Harvard Business School Prof. Malhotra's Speech to MBAs: "Quit Early and Quit Often"

Professor Deepak Malhotra is pretty much the best instructor at the Harvard Business School. He is the winner of numerous teaching awards, his Negotiations Class was over 10x oversubscribed (600+ students applying for 60 spots) this year, and his student reviews are downright flawless.

This is Prof. Malhotra's address to the MBA Class of 2012. While it's almost an hour long, it is a speech well worth watching. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Mod (Andy) note: Do you feel this mantra "Quit Early, Quit Often" only applies to HBS grads? Or can everyone adapt this into his/her career & life?

58 Comments
 
FutureBanker09Can't find a damn thing about this guy online. Any idea of his undergrad/ grad school, where he worked before writing I moved your cheese?

cut and pasted from his bio :

"He attended the University of Michigan as an undergraduate, graduating with high honors and highest distinction in Economics. Deepak completed his Ph.D. in Management and Organizations at the Kellogg School of Management in 2002."

Great post. It started off a little slow, but I am glad I watched it,

It made me realize that I don't really care about all the meaningless tasks , long hours and other shit you have to put up with as an analyst. Thinking about that environment STILL makes me want to "quit" what I am doing now.

The man also does kung fu--good man. whah tahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

he mentions Northwestern for grad school, if I caught it right he stayed there just switched his focus?

Life, liberty and the pursuit of Starwood Points
 
JamesHetfieldWow, it seems like HBS is filled with Indian/Indian-American professors. Just look at the faculty list.

So? Is that a problem for you?

 
DrizzyDrake
JamesHetfieldWow, it seems like HBS is filled with Indian/Indian-American professors. Just look at the faculty list.

So? Is that a problem for you?

YEAH MAN WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM
 
dreamsofthestreet
JamesHetfieldWow, it seems like HBS is filled with Indian/Indian-American professors. Just look at the faculty list.

Yeaahhh...and two of us are in the top spots at major BB (Citi and DB...Pandit and more recently.... Jain, respectively).

Is this a surprise to you?

An Indian will likely be the head honcho at Berkshire as well- Ajit Jain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajit_Jain
 
dreamsofthestreet
JamesHetfieldWow, it seems like HBS is filled with Indian/Indian-American professors. Just look at the faculty list.

Yeaahhh...and two of us are in the top spots at major BB (Citi and DB...Pandit and more recently.... Jain, respectively).

Is this a surprise to you?

also rajat gupta and raj rajaratnam. you guys are really going to outdo boesky, milken and madoff in building a reputation for playing the angles.

 

Has anyone read his book, Negotiation Genius: How to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Brilliant Results at the Bargaining Table and Beyond?

And does anyone have or know where to get a pdf copy of it on the web? I tried looking but couldn't find it.

Thanks.

 
Best Response
redninja][quote=arzooHas anyone read his book, Negotiation Genius: How to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Brilliant Results at the Bargaining Table and Beyond?

His book is the core of the Negotiations curriculum at HBS, so I have a copy by virtue of taking the class. I thought it was really good, but I guess I'm biased. You can get it for $11 on Amazon if you want - http://www.amazon.com/Negotiation-Genius-Obstacles-Brilliant-Bargaining…]

I see that professor Malhotra is a staff member at the Harvard Negotiation Project. I read the book "Getting to Yes" and "Getting past No" by Roger Fisher and William Ury which I thought are excellent. I also read Bargaining for Advantage by G. Richard Shell of Wharton, which touches on the same themes of productive negotiation, understanding counterpart motivation, finding common grounds (the golden bridge of understanding), seeing the negotiation as a problem-solving exercise where you work together with your counterpart and using objective standards rather than haggling for the sake of haggling.

I bet Malhotra, Fisher and Ury all know each other well and work together regularly on these issues.

So does Professor Malhotra's book develop the same framework and methodology for negotiation as Fisher &Ury? Is there something in his book that is not missing from Fisher &Ury's books?

Too late for second-guessing Too late to go back to sleep.
 

speech wasn't that great, you guys watch anything outside of the Harvardsphere? Here, real and actual philosophy, not some trite statements replayed every year to fall on deaf ears.

 
NewGuyGot bored after 15 mins. Are you guys putting him on a pedestal coz he's from harvard?

I got bored after 5 mins.

 
BondarbI think that it needs to be emphasized that he is talking to HBS students who have very few ramifications to quitting relative to others. If he was talking to a bunch of GED graduates I doubt he'd say that they should spend a decade quitting various jobs. I think the advice is good for this very small audience but more broadly it doesnt always apply...

Of course, each talk of this variety applies to the audience in front of them at the time, I doubt it was meant to apply universally so a bit irrelevant to mention the fact.

 
RelinquisGood (pep) talk, but his suit was too distracting. He should get something that fits better and have his suits altered to fit properly at least.

I agree. But I've never seen a professor with a tailored suit or a suit altered to fit properly. Always find this or the more casual professor look.

 
FinancialNoviceII
RelinquisGood (pep) talk, but his suit was too distracting. He should get something that fits better and have his suits altered to fit properly at least.

I agree. But I've never seen a professor with a tailored suit or a suit altered to fit properly. Always find this or the more casual professor look.

true... i prefer the more casual or tweed look. a bad suit is worse than no suit, or maybe i've been around too many bankers / real estate guys.
 
FinancialNoviceII
RelinquisGood (pep) talk, but his suit was too distracting. He should get something that fits better and have his suits altered to fit properly at least.

I agree. But I've never seen a professor with a tailored suit or a suit altered to fit properly. Always find this or the more casual professor look.

I once had a female marketing professor who wore 80s style powersuits probably left over from her ad agency days. she would routinely write on the board and then stand with her hand on her hips so by the end of class there would be chalk marks all over the suit. take note, khaki/tweed is practical and not just worn for the look.

 

I wonder how his salary negotiations and negotiations with his publishers usually go.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

if you are going to socialize the achievements of your tribe, you have to take responsibility for their embarassments and shortcomings too. i insist upon it. particularly whenever some pikey idiot starts spouting off about how awesome race X is because he is a member of race X.

 

Agree. No one is denying the shortcomings. However, generalisations are unnecessary. 'Shitholes' is a subjective term, as is any opinion. Subsequently, it can be applied to any number of places.

And in no way was I championing any achievement of a 'tribe'. I object to the derogatory manner in which two terrific and flawed countries were depicted.

 
FinancialNoviceIIAgree. No one is denying the shortcomings. However, generalisations are unnecessary. 'Shitholes' is a subjective term, as is any opinion. Subsequently, it can be applied to any number of places.

And in no way was I championing any achievement of a 'tribe'. I object to the derogatory manner in which two terrific and flawed countries were depicted.

touche.

 

Wow, this convo went south quickly.

Back to the speech, I thought it was great, if not a tad long. Also, how many have followed the quitting route? I recently quit my job.

 

Funny how he says that MBA graduates are good at creating value yet he must know full well most of the greedy spoiled shits in the audience will go into finance and create zero value apart from earning a large paycheck.

 
Thurnis HaleyFunny how he says that MBA graduates are good at creating value yet he must know full well most of the greedy spoiled shits in the audience will go into finance and create zero value apart from earning a large paycheck.
Sex: Male College / University: Non Target

Figures

 
NewGuy
Thurnis HaleyFunny how he says that MBA graduates are good at creating value yet he must know full well most of the greedy spoiled shits in the audience will go into finance and create zero value apart from earning a large paycheck.
Sex: Male College / University: Non Target

Figures

Well apart from your weak attack on the school I go to, do you disagree that most people in that audience will go into finance after graduation? Was that an inaccurate assumption on my part? Come on now. Actually contribute to the discussion if you disagree with me.
 
Thurnis HaleyFunny how he says that MBA graduates are good at creating value yet he must know full well most of the greedy spoiled shits in the audience will go into finance and create zero value apart from earning a large paycheck.

ahh... here we go again with this "adding no value" argument.

Money Never Sleeps? More like Money Never SUCKS amirite?!?!?!?
 
sayandarula
Thurnis HaleyFunny how he says that MBA graduates are good at creating value yet he must know full well most of the greedy spoiled shits in the audience will go into finance and create zero value apart from earning a large paycheck.

ahh... here we go again with this "adding no value" argument.

Ummm, was this thread created to discuss the Professor's speech or was it created for us to line up and all agree with him?
 

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I may not be on the Jedi Council, but I sure am great with the Force. See my WSO blog posts
 

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