Reflections, TWO YEARS after Harvard Business School...

Today marks TWO YEARS since I graduated from 美国哈佛商学院 's Executive Program in Leadership. Once again, I realize just how lucky I was to get to study at Harvard. I acknowledge that it was not just one lucky chance, but many many many lucky chances ranging from being born into a well-educated family with immensely supportive parents (Srinivasan & Sudha), being given challenging professional opportunities years ahead of my experience level, finding friends that were innately driven, being mentored by some of the finest business leaders, and marrying Sindhu, an incredibly encouraging partner. Serendipitous moments, completely beyond my control, aligned perfectly, and I am profoundly grateful for the extra-ordinary luck that has shaped my path.

Every experience at Harvard was incredibly thought provoking, including this humorous and satirical yet reassuring illustration that I came across one evening while walking through the Orange Tunnel from Aldrich Hall to Baker Library!

As I spearhead strategy & strategic partnerships at 亚马逊 in Dubai, I consistently find myself revisiting my class notes on authentic leadership from my time at Harvard Business School. These foundational principles have been a constant beacon as I navigate through a myriad of challenges and opportunities. Furthermore, the diverse array of individuals I've encountered has sparked my interest and curiosity in a variety of industries, spanning from energy and government to cloud computing and generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). As I deeply reflect while sipping some aromatic Arabic coffee by The Dubai Marina, I wanted to share 24 quotes about leadership that have significantly shaped my thinking over the last 24 months.

1. "Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together." - Jim Balsillie, Source: "Leadership Conundrum: A Challenge for Business Schools" by Henry Mintzberg
2. "If you’re not comfortable with ambiguity, you’re not going to be comfortable leading." - Lloyd Blankfein, Source: Interview with Lloyd Blankfein, Financial Times
3. "In the end, leadership is about the strength of one's convictions, the ability to endure the punches, and the energy to promote an idea." - Stephen A. Schwarzman, Source: "What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence" by Stephen A. Schwarzman
4. "Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it." - Dwight D. Eisenhower (quoted by Michael Bloomberg), Source: "Bloomberg by Bloomberg" by Michael Bloomberg
5. "I think the most important thing for a leader is to create an atmosphere where people feel they can contribute, where they feel they can innovate, where they feel they can be part of the solution." - Natalie Portman, Source: Interview with Natalie Portman, Inc.
6. "The leader who exercises power with honor will work from the inside out, starting with himself." - Rajat Gupta, Source: "Mind Without Fear" by Rajat Gupta
7. "Leadership is about creating a vision, articulating the vision passionately, and relentlessly driving it to completion." - Ratan Tata, Source: Interview with Ratan Tata, Financial Times
8. "Managing risk is very different from managing strategy. Risk management focuses on the negative—threats and failures rather than opportunities and successes. A good leader needs to understand both aspects to steer the company towards growth while safeguarding it against potential pitfalls." - Jeff Skilling, Source: The Smartest Guys in the Room
9. "Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence." - Sheryl Sandberg, Source: "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead" by Sheryl Sandberg
10. "We're all learning here; the best leaders are the ones who are always learning." - Scott Cook, Source: Interview with Scott Cook, Fast Company
11. "The role of a great leader is not to give greatness to human beings, but to help them extract the greatness they already have inside them." - Sal Khan, Source: Interview with Sal Khan, The Guardian
12. "To win big, you sometimes have to take big risks." - Bill Gates, Source: Interview with Bill Gates, Time Magazine
13. "The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that's changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks." - Mark Zuckerberg, Source: Interview with Mark Zuckerberg, Business Insider
14. "The greatest proof of good leadership is seeing how those you lead grow and succeed." - T.S. Eliot, Source: "T.S. Eliot: The Man and His Work" by Ronald Bush
15. "Success in business requires training, discipline and hard work. But if you're not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were." - David Rockefeller, Source: "Memoirs" by David Rockefeller
16. "Success is not about how much money you make; it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives." - Jared Kushner, Source: Interview with Jared Kushner, Forbes
17. "A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit." - Henry Paulson, Source: Interview with Henry Paulson, Wall Street Journal
18. "Leadership is about making others feel safe to be their best." - Ann Sarnoff, Source: Interview with Ann Sarnoff, Variety
19. "Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge." - Neil deGrasse Tyson, Source: Interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson, NPR
20. "The best leaders are humble enough to realize their victories depend upon their people." - Jamie Dimon, Source: Interview with Jamie Dimon, Harvard Business Review
21. "A leader’s job is to look into the future and see the organization not as it is, but as it should be." - Anand Mahindra, Source: Interview with Anand Mahindra, Economic Times
22. "Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It's about impact, influence, and inspiration." - Rahul Bajaj, Source: Interview with Rahul Bajaj, Business Standard
23. "Good leaders make people feel that they’re at the very heart of things, not at the periphery." - Jeffrey Immelt, Source: Interview with Jeffrey Immelt, Forbes
24. "The best way to succeed is to have a specific intent, a clear vision, a plan of action, and the ability to maintain clarity." - Ray Dalio, Source: "Principles: Life and Work" by Ray Dalio

Earlier this week, I attended the renowned Futurist Tariq Qureishy 's launch of the Voices of the Future , and was fascinated by a quote (bonus quote #25) mentioned in the book,

Earlier this year, I attended Crossroads, the flagship conference of the HBS Club of the GCC, and many more 美国哈佛商学院 events that bring 美国哈佛大学 graduates together from across the region. I was blessed to connect with super accomplished leaders whose humility and approachability vastly exceeded what I had ever imagined. A heartfelt thank you to Thamir Alsadoun , His Excellency Mohammed N. Al Jasser , Dr. Adil Alzarooni , Abdulaziz Bawazeer , Abdulla M. Alashram , Arif Baigmohamed , Najat Ferchachi , Aruna Narayanan , Raj Chinai , Thaha Muhammed Abdul Kareem , Tariq Qureishy , Peter Vickery , Ravi Mahalingam , Mazy Moghadam , Irfan Syed , Dennis Marbebe , Rami I. Alsakran , Vincent Coste , Ajay Pundhir , Sara Khorakiwala , Lara Sif Hrafnkelsdottir , Visar Sala , Miguel A. Lopez Avila , Shikkoh Malik , Vipin Vaidyanathan , Fay Alroshoud , Adel Alkhonji , Ahmed Hegazy and Hany Al Deeb for the inspiring conversations and lifelong friendships.

Learning leadership at Harvard was a truly transformational journey for me that began on campus and will continue throughout my life. I sincerely hope that reading these quotes inspires each one of you to realize your full potential and strive towards making our World a better place.

I would like to thank each one of you that made every little milestone in my life possible, I owe you. To celebrate TWO YEARS since HBS, I would also like to once again thank Superstar Rajinikanth for the infinite inspiration!

********

Adithya Srinivasan is a Senior Business Leader at Amazon currently spearheading strategic partnerships across MENA. Formerly, he served as a Director at Western Union in Dubai, leading strategy & business development. He is a Harvard Business School graduate with experience in strategic partnerships at Visa and management consulting at PwC Strategy& in Singapore.