ABSTRACT

Henry put down his phone as he was suddenly transported back to graduation day five years ago. Marius stood before him beaming with pride with the light tan hood draped around his neck. Not many of the MBA students come to commencement, but Marius said he wouldn’t miss it. Henry spent a lot of his time mentoring students, but none compared to Marius, who brought an intense curiosity to their discussions, which were wide-ranging and intellectually stimulating. Marius consumed entire books on topics he wanted to discuss with Henry, and elevated their discussions of strategy, finance, and operations to a philosophical level. Henry sometimes felt like he was learning more from their discussions than Marius, but almost every discussion ended with, “Thank you, professor. You have really helped me understand this topic better. I don’t know if I could make it through this program without your help.” More than any other protégé, Marius pushed Henry to be a better mentor.