Project Firenze

On Experiences:  It was interesting to work with 8 people and build consensus among them.  We were fortunate enough to have a good mix of industry and functional backgrounds, which helped provide our project with more concrete ideas and expectations.  If I did not have finals pending, I would have enjoyed the interactions that much more. 

On Learnings: The impossible can happen in 24 hours with talented people and a common goal.  One of the things I believe our team did well was to continually poke holes in the idea and determine how to solve them.  That really helped us during the Q&A session.  Of course, I would also say that perhaps we looked for too many holes and did not spend enough time on the metrics and detailed executables.

Working in a mixed team required a lot more clear communication of specific to-do's.  Cross culturally, I think assumptions each individual team member makes really affects the final outcome.  Therefore, I would aim to have future team members communicate and confirm assumptions in my global career. 

On What it means to me:  I didn't know the meaning of "Expect Great Things" until the competition was over.  Honestly, I came in with no expectations, just curiosity on what this case competition would be about and a yearning to meet more like-minded business school students.  The great things that were most meaningful were the caliber of talent among the Microsoft judges, the overall planning and execution of the competition, and the support and buzz that Microsoft created in China.  I am especially happy that Tsinghua will be positioned better on the map for prospective MBA students.

On How it will make me a better leader:  This event was another reminder that continuous self-improvement is a must in the competitive landscape.  Without this mindset, it would be extremely difficult to influence and lead others, who may also need this extra ounce of motivation to drive forward and make the impossible possible.

Raymond Cheng Raymond Cheng is a first year MBA student at Tsinghua University. Over the past 7 years, he has held various positions in marketing and business development for mid-sized and Fortune 100 companies. Raymond holds a bachelors degree from the University of Michigan. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, snowboarding and golf.