Alternative Energy

An anonymous reader posted a comment on one of my previous blog entries asking, “Are there opportunities for MBAs in alternative energy?” My analysis indicates that there are. There is a tremendous amount of investment in alternative energy right now, and investment implies the need for finance, entrepreneurship, and management skills. Alternative energy is also dependent on major deals and partnerships so deal brokering skills are important. R&D and innovation management are also key for many alternative energy companies.

Vestas Wind Energy recruits at IMD and I had the opportunity to bump into their CTO on-campus. We discussed how large alternative energy companies look for leaders to help them solve their major technological challenges, an issue near and dear to my heart, as well. So yes, anonymous reader, I believe that there are many many opportunities for MBAs in the world of alternative energy.

Final MBAT Thoughts

Although I complained a great deal about HEC’s disorganization, the weekend was still a blast. Not to be a total geek, but it felt a lot to me like Harry Potter’s Triwizard tournament. There were schools from all over Europe and participants from all over the world. Each school had its own colors and culture, and everywhere you went many languages were being spoken.

I am proud to have coached/captained both of IMD’s medal-winning teams. I wish I could take credit for the success but the real credit is due to my teammates, who overcame long odds, no time for practice, and the temptation to blow off the tournament to frolic in Paris. Many of them stepped up on a moment’s notice, without any preparation at all, and helped us win through sheer determination. Those who weren’t playing helped through their cheering and support.

Now we are back in Lausanne and the work has piled up. We have a big Strategy project due this week and many more deliverables next week, but the memory of the MBAT is still fresh in our minds. Although my voice is hoarse, my arm and side rope-burned, and my middle finger numb (not sure what I did to it during the tug of war), I am honored to have represented IMD alongside such capable classmates. Now, back to the “real” world!

MBAT Day 3

Today didn’t start out any better than yesterday. Our indoor volleyball team, which had never played together before, was quickly eliminated by Oxford. There was no time to dwell on it, however, as our beach volleyball pairs match, also against Oxford, started immediately afterward. My partner, Mario, was still swimming at the time so his alternate, Martin, joined me on the court.

Martin and I had never played together but he did an excellent job of playing good, consistent volleyball. In contrast to the previous day’s 4s, the ref today was calling tight beach rules. Considering Martin’s inexperience with these rules and the large court size (still configured for 4s), we decided on a basic, consistent, let-them-make-the-mistakes strategy. It worked; we won very decisively and advanced to the next round. It wasn’t always pretty volleyball but it got the job done.

In the meantime, basketball won its first game of the day (despite our captain’s early ejection) and some of our swimmers were winning their heats so things were looking up. Martin’s and my next beach volleyball game was against IE. In this game we gelled more as a team and were able to play a little more aggressively. Martin continued to play very well and gave me some dime sets that I was able to put away hard. 20-30 IMD supporters came out for the game and cheered us on, which felt really great. I’m used to playing with maybe a few cheerleaders on the side; having 20-30 yelling for us made a real difference!

We won another game after lunch (where the food was, again, terrible) to make it into the final three. Naturally HEC was disorganized and no one could tell us exactly when these semifinals would be. Plus, what kind of tournament format has a final three instead of final four?! I didn’t have time to stick around and argue as it was almost time for the Tug of War to begin.

Tug teams were composed of five men and three women. Most of our men and all of our women had never tugged before. Furthermore we were significantly undersized relative to the other teams–that’s what happens when you’re the smallest school in the tourney! Still, I had tried over the preceding month to research best practices (Do yourself a favor and read the training section at the Scottish Tug of War Association’s website; you won’t be disappointed.) and teach them to our team during short breaks between classes. IMD’s maintenance staff was kind enough to provide some rope for practice.

However, due to injuries and some of our tuggers taking off to spend the day in Paris, four of our starting team had to be replaced at the last minute. This lightened up our team even more and added the challenge of teaching our technique to half the team in just a few minutes. Many thanks to Lucy, Aoife, Bevan, and Sergei for stepping up.

So here it was, the moment I had been waiting for. Could we win with heart and technique instead of size? I sure believed we could but now it was time to find out. I sprinted across campus to the tug pitch where, surprise surprise, things were disorganized and running behind. Our first tug was against Cambridge and started half an hour late. The extra preparation time didn’t help them as we won very quickly. There’s nothing quite like pulling with every muscle in your body while your opponent, just a few feet from you and trying desperately to resist, is drawn closer and closer to the mid-line until . . . you’ve won! What a rush!

I was told by the organizers that our next tug would be in 30 minutes, which would give me just enough time to tug then sprint back to beach volleyball for the semis. Unfortunately 30 minutes came and went and we were still no nearer to our next tug so I had to leave.

In the beach volleyball semifinals against ESADE, Mario was available so he played with me instead of Martin. We never quite got it together and lost 16-14 in a very even match. While it was a disappointment to be sure, Mario, Martin, and I were happy with taking home IMD’s first medals of the tournament, even if they were bronze.

Word came from our fans that IMD had won its second tug (against Oxford) and that its third would be starting soon. Many thanks to Matt for captaining in my absence and to Joonwon for pulling in my stead. Many thanks as well to Mathieu, who gave me a ride back to the tug pitch, saving me 10 minutes and arriving just in time for me to tug against HEC. There may have been some latent frustration released against our hosts but, whatever the motivation, we beat them to advance to the finals against SDA Bocconi.

The final match against our hotel-mates was a real battle. They easily outweighed us and their technique was good to boot. Moreover, their captain could have been my [evil] twin. We dug our heels in and tugged our hearts out. In the end, it wasn’t enough. After what seemed like an eternity of stalemate, we began to lose traction and slide toward the midline. I worked feverishly to stop the movement but my shoes slipped too and I, as IMD’s frontman, was pulled over the midline. So ended IMD’s cinderella story and my long-time unbeaten streak in tug of war. My hat is off to Bocconi and Mike, their captain, as a worthy adversary. Still, we took silver, our second medal of the tournament, and proved that it wasn’t the size of the team in the fight, but the size of the fight in the team that mattered.

With sports competition behind us, it was then time to celebrate with the closing BBQ on the lake. As a Texan, I was interested to see what the French called a “BBQ.” We went back to the hotel to clean up and then returned to campus. On our way we encountered a Manchester University student whose car had slid off the road into a ditch. Fortunately it was a Fiat 500 so we got out and helped him lift it up out of the ditch and back onto the road. While we didn’t get a medal for it, helping out a peer in need was probably the most rewarding feeling of the weekend.

The “BBQ” was, sure enough, just a cookout, but I wasn’t complaining. It was a lot better than their cafeteria food and it was fun to wind down with all the other schools. In true HEC fashion they ran out of beer an hour into the event. “But don’t worry,” they told us, “there is still plenty of wine.” The fermented grape juice they were referring to was in giant boxes and was terrible. Here we were in Paris, France, and they expected us to drink box wine. Au contraire, mon frere!

MBAT Day 2

The MBAT is off to a not-so-great start for IMD. It began this morning when our men’s soccer team finished its first game against host HEC with a 0-0 tie. Within the first minutes Chilean Jani, one of our best players, was out with a pulled hamstring. Czech Martin and Portuguese Pedro were also injured, although they were able to continue playing. As the day wore on, things didn’t improve; we tied Oxford 0-0 and lost to Cambridge 3-0. Consequently we did not advance in the tournament and won’t play again tomorrow. As most of you know, I’m no great fan of soccer, but I am a fan of my classmates who have been training hard for this tournament and I feel for their disappointment.

Our basketball team didn’t fare any better. Our captain, Ziad, who played professional basketball in Lebanon, was stuck on a lost shuttle bus for two hours and missed our game. While I suspect that the busdriver “got lost” due to a major payoff from RSM, our opponent, the more probable explanation is yet another failure of HEC organization.

In Ultimate Frisbee we did a little better, besting our first opponent with a last-second goal scored by Canadian Ian, the team captain. This goal came at a heavy cost, though, as the assist came from German Daniel, who severley sprained his ankle on the play. He was obviously missed in the next game, which we lost 13-0.

I only played in one sport today, coed beach volleyball 4s. My American ringer and I had both played beach 4s a great deal, but French Olivier and Belarussian Sergei were new to the format. We got off to a very slow start against IESE but finally settled down some. Unfortunately it was too little too late. We lost the first game 15-11 only to realize that that was the ONLY game. Despite the schedule explicitly stating that we would play best-of-three, the rules had been changed at the last minute to mandate single games to 15 with rally scoring. I argued that, if we were going to have a single-elimination tournament with single games and rally scoring, we should at least play to 21 or more. Alas, the decision had already been made. They only had one sand court so were taking drastic measures to speed up the tournament. Bravo, HEC.

It was a rough start to the games but we live to fight another day. After a 90-minute wait for a shuttle bus we headed back to the hotel and drank wine, ate pizza, played ping pong, and relaxed all evening. I’m not going to lie; I play to win and was disappointed in our performance (including my own) today. However, it’s hard to dwell on that too much when drinking great wine with great people in great weather. Tomorrow is indoor volleyball, beach volleyball pairs, and . . . TUG OF WAR!

Pictures from today have now been added to my facebook album.

MBAT Day 1

I missed morning class today and hopped on an early train to Paris to meet up with the ringer I imported for the MBAT coed volleyball events. My adventure began around 7:30 AM at the train station, where the official refused to sell me a ticket for the 8:03 TGV to Paris. According to him there was a 7:03 train which I had already missed and a 9:03 train but nothing in between. This was perplexing since the online schedule indicated that there was an 8:03 train. Even more perplexing was the fact that an 8:03 TGV was showing as on-time on the Departures board. Weird.

After exhausting my French vocabulary arguing with him about the existence of such a train, I finally gave in and bought a ticket for the 9:03. I did NOT want to waste an hour of Paris time hanging around the station so I decided to check out the platform where the phantom 8:03 would allegedly arrive. Sure enough, it came right on time. I was a little nervous about hopping on board. After all, my ticket was for a different train and, hey, this wasn’t Vietnam; there were rules here. What would happen if there weren’t any seats for me? Or the conductor didn’t accept my ticket? Would he throw me off the moving train?

I decided to be WILD AND CRAZY and climbed aboard, taking the assigned seat I would have had on the 9:03. So much for my worries about competition for seats; there wasn’t another soul on board. Perhaps this actually was a ghost train . . . Oh well, no matter; it got me into Paris on-time and the scenery on the way up was lovely. Fields of bright yellow (flowering canola) abounded on both sides and the weather was beautiful.

After a four-hour trip I arrived at Paris’s Gare de Lyon. Now it was time to find IMD’s hotel, which was supposed to be just south of the main city. Two hours later (partially due to Paris’s slow, late trains and partially due to the fact that the hotel was WAY out in BFE), I checked in. It turned out to be perfect timing, though, as my ringer was just arriving at the same time. The rest of IMD wouldn’t be arriving for another 4-5 hours so we passed the time with a leisurely lunch/wine tasting out on the veranda by the pool. SDA Bocconi and Cranfield were at our hotel as well so we met some of their students while we waited on my classmates.

Several vans of IMD students finally arrived and we were ready to head to HEC (our host school/campus) for the official opening ceremonies. Or were we? We waited for the shuttle bus, which was supposed to come to our hotel every hour, for over two hours, finally arriving just after the ceremonies ended. Great logistical planning; strike one, HEC.

Our students, led by Trinbagian Paul Holmes, had lit a torch in Lausanne with the Olympic flame at the World Olympics Headquarters and transported it all the way to HEC and now did not have a chance to share it with the rest of the participants. Oh well, it was the thought that counted. Except that apparently at the ceremonies HEC people brought their own torch and told everyone they had lit it in Lausanne and transported it themselves. They were taking credit for our moves while we were standing around waiting on their poorly organized bus system! Strike two, HEC.

Oh well, no problem, at least they were about to serve us dinner. Unfortunately, dinner was terrible. It was served in a cafeteria that would make even the worst elementary school lunch line look good. The highlight of dinner was the HEC representative telling us we had three options: Chinese, Italian, and Middle Eastern. The sign on the “Middle Eastern” section was clearly labeled “Morocco,” not exactly in the Middle East. The other highlight was finally receiving our schedules for sporting events that were less than 12 hours away. Strike three, HEC.

At least we are here, though. It is great to be here with my volleyball ringer and classmates, unburdened by schoolwork. The Bocconi kids are great too and the weather is expected to stay beautiful so I think it’s going to be one heck of a weekend.

Today Was Another Great Day!

Arturo correctly identified T2 as the “best movie ever” in Finance this morning. I can’t think of a better way to learn about real options. Strategy was very interesting this afternoon as well. We covered strategies for multi-business corporate entities: how many businesses can a conglomerate reasonably manage and which ones should it keep/grow/divest? These are issues I never considered in the software startup world! I love this school.

On another note, my train for Paris leaves in 8 hours–vive la france!

Integrative Exercise v2.0 Is OVER!

Today was a great day. It marked the end of our final integrative exercise. So as not to ruin any surprises for next year’s class, my following description will be deliberately vague.

Friday evening after class we received our first assignment, a case study of a company evaluating acquisition candidates. We were told that the exercise would last all weekend and that, at the end of the exercise on Monday, the two most successful teams would have an opportunity to present to the CFO of the company that was the subject of the case. Our first deliverable was due Saturday morning: a presentation on which target to acquire and why. My study group met immediately and set out our goals. We agreed on two: 1. to be selected to present to the CFO and 2. to achieve goal #1 without killing ourselves.

We got down to work, analyzed our options, made our choice, and built our story. Most of us headed home by midnight but a few troopers stayed behind to beautify the slides. Even they were happy and done by 1 AM, a major success considering most of us had pulled multiple 5AM nights (with 8 AM returns) during the last integrative exercise. There were many groups still working when we left, so we felt like we were on track to meet at least goal #2.

Four other groups were chosen to present their picks and, judging by their presentations, we felt pretty good about what we had submitted. We were then given much more detailed information about one of the companies (which happened to be our pick) and told to come back at the end of the day with a valuation for it. We worked hard all day but never seemed to get it together. By the time our deadline came around we were still feverishly plugging numbers into the spreadsheet.

Naturally this time we were chosen to present. My hat is off to my groupmate, Daniel, who presented for us, never having seen the slides before. It reminded me of my ad hoc presentation back in Februrary but he was a trooper and did as well as could have been expected–better even! Still, we clearly had a lot of room for improvement.

We were then given more information about the acquisition target and issued our final assignment: to present an investment recommendation to the protagonist company’s Board of Directors. Several groups took Saturday night off in order to recharge for a full day of work on Sunday. In line with goal #2 and our poor performance during the second phase, we went to work Saturday night to get a head start. When we returned on Sunday we were far enough along that we were one of the first groups to leave (~11 PM) even having taken a two-hour break to lunch, shop, or–in my case–lift.

As we neared completion I became more and more hopeful that I would be the one to present on behalf of my group. Fourth quarter with the game on the line has always been when I have been at my best and this was probably one of the best ways I could contribute to my group’s efforts. “Give me the ball, Coach; I won’t let you down!”

My group gave me the ball and I didn’t let them down. I felt very comfortable with the presentation but I stayed behind to run through it a few times just to make sure I would nail it when it counted. Come Monday morning we were ready for our presentation before faculty judges. Everyone in the group had contributed a great deal to the research, analysis, and format of the presentation. Furthermore, due to our accomplishment of goal #2, we were all well rested and in good spirits.

It would be presumptuous for me to declare that I nailed the presentation but, suffice to say, it went very well. My group performed excellently during the Q&A portion as well; as we left the lecture hall we all gave each other hugs for a team effort with which we were very satisfied. Now all that remained was accomplishment of goal #1, presentation to the CFO!

We heard rumors that we had been selected before lunch but it wasn’t until after lunch that we received the official news. The messenger was none other than Matt, another American classmate, who would be presenting to the CFO on behalf of his group as well. Matt and I interviewed for IMD together so I was thrilled that we would have the opportunity to present back-to-back again.

The presentations (which were in front of the rest of the class in addition to the CFO) went well. Matt’s group had produced results very similar to ours but they had come to the opposite conclusion, which made for interesting discussion. The piece de resistance of my group’s presentation was my flashing my Texas-sized belt buckle to prove credibility since the acquisition target was based in Houston. The CFO (and one of his colleagues) was a great addition, probing us about our analysis, assumptions, and conclusions. He then stuck around to share cocktails with us as we shook off the weariness of the exercise and embraced the glorious weather.

It was a great exercise and most of us agreed that we had learned a lot and really (in hindsight!) enjoyed the process. Amazingly many of us were almost sad that this was our last integrative exercise. Credit goes to Stewart Hamilton and Alicia Micklethwait (and the subject company’s Finance staff) for creating the case and organizing the exercise.

For our group it was more than just a great exercise; it was a great triumph in which we achieved our goals as a team. Each groupmate owned his/her role and made very valuable contributions. I am thankful to be in such a solid team and proud to have helped out.

Of course, before the wine bottles were even empty it was back to business as usual. It was time to plan out our assignments for the rest of the week. Still, I am high on the exercise and most of us will be in Paris in 72 hours for the MBAT so good luck dampening my spirits!

May Day

“First of May, first of May
F%#&ing outdoors starts today.”
–James Taylor

Although it snowed briefly yesterday, the weather is still beautiful and I stick to my contention that Spring has arrived in Lausanne. People are coughing and sneezing a great deal in class so once again I am trying to remain physically and mentally fit to ward off any virus that may be going around. The last thing I want is to let my team down during this weekend’s integrative exercise because I am sick.

Today in Accounting we studied cases of rogue traders who were able to cause the collapse of healthy, established banks by incurring huge losses unchecked. In each case there was a combination of factors (ethics, controls, ignorance, bureaucracy, communication, etc.) that contributed to the crisis, in each case the industry claimed it had learned its lessons after the fact, and in each case there was another, almost identical event relatively shortly thereafter.

What interested me most about this discussion was that this was not the first time we discussed cases about management ignoring blatant warning signs due to group dynamics, misaligned incentives, and individual psychologies. For example, in our Organizational Leadership class (the continuance of LPO, taught by Australian professor Ben Bryant) we studied the case of the Space Shuttle Challenger accident and the management decisions that led to it.

Irrational human behavior is something that has not changed and probably will not change. The key challenge is preventing it from translating into irrational organizational behavior. How can a leader address that? Culture change? Control mechanisms? Moreover, how can one address it while not causing drastic consequences, e.g., stifling innovation with too much control? Clearly there is no universal answer but we are learning more each day about how at least to identify such situations, their symptoms, and their causes.

And speaking of irrational organizational behavior, IPE is about to start. Today’s topics: China-US trade relations and the Chinese Olympics. Heated debate, here I come!

Mini-UN

Our International Political Economy class discussions have really heated up over the past few weeks. The topics are intentionally provocative and Jean-Pierre does a good job of mixing class time between his expert knowledge and our inter-student debate. As we have 44 countries represented in our class, it’s like participating in a mini-UN. Before our eyes we see age-old conflicts unfold between individuals.

For example, between our one Israeli student and two Lebanese students we saw the Arab-Israeli conflict play out last week. Each student had “facts” supporting an assertion that the other side was to blame, each pointed out the death and destruction wrought by the other, and each refused to back down. It was exactly the same thing that happens between countries. Both sides know that the only way to resolve the conflict (the original source of which may be long forgotten) is to step back and offer peace/goodwill but instead they just escalate the rhetoric.

On the one hand, it is frustrating. We aren’t here to argue about who is right and who is wrong; we are here to learn a better way. On the other hand, though, it is instructive to witness the individual interactions and learn from them about the inter-country/inter-ethnic-group interactions and reactions.

It is also interesting to see the nationalism and defensiveness come out during these discussions. For example, I asked a question today about China’s investment policy in Africa. China (and Africa too) claims that it is a no-strings-attached policy. This is contrasted with the historical Western policy of lending money or making investments but requiring democratic, human rights, economic, and other reforms in return. According to our African students, Africans prefer China’s approach.

My question was about whether Chinese investments were really better for Africans or, given the presentation we had just heard about Africa’s history of corruption and leaders embezzling government funds, were they just bribes by a more palatable name. I.e. by not attaching any strings was China just giving corrupt leaders more leeway to take the money for themselves? It was an honest question asked to understand the situation better, not an attack on China. The first response I received, from the presentation group, was fair and rational. However, it was then followed by several responses defending China. At the root of most of these arguments was, “It’s no worse than what the West has done in the past.”

This is, of course, a classic “tu quoque” fallacy: “Something we are doing is OK because, hey, you’re doing it too.” The objective isn’t to point fingers; it is to find a better solution! I ran into a similar situation when conversing with a Chinese classmate about China’s massively increasing polution levels that are predicted to lead the world in just a few decades. The rebuttal was, “Yeah, but the US currently leads the world–why do you want to accuse us of wrong-doing?!” I wasn’t accusing anyone of anything; I was pointing out a trend that, now that it had been identified, we have an opportunity to reverse before it is too late. Can we please stop dwelling in the past and start finding ways to make the world a better place?!

Still, there is learning in these discussions. Perhaps the logical fallacies are not soley the fault of the arguers. Perhaps the way I present my questions is perceived as confrontational or accusatory. Perhaps I could find better ways to communicate across cultural boundaries, resulting in greater productivity in such discussions. I’m sure such learning could be applied not just to the individual interaction level but also to the group, company, and country interaction levels as well. I will collect feedback and work on it; I owe at least that much to my current and future colleagues.

Third-of-the-Way-There Update

When I left the US for Switzerland, many people asked to be updated by email every once in a while about how I am doing over here. I finally sent out my first update, one third of the way through the program. The content was as follows:

To those who expressed interest in receiving periodic updates from me, here is my first. As I near the end of my fourth month in Lausanne, I feel incredibly positive about my decision to come here. This program is exactly as advertised: intense, international, very personal, and 100% focused on leadership. On paper it was exactly what I was looking for; in reality is has turned out to be that and more.

Highlights so far have included (roughly chronologically):
· Outdoor leadership/group dynamics exercises in the snowy mountains
· Very personal, very deep analysis of myself, my subconscious, how I behave, how I react, what motivates me, etc. by psychologists, psychoanalysts, transactional analysts, Jungian analysts, professors, leadership coaches, career coaches, and amateur students—and amateur me!
· Very personal, sometimes painful, but incredibly useful feedback from peers, professors, and coaches regarding my leadership style and effectiveness
· Lunch every day at a campus restaurant that would give even the finest private restaurants a run for their money
· Learning so much from my classmates—89 successful business leaders from 44 different countries and a wealth of professional/educational backgrounds
· Contributing my own experience/perspective to their learning
· Running along the gorgeous lake with snow-capped mountains as a backdrop
· Excellent courses, cases, and projects from world-class faculty
· Developing personal relationships with said faculty
· Weekend-long, sleepless group exercise to test our performance under extreme stress (another one is scheduled for next weekend!)
· Visits from friends and loved ones—especially my birthday weekend in Lugano
· Helping the CEO of a fledgling startup software company analyze its market, choose an appropriate strategy, raise money, and implement the recommended strategy
· Helping the CEO of a huge, global chemicals company save hundreds of millions of euros by optimizing its supply chain and procurement organization

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, however. Aside from the toll taken by the constant barrage of work, there are some additional downsides to being here:
· I miss my friends and loved ones. The people here are wonderful and I’m sure that many of the relationships I’m forging will last a lifetime. However, they are no substitute for the wonderful people already in my life.
· I miss my alma mater. Although I still serve on several Rice alumni organization boards remotely (via email and conference calls), it’s not the same as being involved in person. This year will be the first that I have missed Beer Bike, Commencement, and—probably—Homecoming. Missing baseball season is tough enough (The Owls are currently ranked #4, go Rice!) but football season will be even harder.
· There is not time to do everything I want to do while I’m here. I spend most of my time working at school or on school-related activities. As a consequence, my French isn’t improving much, I haven’t met too many locals, and I really haven’t traveled at all. For that matter, there are some courses on which I am not focusing as much as I would like, again due to time constraints. A great deal of this program seems to be about forced prioritization: you can’t do it all so you’d better figure out what really matters to you and do that really well.
· My wine consumption is down—WAY down. Certain informants keep me apprised of the menus of the wine dinners at the Petroleum Club of Houston so I can at least live vicariously through them. However, Lausanne is so beautiful that it’s a crime not to be spending each sunset on the lake with a picnic dinner and some great wine. Once I have a chance to come up for air I may have to make up for lost time!

One question I receive from a number of people back home is “What will you be doing after IMD?” December, after all, isn’t that far away. We spend a significant amount of time here working with coaches to think strategically about our careers. What careers, roles, industries, and geographies are the best fit for our personalities, ambitions, motivators, lifestyles, skills, and values?

My goal is to leverage my success in leadership and entrepreneurship to make a big, positive impact on the world. This could be by staying in technology but leading larger and more global organizations. Or I am also open to working in areas that match with my interests and experience: energy (especially alternative), nanotechnology, the arts, wine, football, and space exploration. A great fit, even in an established company, would be a role that entails some form of entrepreneurship and innovation–perhaps an American company with a new initiative to go international or vice versa to build on my international background.

Another path that interests me is venture capital. I could use my entrepreneurial experience and the constant influx of new projects would appeal to my desire for a dynamic work environment. It probably wouldn’t offer many leadership opportunities but there may some firms that take a more “hands-on” approach with their investments by providing a management team. I’m still investigating this option.

I believe that the US (Houston, Austin, San Diego, and Silicon Valley are most likely.) will be my ultimate destination but I am open to taking the “scenic” route and working in Europe (UK, Italy, France, or maybe even Switzerland) for a while first. This is all very much in flux so I offer no guarantees that it won’t have completely changed by my next update!