Best & Brightest MBAs: John Moore of UC-Berkeley's Haas School of Business
On the surface, the University of California-Berkeley and the U.S. Marine Corps seem almost night-and-day. In reality, they have far more in common than you’d expect according to John Moore, a Stanford-trained Aviation Intelligence Officer. “Haas is a unique institution with a culture dominated by the four Defining Principles: Question the Status Quo, Confidence Without Attitude, Students Always, and Beyond Yourself,” he shares. “The values I developed in the Marine Corps of selfless leadership, true impact on the mission, and perpetual growth are embedded in Haas’ foundation.”
This may explain why Moore is described by classmates as “all in.” At Haas, Moore quickly mastered the subtleties between military and civilian leadership. In his first year, he stepped forward to be the team lead in his consulting class…despite never being a consultant. He thrived in the role — so much so that the next year’s class raced straight to him for advice on how to be a team lead. “That’s John,” says Nora Silver, who heads the school’s Center for Social Sector Leadership. “He took on a challenging task, jumped fully into it, helped others along the way, and gave back to help the next class of leaders.” Considering his penchant for consulting, coupled with a leadership talent honed by “trial-by-fire” in Afghanistan, it should surprise no one that Moore will be joining Bain & Company later this summer.
“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…I woke up in a cot in Kyrgyzstan next to my commanding officer after not having seen my family for seven months and realized I wanted a career focused on building organizations and developing people.”
“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would be…a proud and competent Marine Air-Ground Task Force Intelligence Officer and future Intelligence Battalion Commanding Officer.”
What did you enjoy most about business school in general? Haas’ small class size and warm culture were true blessings. Business school is a very challenging place, not just cognitively, because most people are seeking some deeper sense of fulfillment and there can be a lot of pressure to “find your true passion” in a short two-year experience. The classmates I met along the journey made this experience special and without them my time at Haas would be worth little.
What was the most surprising thing about business school for you? In my application essays, I postulated that business school would help me discover my calling. That’s true for some people, but more importantly, I learned that there are several paths that would provide me with the leadership challenge, intellectual rigor, and fulfillment I desire. I can use the principles taught at Haas to test and learn from each path to design my own life. Haas has also given me the resources, skills, and confidence to vigorously pursue any path of my choosing. Where I saw one closed door two years ago, I now see many open doors and can walk through them as I please.
What is your best piece advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program? It’s no secret that Haas selects on culture. If you qualify for a top-tier program, you should seek to relate your own experiences and values to the Haas Defining Principles. I’ve seen this done in a contrived and explicit format and it usually doesn’t end up well. I’d seek to first understand who you are as a person and what you want professionally. Coaches, mentors, and friends should be heavily involved in this process because who you think you are is sometimes different than what your actions have demonstrated. Then seek to draw a through-line from your values to Haas and your career. If you find that your values are aligned then you’re probably on to something.
What was your biggest regret in business school? I regret not having my wife more involved in my business school experience. She is a general surgery resident at UCLA and didn’t have the travel time to invest in the program. Business school is a transitional experience by nature and I wish she could have been closer to help ground me. She’s known me since I played soccer at Stanford and through the challenges of the Marine Corps. I wish she could have understood the business school perspective and helped me contextualize Haas.
Meet all of Poets&Quants' 100 Best & Brightest MBA Graduates of 2017