Written by Joy Meregini, Master of Business Administration student, Boston campus, class of 2016.
Ambition is the hallmark of achievers! It is interesting to note that as business school students, it is expected that we would be driven by ambition with a strong drive to excel. It is the drive to make judicious use of our talents and a principal factor in our decisions to come and study at Hult. The business school is laced with a barrage of young, talented, diverse, multi-cultural and ambitious students and a cursory walk through the Boston campus leaves one feeling very proud to be in such company. I had this feeling the first week I stepped on Boston Campus in the fall of 2015!
Ambition makes us thrive. It is the link between desire and determination, propelling us to work hard. It is what enables us stay on course, ignoring ephemeral pleasures in the hope of a more enduring glory. However, human nature kicks in once the achievement we desire has been attained as we tend to tag along negative vices of arrogance and conceit. At this moment, I am reminded of the Hult DNA, a set of competencies or soft skills, which are meant to shore up positive character traits in business students.
A most admired trait in humans is charisma and one of the defining hallmarks of charisma is humility. Humility connects us with our humanity. It tells us that we are vulnerable in some area of life and shows us the need to connect with others to fill the void. It is the recognition that others may be better than us in certain aspects. Without it, humans would transcend the terrestrial and attempt to stroll in ‘celestial garb’. The need to connect our achievements with our vulnerability could be the link to make us remain calm and in touch with our authentic self.
Speaking with various Hult Alumni, I am reminded that it is these same soft skills that employers value highly. The reason is simple. It is expected that MBA graduates would be prepared and armed with hard skills in Finance, Accounting, Quantitative methods and Data Analytics, Marketing, to mention but a few. Nor is it all! Most business schools prepare students to be competent in these skills and thus they are generic and expected as given competency in every MBA graduate. I am reminded every time in networking events and meeting with Alumni that the distinctive trait that would make any business school graduate stand out of the crowded labor market is the soft skills.
The need to show attractive character traits and the ability to work with others is thus highly priced in the job market. In concluding this write up, I am forced to ask “…how do I connect my ambition with humility…”? The answer, perhaps, lies in embracing the tenets of the Hult DNA. It is important to remember that what makes us tick could also make us tumble!
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