Ahead of the Curve

Book number three so far this year.

Rating: Good read

I am a little behind in writing my reviews of the books I have been reading, but, never fear, I decided to take a few minutes to share the my thoughts on Ahead of the Curve, by Philip Broughton.

I can't remember where I heard about this book. I am always hearing or reading about books that sound like worthwhile reads, and I write the titles down on anything and with anything that is available at the time and place. This is only a temporary location until I send the title to myself in an email for proper filing. Ahead of the Curve was one such title, scribbled on the back of a torn envelope flap, sent as an email, and eventually picked up from the library. However I found this title is of little importance at this juncture.

Ahead of the Curve is narrative describing the author's experience of attending and graduating from the Harvard Business School (HSB). Broughton was a journalist by trade before heading off to HSB, in fact, he was the Paris bureau chief of the The Daily Telegraph of London. The dichotomy between journalism and HSB is a topic that the author speaks to frequently and is a vein that is articulated and struggled with throughout the chapters. In an upfront and unbridled manner, Broughton describes the day-to-day activities of attending HSB. If you have ever wanted to talk to a HSB grad about what it is like to attend HSB, this is the book for you.

When reading this book, I felt like I was in the classroom right along with the author. The book is not a textbook, but I enjoyed picking up key pieces of knowledge that the author made a point to highlight. Finance is valuation. Can leadership be taught? Is business the best medium to teach leadership? Inventory is a dirty word. Cash conversion will make you or break you. Strategy is not operational efficiency. "Be a principal or decision maker, not a service provider--they possess the grail: control over their time (Rubenstein)." There is always money for good ideas.

Each HSB class is made up of ~30% international students, ~30% women, and 40% men comprising a total of about 900 students. HSB attracts what Broughton describe as "insecure overachievers"--some of the best and brightest minds making the pilgrimage to the holy land in order to have the chance to make fat salaries and garner the praise and adoration of all who adore the HSB brand, while subliminally trying to prove to themselves and everyone that they are worth something. When you arrive at Harvard you are assigned a section letter (e.g. Section A, Section B, etc.) consisting of 90 students. For your first year at Harvard you take every class with that same section in an effort increase relationships with your classmates.

It has always been a dream of mine to attend HSB, but the more I think about it, the more I know it isn't for me. People don't go to HSB to only work 40 hours a week and have a family life. People go to HSB to work 90 hours a week and never know their family. My family is too valuable--I love them too much. In my mind the ticket to serious wealth is in the entrepreneurial spirit. Striking out in a mixture or real estate, business ownership, and consulting is the path that Paige and I have chosen. Not working on somebody else's ideas--working on our own.

I look forward to the day were I can work hard for myself, spend more time with my family than my co-workers, and enjoy 3 hours lunches with my cousin Philip, delighting in fine food and riveting discussion.