what I learned at Harvard Business School

Ten years ago today, I was waiting in Brisbane airport for a flight to the U.S. on my way to an Executive Education Program at Harvard Business School. It's no exaggeration to say that this was one of the most profound learning experiences of my life.

On my return from Harvard, I spoke on a number of occasions about the lessons I'd learned. They were very different from what I had expected when I was waiting for that plane, but they were significant and had an important impact on my career and my life.

These were three of the key lessons for me:

You can't be good at everything
Our very first session was with Frances Frei on her work on Uncommon Service. Choosing what you'll be bad at is just as important as choosing what you'll be good at. Some of the most successful businesses they studied had done so by being very clear on what they chose not to do.

Lead with warmth and follow with competence
This important lesson was from Amy Cuddy. When challenged by her, most of us agreed we'd rather be respected than liked. But her message was that if people don't like you, they won't even listen, much less respect what you have to say. Connecting on a human level first is essential if we want to have influence.

Resilience equals self care
Inspired by Nancy Koehn's case study of Ernest Shackelton's ill-fated voyage to Antarctica, we learned that we can't perform at our best if we don't look after ourselves. To lead others requires resilience and building resilience requires taking time out, resting when needed and nurturing our body and soul.

Ten years on, I still carry these lessons with me and teach them to others as they progress on their journeys.

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