Bella Firenze

I’m checked in at my hotel in Florence. If this if four stars–as advertised at hotels.com–then my middle name isn’t Guido! Oh well, no worries; it’s a fine place to hang my hat and lay my head for a night. It’s not far from the airport or from GE O&G HQ, far northwest of il centro. Needless to say, this isn’t exactly the Florence I remember from when I lived here as a student! It looks like there should be time after my interviews tomorrow, however, for a quick trip into town before my late evening flight back to Geneva. Gelato? Bistecca alla Fiorentina? Chianti? All of the above? Only time will tell!

I’m off to dream golden dreams of how I will help GE change the world of energy–then hopefully convey said dreams to them tomorrow!

Running in Cold Weather

I just went for a run along the lake and, for the first time since the early spring, it was cold enough to necessitate that I wear my long-sleeve, UnderArmour Cold Gear. The cold air felt good in my lungs and the crunching sound of fallen leaves beneath my feet was so loud that I had to turn up the volume of my MP3 player. Although I’m definitely a warm weather person, running in the cold always reminds me of late-season football practice in Virginia and brings back some great nostalgia.

The Career Search Progresses

It was another productive week for my career search. My plans with GE Energy were solidified and I will fly to Florence tomorrow evening for interviews on Monday. I’m not really sure which position(s) they have in mind; I think it’s more of a “let’s get to know you and then, if we like you, we’ll see where we have a good fit for your skills, experience, and interests.” My network has been helpful with GE Energy: a Rice alum in their Houston office helped me understand their product/solution offering, one of my interviewers is an IMD alum, and two of my current classmates have worked at GE and helped me prepare for questions I am likely to receive.

I had my third (if you include my first “fit” interview with a recruiter) phone interview with Google this week and it went well. This one was less about my experience and more about how I think. I had to design another product and work through a few brain teasers. On Thursday I received the news that I had “passed” and an invitation to interview onsite at their Zurich office. According to one of my contacts in Google (whom I know through the Rice alumni network) the economic slowdown has raised the “hiring bar” and making it to the onsite interview is even harder than it used to be so I am particularly honored to have made it this far. The interview should be next week.

The founder/CEO of Poken (IMD alum) and I met again and I remain very enthusiastic about the company. They have big, world changing ideas, cool opportunities for a product manager/COO, and a fun corporate culture. The CEO is becoming overstretched between product management, business development, investor relations, etc. and is looking for someone to share the load. Given that my background is in managing innovative teams of software engineers and working with the marketing and strategy interfaces to ensure that the product vision is headed in the right direction, the role would be a great fit.

I also had a first interview yesterday with Positive Energy, a Washington DC-based startup that builds software to help residential power customers consume less energy. They just closed a major funding round, already have some customers, and have a smart team in place. The VP of Product has a marketing background and is looking for someone to manage the more technical side of their software product. Even though the company is only 20 people strong right now they have a couple of TJ alumni on board so, once again, this really drives home the importance of the network.

This last opportunity came may way through CleanTechies, a cool new site for techies looking to help the environment. I’m doing some side blogging there about how technology can be used to help address the global energy challenge.

So, things are moving along with a few very appealing opportunities and I’m continuing to add more to the pipeline. I’m long overdue for a Board update so will write one soon and post it here.

Reading

Throughout this year at IMD I’ve done something that I used to love to do but haven’t done in a long time: read books! I used to be quite the bookworm but, somewhere along the way, I guess I decided that I just didn’t have time for reading. During this year of intense study, however, I’ve turned back to reading as a great, portable, convenient way to balance out my life.

There hasn’t been too much time for reading this year (Sleep usually wins out in the prioritization battle.) but I’ve managed to finish a few books outside of the many books, articles, and cases required for classes and projects:

Harry Potter e La Pietra Filosofale, the first Harry Potter book in Italian
The His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass), an epic fantasy/sci-fi series inspired by the work of John Milton
Three Cups of Tea, the tale of one man’s quest to change the world by building schools in rural Pakistan

In the interest of full disclosure, I listen to some of the books in audio form so that I can multitask during my cardio, but I don’t think that’s cheating–it’s just being efficient! Next up on my list:

The rest of the Harry Potter books in anticipation of the movie release (November)
The Catcher in the Rye, which somehow I’ve made it almost 30 years without reading
Tolkien’s major works in chronological order (The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings)
Myriad business-related books and articles I’ve accumulated over the year but haven’t yet had the chance to read

Any other recommendations?

Happy Rice Day!

Happy Rice Day to all! To commemorate the occasion I had dinner last night with 12 Rice alumni/friends in the area. We sat around fondue pots in the private room of a local restaurant exchanging stories for hours. As in Kenya everyone was amazed at how many Rice connections there were in the area and, as in Kenya, some of the people discovered they lived less than a mile apart.

I had a productive weekend working on our ICP, my career search, and catching up on reading. The weather was gorgeous so I even got some beach volleyball in. It wasn’t exactly warm but it felt great to be out in the sun and the sand.

Some Good News

Monday I interviewed with Google for their Product Manager position. It sounds really cool–basically an internal entrepreneur/general manager with all the capital and smart people you could want to help make great ideas a reality. The people I know who are or have been Google PMs are really smart so I’m honored even to be considered.

My performance in the interview was OK. I suggested some product innovations Google might consider and was quickly shown that Google had already invented or acquired many of them. Oops–someone needs to do his homework better next time. I thought the open-ended question, though, in which I was asked to design a product, went well. In fact, if Google doesn’t hire me, I may consider starting up a company to develop that product!

By the end of the interview I felt energized and excited, which is a great sign for me; I felt the same way after the IMD interview and I think it is indicative of a good fit. I don’t know if my interviewer was as energized by my ideas as I was but he was at least satisfied enough to move me on to the next round, which will be another, similar interview with another Google PM. This was just a first interview in a process renowned for many interviews (up to 16!) but it still felt great to receive the thumbs-up today from the recruiter.

It’s not the only good news I received this week, either. Yesterday I was asked to come to Florence for a second interview with GE Oil & Gas, which is making great strides at reducing the carbon footprint of oil & gas production. Furthermore, GE’s renewable energy companies are taking off so they might be an option further down the road.

Monday I talked with a delightful alum from eSolar (Again, many thanks are due the most sophsticated woman at IMD for forging the connection.) and another with Planet Capital. Tuesday, I spoke with a good friend of one of my ICP teammates who has launched CleanTechies.com, where I will soon begin blogging about the use of ICT in sustainable energy. Wednesday I chatted with the Oerlikon Solar and E.ON Renewables. Today I met with another alum, the founder/CEO of Poken, a hardware/software service which will revolutionize the world of social networking. Finally my career search feels like it’s really in gear!

Several of my classmates have either accepted job offers or received offers that they will accept. These mostly come from companies that did on-campus recruiting, in which I didn’t participate much. Still, it’s hard not to feel at least a little time pressure when others are starting to make plans for their living arrangements already! This is what I planned, though, to take my time through the recruiting process, to make sure I explore my options, and to make sure I make the best decision for me and my future employer–not one based on early deadlines or unexplored alternatives.

The distractions of the career search have an impact on our ICPs as well. It is becoming more and more rare to find all four of our group members in the room at the same time because each of us frequently steps out for career-related calls. In the meantime, our project has taken a major turn. It has evolved from a supply chain project to a change management project. The subject matter is still supply chain, but the obstacle between our client and the $100m+ they can add to their bottom line with supply chain improvements isn’t analysis; it is implementation. That is now our focus: how can they conduct sweeping change in a way that works for all the varied (and often opposed) stakeholders involved? We are all very excited about it because it affords us the opportunity to learn and practice skills that transcend industry, function, and geography. But it isn’t easy–real world, real learning!

Number One

You may remember my January post about IMD’s MBA program being ranked #14 in the world by the Financial Times. Last week we were ranked #1 in the world by The Economist. This ranking should be taken with the same grain[s] of salt as the Financial Times but, still, it feels good.

It is humbling to play a small part in such a great honor and I credit our faculty, staff, and accomplished alumni for this feat. I’ll do my best to go out into the world and live up to it!

Geneva

Mom and I headed into Geneva today to tour around the old town. I can’t believe I’ve been here for nine months and never been into Geneva except for the airport and train station! It’s a pretty town, albeit clearly more of a tourist trap than Lausanne.

As it remained cold all day, we took advantage of the opportunity for some fondue upon our return to Lausanne. In between touring and dining I spent the day preparing for my Monday interview with Google. I familiarized myself with their product suite , business strategy, and corporate history. It’s only fair that I bone up on them; after all, given that this blog site (Blogger at the time of writing) is owned by Google, they should know plenty about me!

Cold!

It reached a low in the 30s last night! Don’t they know it’s only October here?! It’s no problem, as I really need to be staying inside to work on my Leadership paper and career search anyway, but still, wow, I’m not used to this.

Mom is in town, which is a real joy. Wednesday evening she arrived, we had dinner at Le Pinocchio, and got her situated at her hotel. Thursday she toured around Lausanne and then I took her out for her birthday dinner at Beau-Rivage Palace, mmmmmm! Yesterday she went to some museums, met me at IMD for lunch, and then we made lasagne (Thanks, Lee!) for an ICP team dinner hosted by Felipe and his partner, Laura, both Colombian. It was fun to get [slightly] out of the IMD bubble and just relax and have a good time with my teammates and their partners.

I’m embarrassed to say that, after 48 hours here, my mother knows more about Lausanne than I do. I really need to get out more; this year will be over before I know it and, if I miss out on all that Lausanne has to offer, shame on me. In the meantime, Mom and I might head into Geneva today, depending on the weather. I’ll be happy whatever we decide to do so long as I get to spend some time with her.

Rice Football

Blogger’s note: I no longer use the term “Redskins” but am leaving my prior references intact in the spirit of learning.

And speaking of football, my Redskins weren’t the only team to do well this weekend. Saturday after the Association of Rice Alumni board meeting, I had the pleasure to attend a Rice football game against the University of North Texas.

My Owls didn’t disappoint me in a record-setting, 77-20 demolition of the Mean Green. With four TD receptions in the first half alone, Jarrett Dillard tied the NCAA record for career TD receptions (50). He and QB Chase Clement broke the NCAA record for TDs between a QB-WR pair (40).

It was a beautiful day, too–great football weather. I can’t believe it’s been 11 years since I stepped onto the field in Rice Stadium as a player. My freshman roommate and I took some time the day before to throw the ball around, run some patterns, and get some sprint exercise. While it was a lot of fun, the subsequent soreness in my hamstrings reinforced that I am not in the same shape I was in back during my playing days–go figure!

Over a decade later, though, the lessons I learned on the field are still paying off: teamwork, leadership, discipline, integrity, and a relentless thirst for victory even in the face of the most daunting of challenges . . . fortunately, the field of business doesn’t require quite so much exertion from my hamstrings!