My experience at Cambridge Judge Business School has been shaped by a curriculum built around the felt experience of leadership, education and business. As a former member of the U.S. military, I have faced many moments where both my leadership and my intellect were tested in situations that pushed the limits of what is physically and mentally possible. One of my mentors once told me, “Leadership is felt. It does not flash, it glows.” At Cambridge Judge, I finally understood what he meant.
A lesson that changed how I think about leadership
I remember our first workshop in preparation for the CVP (Cambridge Venture Project). We were placed into our study groups for the first time and we were given a case study about deciding whether a fictional NASCAR team should compete that day, even though engineers had warned that pushing this particular engine too hard in cold weather could cause it to fail. As someone trained to have a bias for action, I advocated for racing. I encouraged my group to ignore the risk, believing it was better to take a chance and possibly succeed than to hold back and never know.
When we reconvened, the lecturer revealed that the “race car” was actually a rocket and the scenario was drawn from the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. In real life, engineers decided to move forward despite the risks and lives were lost as a result. That moment struck me deeply. It was not just a lesson in decision-making; it was a lesson in humanity, responsibility and the emotional weight behind leadership choices. It was, in every sense, a felt educational experience.
Learning to feel the impact of our decisions
This theme continued across the curriculum. In Financial Reporting and Accounting with Professor Alan Jagolinzer, for example, we analysed the effects of fraud, how unethical decisions ripple outward and damage not only companies but real people whose lives depend on trust. And in Organizational Behaviour and Leadership with Professor Thomas Roulet, we examined how to build team culture, how to motivate and inspire people who work under us, alongside us and even above us. These subjects are not taught as abstractions; they are taught as human realities, alive with emotion, consequence and responsibility.
Throughout the CVP and my time at the Business School, I have seen that this is what truly distinguishes Cambridge MBA from other MBA programs. We do not simply study accounting, finance, economics or leadership; we feel them. We explore their real-world implications and how our decisions affect the lives of others. This will further develop as we begin our elective classes in the Lent semester. Something I am looking forward to is expanding these “felt” lessons to topics I am most interested in. Classes such as Thinking Strategically and Strategic Pricing, as well as classes that will introduce new perspectives and industries to me, such as Creative Industries: Strategies and Trends.
Why we’re really in the people business
As MBA students, we are ultimately in the people business. People drive our work. We solve problems for people. We innovate for people. We build new ventures or support others in building them, but ultimately, everything is for people. Human beings are emotional creatures and Cambridge MBA curriculum recognises this truth. Here, we do not just talk about the “right” decision or analyse theoretical consequences. We imagine the faces of the people our choices will influence. We feel the impact before it happens. That emotional awareness, the “glowing not flashing”, of leadership is what sets Cambridge Judge Business School apart from every other institution.