As I complete my first session of classes at Harvard Business School, my mind has turned to the concept of stretching. As dancers, we are certainly familiar with stretching, which we may associate with discomfort as our body is challenged to move in unfamiliar ways. But as we exhale to reach out even further, there comes that wonderful "aha" moment as the muscles release tension, the body lets go, and discomfort turns to the pleasure and gratification of increased flexibility.

 

But what about stretching our minds and ways of thinking? I once heard that if a person's mind is stretched by new ideas, it never returns to its previous state. Of course, unlike a ballet stretch, mental stretching is not always so easy to see. But, in the last couple of weeks I have had a rare opportunity to observe it in myself. When I began the HBS Executive Education Owner/President Management (OPM) Program, I was challenged by immense requirements: managing heavy reading and project deadlines, learning to collaborate with my classmates, and meeting my professors' high expectations. As days have turned into weeks, I have felt this great challenge transform, gradually, from intimidating to fulfilling and inspirational.

 

I know that my OPM classmates and I will be forever changed by this experience. We have been stretched, and we will never look, think or react identically to how we did before. Although the process of stretching and being forced out of our comfort zones is rarely easy, and can even be painful, I would not turn away from it. As I take the first steps toward integrating what I have learned into my professional life, I can feel myself reaching upward and forward with pleasure and anticipation. I can only wish, for myself and for others, that expanding our horizons and stretching our ways of thinking will continue throughout our lives. 

 

Aleksandra Efimova, President