Harvard Business School Confidential
Secrets of Success
By: Emily Chan
Published: September 15, 2009
Format: Paperback, 250 pages
ISBN13: 9780470822395
ISBN-10: 0470822392
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
"HBS teaches you to differentiate between two types of income: linear and investment", writes Director of Pacific Merit Ltd. (PML), and Harvard Business School MBA, Emily Chang in her practical and interactive book Harvard Business School Confidential: Secrets of Success. The author describes the fundamental and important lessons she learned why studying at Harvard Business School.
Emily Chan describes effectively how many students attend universities and colleges with the intention and expectation of finding a good paying job. The author points out that this concept may work for many people, but contains no guarantees, especially in today's difficult economy, increasing job cutbacks, and rising unemployment. For Emily Chan, the power of investment income was underlined her while attending Harvard. While linear employment income ends with a job loss, investment income continues regardless of outside income streams. The author describes HBS students as viewing jobs as a means to end, and not the goal in and of themselves. Having money work for you, as your ultimate employee, is a more effective means of increasing personal income and wealth.
Emily Chan (photo left) writes that she learned three critical core skills while at Harvard Business School. The first of the three concepts is to think analytically whether the problem is career management or studying in depth how to improve an organization. The second crucial skill is the ability to communicate ideas clearly and effectively either inside or outside of the organization. The third core skill is the ability to network, meet people, and help them to help you to succeed. With these basic building blocks in place, the author believes anyone can achieve their goals. She found Harvard to be an excellent place to learn, practice, and develop all three of these abilities that she carried forward into her career.
For me, the power of the book is how Emily Chan provides a clear eyed and results oriented approach to her analysis of her Harvard Business School education. She shares her straightforward approach to employment as a means to an end, while recognizing that investment income is an additional road to wealth. The author advises against following the crowd, and recommends taking a more individual goal based approach to investments. Through a disciplined saving plan, carefully managing risk, and understanding the real difference between speculation and investment, a wealth building plan can be executed effectively. The author bolsters her ideas through interesting examples from Harvard case studies and her personal business experience. While not delving deeply into any one concept, Emily Chan provides a comprehensive big picture overview of her educational experiences, as another one of her approaches to career building success.
I highly recommend the very readable and lively book Harvard Business School Confidential: Secrets of Success by Emily Chan, to anyone seeking to add the knowledge and ideas taught at the Harvard School of Business to their own careers and wealth creation plans. The book teaches the secrets that are usually only shared with Harvard Business School Students, providing a rare glimpse into the ideas and ways of thinking that make that school's graduates so successful.
Read the pragmatic and easy to understand book Harvard Business School Confidential: Secrets of Success by Emily Chan, and discover how to put the best wealth building, risk management, and career building ideas from Harvard to work for you. The concepts presented in the book will help you become more successful in your career, business, and in life.
