June 2018: 44 students from 18 countries forming the TIEMBA class of 2020 got together at the School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, to start a two-year study journey. Though we all have different backgrounds, speak different languages, and have a different set of expertise, we embrace our differences, and we learn to grow together. Our hearts are connected.  2018年6月，来自18个国家/地区的44位EMBA国际班2018级（TIEMBA2020）学生相聚在清华大学经济管理学院并开始了2年的学习之旅。虽然我们在不同的环境长大，说着不同的语言，有不同的专业背景，但是我们拥抱差异，心灵相连，共同成长。

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How the world has changed over the last two months. In early February, my classmates and I were still planning to go on the China trek over the P3-4 break and now, even those in Fontainebleau, who are 9,000 miles away from Wuhan, are quarantined indoors. 

• Read more about Acceptance and Appreciation in Today’s COVID-19 Reality

The journey of the MBA class of December 2020 is probably not what we were expecting, when we started it. And yet, this year might turn out to be one of the most consequential times in our life. As the class of December 2020 gathered in January, in steamy Singapore, I was first struck by the diversity, open and well-meaning of the class.

• Read more about The Fierce Urgency of Now

As a former EMC participant I was asked if I’d like to contribute a testimonial of my experience. And I did it the “classical” way by sharing my own story and by listing some of the benefits so that you can better evaluate if this programme would be right for you. But I would not be an EMC alumna if I did not share with you THE main takeaway from this programme for critical times like these.

• Read more about Benefits of the EMC Programme: Leading Yourself in a Crisis

I have been asked that question numerous times by people from all different professions and corners of the world. And my first reaction often is a typical consultant answer: “It depends”, and it particularly depends on what you want to get from the programme and why you want to attend it.

• Read more about Is the EMC the Right Programme for Me?

When I wrote Evolutionary Leadership: A Holistic Perspective, I was introduced to Prof Manfred De Kets Dries at INSEAD. He encouraged me to consider the EMC (formerly EMCCC) programme that INSEAD was running. But for me to commit to a diploma was too much at the time.

• Read more about How INSEAD Helped Me Deal With the Changing World

A million years ago, when the first hunter gatherers formed, the single largest threat facing them was being cast out from the tribe. A lone human was no match for the dangers lurking outside the safety of their group. Naturally, the humans who craved acceptance and feared rejection survived through the ages and became the modern-day humans. To this day, one of the greatest fears in our human experience, is the fear of rejection.

• Read more about The Greatest Human Fear

How times have changed! Just a month ago, the biggest challenge for me was exams. I was on the INSEAD campus for most of the weekend, wearing slippers and frantically studying in a discussion room on-campus.  Look at us now! The INSEAD Fontainebleau campus has been closed since 16 March 2020, and we have started our classes using Zoom. It is non-debatable that this is a crisis that no one had expected before. Thus, we need to understand that everyone is trying their best with whatever resources they have. 

• Read more about Communications in Times of Crisis

We will go through this. The world will re-emerge from this crisis much stronger and much more resilient than before. Things need to change though, and we need to start from politics and from entrepreneurship. COVID-19 is a wake-up call for everyone. We all have a role to play in this.

• Read more about 7 Things That COVID-19 Is Teaching Us Today That Will Help Shape the Future

Arriving in Fontainebleau in January 2020 was a hassle for many of us who were eager to start the MBA journey at INSEAD. Paris had been on strike for almost a month as unions were protesting President Macron’s proposed pension reforms. The city was nearly paralysed, and few trains were running to Fontainebleau.

• Read more about In Search of the Silver Lining