8 » OpenRoad Driver
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
»
This edition of OpenRoad Driver is dedicated
to the theme, Leap. It reminds me of
something I said to a group of graduates
recently, where I was honoured to speak to the
MBA graduating class of Sauder School of
Business at the University of British Columbia.
When asked to speak, it struck me that the new graduates would
be facing the school of life soon. So, I decided to talk about the
five questions that they don’t ask you in business school (actually,
six). I wanted to share some of my views on taking risks, building
relationships and trusting your instincts: the “other side” of the
MBA.
Going back 28 years when I attended Sauder as a student, I
remember Professor Giammarino teaching my class the BlackScholes option pricing model. The faculty certainly trained us
well. Look before you leap. And soon after graduation, I got the
call from a top-five Canadian bank to join their new investment
arm in Toronto. Everything was going according to plan. But after
analyzing countless balance sheets for countless companies just in
the first few weeks, my heart wasn’t in it. I was certainly willing to
work hard and pay my dues, but my heart told me that it wasn’t the
right fit, and so ultimately I left after only three months. I recall how
lonely it was sitting at a Greek taverna with a commerce degree that
couldn’t even pay for my uneaten souvlaki. What to do next?
I did what most people would do when they’re desperate and need
comforting... I went to Japan! In a brief moment of insanity, I had
accepted a position as a lowly trainee at Toyota Motor Corporation
in Tokyo. Twenty million people, and I didn’t speak a word of
Japanese. I felt terrified... and exhilarated. Exactly two and a half
years after I had first landed in Tokyo, my broken Japanese and I
started my very first business. China beckoned as well, and there, I
had no Mandarin-speaking ability whatsoever either. At least I was
consistent in my business approach! But what I did know, was that
China would soon have a huge appetite for cars. I could feel it, and
that launched my trajectory today. Leap before you look.
Today, I’m older and expected to be a bit wiser. Plus I have
dependents, so I’m not so sure I could take any of that crazy risk
again. But as the saying goes, there’s a right time and place...
Now back to the current reality: this exciting issue of OpenRoad
Driver magazine.
Someone who leaps - literally - is Tiffany Foster. She graces our
cover with her st