Jill Szuchmacher

How will you lead?

Good leaders bring people to new places. Great leaders inspire others to achieve beyond their wildest dreams. My goal is to listen, understand, integrate, communicate, and create real opportunities.

On the importance of having case studies on international companies and discussions of global issues in class

We live in a world that grows smaller and flatter each day. Cases about international companies, macroeconomics, and local issues with impact on the global marketplace help us understand and frame challenges that we will face once we leave HBS. Far more of the world takes place outside the United States than within its borders. To succeed as leaders, as managers, and as citizens of the 21 st century, we need to think on a global scale.

On the most important thing a prospective student should know about HBS

Come prepared to change your mind. Don't think about being "right." Think of your application essay as only the first draft of your personal mission statement. The opportunities at HBS are incredible, and they can truly take you anywhere. That can be-and is at times-overwhelming. Give yourself permission to really explore and think hard about where you want to end up. Understand where you want to go. You'll get there.