Strategies for Continuing the Leadership Journey
Directing digital ad sales and marketing for the largest broadcaster in Latin America provides Eduardo Becker with little time for reflection. However, the opportunity to engage with faculty and peers in the General Management Program (GMP) helped Becker not only expand his financial ability but also become a more self-aware leader.
What impressed you the most about the HBS learning experience?
GMP was the perfect learning environment. When you study a case, you put yourself in the shoes of the decision maker. That approach was totally new for me, and the method really works.
When I studied finance previously, I really struggled. But at HBS, the teaching approach focused more on developing our intuition. Returning to work, I realized I'd absorbed a completely new perspective on finance.
I continue to go back to my notes and read over some of the topics that most impressed me. I knew I would learn a lot at GMP, but I wasn't prepared for how profound the impact would be.
How did your living group enhance the GMP experience?
The relationships you develop in your living group are amazing. Those people become your family while you are here. You have the chance to interact with people from different backgrounds and cultures with different points of view. You discuss everything in your living group—and when you come to class, you realize there are still new points of view to discover.
The pressure is huge because you have so much to do, and if English is not your first language, it can take a little longer. Having the living group is important because everyone has strengths and weaknesses—some are better in finance, others are better in leadership, and we help each other.
What were some of the key takeaways?
GMP teaches the value of having time to reflect—not only during the program, but also when you return to work. Each week, you need to make space and time to get out of the daily routine, step back, and take a broad view of what you and your team are doing—to consider your priorities and make sure they are aligned with the rest of the company.
How has GMP affected your approach to leadership?
Your first instinct as a leader is to give answers, but at HBS you learn to think first and to ask the right questions, even if they are hard questions. This is something you can put into practice right away. For example, I am working in a more collaborative way with my team to define our mission, our vision, and our priorities.
At GMP, you learn how important it is to really know yourself—to be more aware of your own strengths and weaknesses and what you are doing in every interaction. That work never ends—it's a lifetime project. In GMP, we learned how to be better leaders, but also better friends, better husbands, better wives, better sons, and better daughters.