Conserving Resources: Time and Money

On Thursday evening, I attended a reception for “OPM”, Owner President Management, an executive education program of the Harvard Business School. We gathered at the Setai Hotel where we were treated to a presentation by Robert Steven Kaplan, HBS Professor of Management Practice. Professor Kaplan is the author of What to Ask the Person in the Mirror: Critical Questions for Becoming a More Effective Leader and Reaching Your Potential. He was also formerly the head of investment banking at Goldman Sachs and so began by sharing his insights into economic trends, in particular, the most frightening trend of all, the decimation of the American middle class. His view is that recovery will take longer than expected and we should plan our capital and expense structures for the downside scenario. Professor Kaplan believes that this is also an important time to take care of yourself to ensure that you will have the resilience and vitality to lead your organization, with proper nutrition and sleep and don’t skip vacations! I share his view that we are in a marathon and not a sprint and that we need to husband our resources carefully during this challenging period.