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Boola Boola

2009年05月17日

As I was reading the latest MBA rankings from US News & World Report, I realized that I have helped my clients enter every school in the top ten, except for Yale School of Management (SOM). The reason for this is that very few Japanese candidates ever apply for this program. I can recall only two clients applying there over the past 8 years, and both decided to go somewhere else instead. And it got me wondering why Yale does not have a stronger reputation in Japan. After all, it is consistently in the top 10. What’s more, it is Yang to Harvard’s Ying. It produced presidents, vice presidents, captains of industry and globe trotting diplomats. Prominent alumni of the Yale SOM include the Founder and CEO of Ripplewood Holding, the CEO of PepsiCo and the Managing Director of the Carlyle Group.
Not only is Yale a consistent top 10 presence, it owns the #1 spot in the Non-Profit Sector. This last point may be why many Japanese candidates shy away from applying to this school. But any look at the list of alumni will tell you that Yale SOM does more than just prepare people for NPO work.

At the same time, from my experience more and more candidates ARE considering careers with NPO’s after graduation. In fact, according to Financial Times, a growing number of 1st year MBA students are planning to take their summer internships with NPOs. And Yale SOM is stellar in this area. Not only do they place students with global NPOs they actually set up a fund that helps cover their expenses (since NPO’s pay interns litte or no money).

Thus, all candidates pursuing non-profit work in the future should have Yale SOM on their school portfolios. And even those who are not planning to go the NPO route, Yale is still a great option. Consider this: the President and CEO of the Harvard Management Company–which manages Harvards multi-billion dollar endowment fund–is not an HBS graduate. No, she got her MBA from the Yale SOM. Boola Boola indeed!

It’s OK to Ask Questions

2009年05月16日

My friend teaches at a senmon gakko (a cross between a trade school and a junior college). The school attracts many international students, who often go on to top Japanese universities. This friend, who is Japanese and has taught at the school for several years, says that the international students in her class sit right in the front and are the most eager students. As she said about her class this week, “Those students from abroad were so intent on studying…. I wish my Japanese students would learn from them.”

Having taught various seminars in Japan over the years, I know from experience that many Japanese are uncomfortable asking questions or giving their opinions. I learned that I often had to call people’s names in order to get them to contribute. Some people blame a lack of confidence in English for the silence. Others say the fault lies with the Japanese education system, which does not encourage give and take between students and teachers. Regardless of the cause, Japanese MBA candidates have a reputation, fair or not, of preferring to sit quietly in the back of the class.

This is not to say that all of my clients are shy about speaking out. I have worked with several outgoing people who never hesitated to speak their minds. And these are usually my most succesful candidates. That is why I always encourage my clients to take steps that will make them more comfortable speaking English in public. For example, there are various English conversation cafes in Tokyo, where customers can chat with native English speakers over coffee. There are also various language exchange clubs, such as the Tokyo Japanese-English Language and Culture Meetup Group, which meets at the charming Canal Cafe in Iidabashi.

One of the best ways to improve your English speaking skills and confidence is by joining Toastmasters International. This organization helps people improve their public speaking skills in friendly, supportive environments. Toastmasters is a non-profit organization that has been around for over 80 years and has over 200,000 members in 100+ countries. There are several clubs in Tokyo and other major Japanese cities. Their homepage has a nice search function.

Here is how the system works (from Toastmasters Website):

Most Toastmasters meetings are comprised of approximately 20 people who meet weekly for an hour or two. Participants practice and learn skills by filling a meeting role, ranging from giving a prepared speech or an impromptu one to serving as timer, evaluator or grammarian.

There is no instructor; instead, each speech and meeting is critiqued by a member in a positive manner, focusing on what was done right and what could be improved.

Not only will participation with a Toastmasters club improve your English skills and confidence, it will also who business schools that you are making an effort to have a more international perspective. Furthermore, it will make you more comfortable speaking in class. And at business school, whether you want to or not, you will have to speak in class. So, you might as well prepare for the experience.

Room to Read, Beer for Books

2009年05月15日

I attended a great charity fund raiser yesterday at Genius Tokyo in Ginza. The event was called Beer for Books. The concept is quite simple really and brilliant. For every drink purchased, the club agreed to donate 100 yen, which is enough to buy/print one children’s book. All of the proceeds go to the NPO Room to Read, which was founded by ex-Microsoft executive John Wood, author of the best-selling book, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World. Room to Read builds schools and libraries, and stocks them with books, in developing countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos and Nepal and Vietnam.

The event was organized by Gary Bremermann, a leading executive consulting in Tokyo. It was the 8th or 9th event, but this one was special, since John Wood himself was in the house. Both John and Gary gave inspirational speeches. John said that over 5 million books have been donated so far, and last night’s crowd of over 300 helped raise enough money for over 1,000 more.

I came away very inspired by the staff and volunteers of Room to Read and Beers for Books. Everyone was motivated, enthusiastic and professional. As John Wood once said, the key to his NPO’s success is having “the scalability of Starbucks and the compassion of Mother Theresa. ”

For any MBA candidates thinking of adding an extracurricular activity, which I strongly recommend, one or both of these organizations would be an excellent choice. Gary has set up Beers for Books so that anyone can organize an event. Already, B4B nights have been held in places as far away as San Diego, California (photo). So, if you want to help a good cause, build your organizational and leadership skills, and have a lot of fun in the process, this is your chance.

“Carrier” Goals

2009年05月13日

Every year, several of my clients misspell the same word: career. The spell it “carrier.” I tell them that unless they are Navy fighter pilots aiming for safe landings, the term “carrier goal” makes no sense.

I’ve always wondered why so many smart people made the same mistake. My theory has long been that the problem is the katakana pronunciation of career sounds more similar to carrier. And that may be one reason. But two weeks ago, I found another cause: The library at Academy Hills. When I took a tour of the place a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that the sign in one section of the library said “Carrier & Life.” As I wrote yesterday, many Tokyo-based MBA candidates study at Academy Hills, and it is quite plausible that they were influenced by this sign.

When I told my tour guide of the mistake, she literally blushed and apologized. I gave her the correct spelling, and she promised to have it fixed. Sure enough, when I made a return visit yesterday, the sign had been corrected to properly say “Career & Life.” So, this year’s candidates now have no more excuses for misspelling one of the most important words in an MBA essay.

Academy Hills

2009年05月12日

I write this posting from the 49th floor or Academy Hills, the great facility at Roppongi Hills. The view is amazing, including Tokyo Tower and the bay. There is wireless LAN, dozens of meeting rooms, hundreds of comfortable seats, and thousands of books. They even have two cafes. It is a really great place to work, study, or just read for pleasure. I walked past a few quiet study rooms, and saw several very studious people. They all had their noses buried in various study books. I didn’t take a close look, but I am sure that many of them were studying GMAT or TOEFL. My clients have told me that many MBA candidates study here. Now I know why.

Regarding GMAT and the fact that many smart people struggle to get high scores, even when they do really well in practices tests, I believe I have a possible explanation. I think they are over analyzing each question. In other words, because GMAT is a progressive test–if you answer a question correctly the next question is harder, while it is easier if you answer incorrectly–these smart people are probably wasting time analyzing each new question to determine if it is harder or easier than the previous one. By doing this, they think they can know how they did on the previous question. Or, they may wonder if a question is one of the trial questions that don’t affect their scores. But by wasting time and brain power worrying about how they are doing, they are actually making it harder on themselves. To be a good GMAT taker, one needs to quickly forget about the previous question and focus 100% on the question at hand. This takes discipline, which is why it is important to practice GMAT, and TOEFL iBT, in a manner that simulates the real test. This means taking the full test within the prescribed time. By doing this, you will condition your mind and body for the grueling 4-hour tests. Perhaps the folks I saw in the Academy Hills study rooms were doing just that.