, and any other thoughts you have.  Feel free to reach out to me through the blog with any specifics you want me to cover … I’ll be happy to cover any topic.

But for now, that is all I have time for …. I’m off to connect with someone on the other side of the world!