As a child, Ezi Rapaport didn't enjoy going to school. But he experienced something completely different in the Owner/President Management (OPM) program at Harvard Business School.
"I am really excited to come to class," says Rapaport, director of global trading at Rapaport, his family's business in diamonds. "The professors stimulate your curiosity instead of pushing information at you. They orchestrate dialogue and engage students. They really know how to get you to digest the information and think about how it's relevant for your business."
Rapaport came to OPM to prepare for new challenges and responsibilities in his family business, and he ended up with a "transformational, unbelievable, and priceless experience," he says. "OPM has enhanced my awareness, understanding, and appreciation of what it takes to succeed."
He points to both the faculty and program participations for providing that value. "The professors have a tremendous amount of knowledge and they share it in a first-class way," he says. "But I'd say I probably learned just as much from my peers as I learned from the professors."
Part of that comes from the diversity of participants. "At OPM, you learn a lot about how different people handle different situations in different industries—how they went through disruption, or how they transitioned a family business from a first or second generation, or even a fifth or sixth generation," Rapaport explains. "It's a very diverse community of amazing, motivated, and influential people who are outgoing, warm, and hospitable."
That creates a "work hard, play hard" culture, Rapaport adds. "You're stimulated in class throughout the whole day, and then you go to different restaurants every night. Everyone has a blast. It’s an intense and awesome experience."