What They Teach You at Harvard Business School.

Can you believe we’re already a quarter of the way through 2011? That means it’ll be six months since I first landed in a still balmy Geneva spring morning. Where does the time go? Speaking of time, how long does it take to make friends and build a social network? Of course there’s the online kind where a lot of time is spent on (re)connecting with family and friends. But what about the good-ol-fashion “hey, you wanna go for a movie or something?” type where you actually meet new and interesting people?

Check out this interesting TED talk about the hidden influence of social networks and how your location in the network might impact your life in ways you don’t even know. He throws a lot of numbers and technical details around, but the overall idea is fascinating.

In a place like Geneva, where it’s rumored that there’s more foreigners (i.e. non-Swiss and definitely non-Genevois) than locals, you’d think the international vibe would make it easy to find new people to hang out with. Surprisingly though, it’s a little bit more difficult than you think for both French and non-French speakers. There’s a couple of online social network places where people can find things to do with people that have similar interests (i.e. Glocals and InterNations), but building connections beyond one-off activities takes a surprisingly long time. Maybe because of the transient nature of the city, the fact that it’s a hub to many destinations in Europe where people jet-set on weekends, or just because it’s so damn expensive in the city that most people tend to avoid living in the city limits if they can afford to.

There’s definitely a draw to the city with many of the big international organizations headquartered here and lots and lots of banks. The city is oozing with money… and there’s no end to the high-fashion, fast cars, and opulent attitudes. Maybe that’s why I picked up this book to read to see if having an MBA would improve my quality of life. It’s an interesting read into one of the most prestigious universities in the world and one that churns out high-profile politicians, bankers, CEOs and the like. The author writes about his experiences with the program, the professors, and the student personalities at Harvard Business School, and the kind of stress, reflection, and tribulations of someone going through a mid-life crisis. It’s a fun and easy read that still makes you think about the underlying social and economic forces that shape the world we live in today. After reading this book, I’m convinced that it’s actions and attitudes that shape/make a person and not what they’ve studied, especially when it comes to business and corporate/financial responsibility.