Strategizing for the Future with Joseph Ho

Around 15 years into my career, I realized the importance of expanding my perspectives beyond my usual cohort in consulting. To move beyond groupthink and broaden my knowledge base, I sought to expand my perspectives by learning from top-class faculty across various management fields and engaging with a diverse range of industry classmates. This included established and experienced leaders from startups and diverse corporate industries (from sovereign wealth funds, airlines, banking, technology, consumer goods and AI startups), each providing unique perspectives.

The Executive Development Program: Leading Into the Future challenged my current ways of thinking, helping me identify areas where I could continuously improve. Individually, we might not have the answer to everything. It was great having multiple perspectives from different industries push both my thinking, established approaches and my boundaries. This program came at an ideal time in my career and allowed me to gain new insights and perspectives.

Definitely the faculty. They provided a clear structure to the program and had effective communication skills. The modules were well integrated and built upon each other sequentially. Relevant and core themes were addressed, including the role of technology platforms and AI, the future of work and organizations, innovation, problem-solving, and values-based leadership and culture.

Currently, in business, there is a lot of jargon and terms. Concepts such as blockchain or AI invoke a particular thinking/angle in each individual. Whether it's a client or consulting firm, everyone comes at it from a different angle. It was quite valuable to dedicate time to understand further key concepts such as blockchain and the key drivers and create a space to think about its potential future evolution by debating with faculty and classmates.

Another strength was the strong cohort of participants who each brought unique perspectives. Different people from diverse working and geographical backgrounds were able to gel as a working group and learn from one another. Overall, the combination of the faculty and the cohort made for a compelling program that fostered discussion, brainstorming, and both professional and personal growth.

I became friends and still keep in touch with several of my cohorts from the US, Turkey, Japan and the Middle East. Another from my cohort was an investment banker before starting his asset management business. It's great to learn from others who have chosen different tracks and life decisions. Coming from Asia Pacific, previously working in Australia and now working in Southeast Asia, it's great to build an even broader perspective. Understanding the cultural and organizational differences that play out in problem-solving, communications and leading teams has been valuable. Everyone had different approaches to communicating, debating or accepting feedback. Some cultures are a bit more direct, whereas others are less direct.

Secondly, I learned a lot from personal sharing. We get to a stage in our careers where you may not hear direct feedback or personal stories on challenges. You often hear about the wins, successes or the next great achievement. It was really important for me to hear other people’s challenges and lessons learned. The level of sharing in our cohort was so strong that it gave you a feeling that you're not facing challenges alone. As they say, as you climb higher up the ladder, you become lonelier, so sharing similar experiences amongst this management cohort was helpful.

Given my background as a strategy and transformation consultant, I am familiar with a diverse range of problem-solving approaches. However, through this program, especially the ‘Think Bigger’ strategy session led by Professor Sheena Iyengar, author of the book Think Bigger: How to Innovate, I learned additional practical tips on how to run problem-solving sessions with my teams. Professor Iyengar expanded my thinking and gave me new considerations based on science and psychology, which I could apply in my field. Additionally, the values card exercise in the Values-Based Leadership session delivered by Professor Paul Ingram was a deeply reflective experience. It allowed me to explore my values more deeply and gave me new techniques to deepen my rapport and trust with my team members. I’ve even used it in personal situations.

This program is engaging, practical, and relevant. It opens your perspectives on the interconnectedness of global and domestic events. We are experiencing immense change and volatility, all coming together at once from economic factors (high-interest rates, inflation) to broader digital trends such as big data and artificial intelligence. It was vital to take a step back, demystify these concepts, and have the space to think about how they all interact together.

It will make a difference in two important aspects. The first is pushing my thinking and problem-solving skills. Having these additional, practical tools will be useful moving forward. Secondly, leading teams, especially on how to drive strong performing teams and negotiations.

The program opened up new avenues that were especially brought to light when the cohort met physically in New York. We were able to deepen our understanding of concepts, identify areas for improvement, and tap into the resources and community available through Columbia to continue our growth.

A deeper understanding of economic and technology trends. Having the time and space to understand the drivers to change and debate how the future will play out was invaluable. I recognized the importance of spending time to reflect on these trends in-depth, which we might not have the chance to do while working day to day.

For me, Big Data, AI and now GenAI are already having a major impact on many industries, from the front line to support services. Having the time to think about how trends will apply to our industries, but then also to our clients, was absolutely critical.

I definitely feel more prepared and this course has been valuable for continuous learning. As leaders, our job is to think about how we can better navigate uncertainty and volatility and prepare our organizations for continued sustainable growth. This program has enhanced my leadership journey to improve my impact on my clients, teams and the broader community.