Over 30 years ago, I was the Program Director for the Harvard Business School Club of Toronto. One day I received an email—though it might have been a fax back then—informing me that superstar professor Michael Porter would be speaking at one of our events and asking if I could pick him up at the airport.
A couple of weeks later, after a wealthy alumnus had lent Professor Porter his plane, I found myself at a private jet terminal for the first time.
Porter stepped off the plane, and I had the honor of spending nearly two hours with him, driving him to and from the event and the airport. Watching him in action was truly impressive, but the most impactful thing is what he shared during our drive.
He said that as an HBS professor, he was expected to attend HBS alumni events a few times a year. Despite already having to travel the world to present his research, often earning substantial fees along the way, he remained committed to these free events.
Fast-forward a few years later and about 20 years ago, I joined the McGill University Faculty of Management. I remembered back to what Porter said, and I decided to follow his lead as opportunities to speak to alumni arose—and they certainly did.
Not that McGill required it, but because it sounded like a good idea, and it turned out to be of the one of the more positive things in my life as a business professor, and one of the greatest pleasure of my travels.
Between presenting my research, giving speeches based on my books and traveling with student groups, I have joined dozens of McGill alumni events in over 27 countries and major cities across Canada and the United States including in New York City, Boston, Washington, Phoenix, San Francisco, Chicago, and the Silicon Valley.
While I have enjoyed visiting museums, riding hop-on, hop-off buses, and other tourist activities on my travels, it is in talking to locals that I have learned the most.
Recently, my wife and I had lunch in Tokyo with an MBA student I taught 20 years ago at McGill’s MBA program there. She’s now a senior executive at Amazon with global responsibilities.
Sitting down with a former student who has substantial global impact, and learning about life and work in Japan in 2024—compared to 20 years ago—was truly fascinating and helps me stay current. As we get older, one chief challenge is not becoming yesterday’s person.
In my book published last year, Generation Why, I spent a chapter on being reverse mentored. I tell my undergrads that they mentor and teach me about 30% of the time. While I occasionally make dated remarks, their input surely helps me cause less offense.
Over the years, several of our graduates have also reviewed my work for my weekly radio show, the CEO Series, and my Forbes.com column. They help me update my language and ideas, ensuring they are more apt to be timely, relevant, and expressed appropriately.
My next Forbes piece will explore this idea in more depth. Connecting with McGill alumni worldwide through alumni events and sharing my latest research helps me keep my work fresh. Their suggestions ensure that my research is not only up to date but also more globally applicable, rather than just reflecting a Montreal perspective.
The book I’m currently working on, with a recent grad as a co-author, We Are All Ambiverts Now: Introverts/Ambiverts/Extroverts in the C-Suite, has been significantly enhanced by presenting it to McGill alumni around the world.
I must also thank you, Porter. That airport drive from 30 years ago continues to inspire me today. By serving McGill alumni chapters and alumni around the world, I have given a little but gained so much.
