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!

NFC East

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

The mighty Washington Redskins beat division rival Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium AGAIN yesterday. I missed most of the game while I was flying back to Switzerland, but I did see part of it during my layover in Newark. Hail to the Redskins!

Moreover, hail to the NFC East! With the Giants (3-0 and defending Super Bowl champs), Redskins (3-1), Cowboys (3-1), and Eagles (2-2), is there really any division that can compare?

BBQ, Blues, and Football

Yesterday was very productive. I met with a former US Deputy Secretary of Energy to discuss which companies had the most potential for global impact. He was very helpful and provided several interesting leads, especially around companies that specialize in the IT side of the energy world.

Then the evening was wonderful. I sat around with 10 of my best friends in Houston, dining on Goode Company BBQ, and talking about everything ranging from politics to Ayn Rand to football. One player was conspicuously absent but he was the topic of conversation frequently enough that he was at least represented in spirit.

Through a miracle of chance, my brother is in town this week so he joined us for dinner and will crash at my house. The opportunity to see him–and my nephew, his son–was the icing on the cake. This is a great trip.

Texas Burgers

Now that the beach volleyball season is essentially over in Lausanne, it feels good to be back in a place where it is still going strong. Tonight I played coed 4s at Third Coast Volleyball, my old stomping ground. It was good to see a number of familiar faces and to get in a couple of hours of play.

Afterward we picked up buffalo burgers at Bubba’s Texas Burger Shack, a local legend. A couple of days after listening to Buffett perform Cheeseburger in Paradise, this was just what I needed. Huge buffalo meat patties, fresh wheat buns, gooey cheddar cheese, smoked jalapenos, and grilled onions, oh how I missed thee . . .

Yesterday I had Cajun (Treebeard’s) for lunch and tomorrow I will have BBQ (Goode Co.) for dinner. If I can add some Tex Mex to the mix, I will feel complete from a culinary perspective.

There is still no Internet at home, which is making my career pursuits harder than anticipated.

Houston After Ike

After sustaining days of hurricane-force winds and torrential rains, Houston has held up pretty well. I wish I could say the same for the rest of the Texas gulf coast, much of which may have been dealt a fatal blow. In Houston there is still debris all over the streets–mostly fallen trees/limbs, but also a significant amount of glass from shattered windows and material from signs and buildings. Many traffic lights are still without power and that is causing serious traffic congestion.

Still, the city stood up well to a direct hit and for many it’s almost back to business as usual. We have power at my house, although unfortunately still no Internet. The Rice alumni office is letting me camp out with them during the daytime so I can check in online every once in awhile. One thing that has NOT changed about Houston is the heat (90 degrees F today) and humidity (70% today) so I’m thankful that we at least have A/C at home.

It’s fun driving a car again for the first time in 9 months. Directing the 270 horses in my convertible feels somehow very . . . empowering. It’s a nice feeling of control after 9 months of feeling more reactive to everything the professors throw at us–not to mention the complete ignorance of where my career search will lead!

I had lunch today with Vanessa Kellogg, a Rice alum at Horizon Wind Energy, to discuss the particulars of the wind generation industry. She was very, very helpful so I think the least I can do is plug her book on wind energy: Wind the World Over. Talking with people like Vanessa renews my faith that we WILL find a solution (or solutionS) to the world’s energy woes.

Meanwhile it feels good to be back. As I look out the alumni office window onto the grounds of Rice’s Lovett Hall and main academic quad, I’m pleased to see that the old live oaks survived the storm well and that the campus is as beautiful as ever. I feel at peace and I feel at home. Now I need to stop feeling so peaceful and get my career search into gear!