Transcript

Two people graduate from the same M B A. Program, same professors, same case studies, same piece of paper. One of them builds a company, lands a job. Recruiters wouldn't have looked at them for two years ago, and has a real network on four continents. The other can barely remember what they learn. Same school, same ranking, different outcomes. Sounds maybe like a difference in intelligence or effort or luck. And I don't think it's any of these, actually. I think the students who win treat the N B A. As a temporary opportunity structure. For two years, doors are unlocked that never open in the same way and at the same time again. And there's some specific tips that I have, and I actually am the director of an N B A. Program at a business school. So hopefully these tips will be helpful for you. Number one, the people who are successful invest in the most interesting classmates. Not the most impressive ones, necessarily. 10 years out, no one remembers the accounting lecture. They remember the military officer who pivoted into tech, or the founder who failed twice before it worked. Invest in interesting, unique classmates. Number two, they treat international classmates as a network, hiding in plain sight. Most people spend years, graduation after graduation, trying to build relationships in foreign markets. Nowadays, your classmates who become a senior executive in Salpalo or Mumbai, that person was sitting next to you in your NBA classes. The Entire time. The third is to use that pivot window before it closes. Business school is one of the only moments where a recruiter will meet with you for a job you have zero background in. That window shuts fast. So the students who actually change fields spend their summer internship showing that they can do the job, not just saying that they're interested. Fourth, they fix their weakest skill instead of polishing their strongest one. A finance expert who learns to communicate with confidence, step outside their cultural comfort zones. That person will often gain more career leverage than one who gets just a little bit marginally better at finance. Something they're already pretty good at. No. 5. They build something while in the N B A. Program because the downside risk is very, very low. Think about it. Warby Parker, the glasses company started inside Wharton. Stitch Fix started when Katrina Lake was a student. Harvard. You've got amazing opportunities as an N B A. Student to actually start something. You've got networks, you've got opportunities, and you're just a student. And a lot of people will take a student's call. And then six, finally, they reach out. Successful people in N B A. Programs reach out to alumni while they're still enrolled, not after graduation. Because being a current student is the easiest excuse in the world to ask a stranger for 15 minutes of their time. Are you an NBA student? You thinking of getting an NBA hopefully these tips are helpful for you as you embark on your journey or think about embarking on your journey.