The Big Questions: When We Stopped Doing the Right Thing

Harvard, Alexandria, Gaza—And When We Stopped Doing the Right Thing

I originally wanted to write only about the attack on my beloved Harvard Business School and how HBS is standing tall, with all its supporters, against pressure and intimidation.

But then I realised something.

Harvard's mission is to "educate leaders who make a difference in the world." Leaders who do the right thing. Leaders who think beyond themselves.

Now look around at what's happening.

A peaceful landscape inviting exploration and growth.

A few weeks ago, my hometown Alexandria was hit by a storm of unprecedented magnitude and speed. A city built by Alexander, now at risk because some people still want to debate whether climate change is real.

On the other side, we see what's happening in Gaza, brutal images, destroyed lives, and the world struggling to even agree on basic humanity.

And in the middle, we have a business school asking for one simple thing: Let people speak. Let voices be heard. Right, left, with you, against you—but talk.

Climate, genocide, justice, human rights—these are not academic debates.

They're reflections of a single question:

When did we stop doing the right thing?

I'm proud that Harvard—with all its flaws—is still trying to stand for something. And I'm worried that the world outside the campus is moving in the opposite direction.

Leadership is not case studies and frameworks. Leadership is: When it's hard, do you still do the right thing?