This class is based on a handful of ideas: 

• Capitalism is the economic engine of civilization; 
• General management builds, runs, maintains, and repairs the engine; 
• You own your upward mobility;
• History teaches lessons that help you raise your game. 

Using case studies and group discussion we will study: history of general management; managing performance, your own and others'; cognitive distortions at work; financial plumbing of business; executive communication; your fiduciary duty to others vs. your spiritual duty to yourself. 

Why take this class?

In the last three centuries, the Industrial Revolution transformed civilization completely and for the better. Industrial capitalism pays the bills for every good thing you might enjoy including personal wealth, art, science, medicine, education, social safety nets, political causes, military spending, philanthropy, all of it. 

Capitalism’s spark plug is entrepreneurship but general management scales the sparks into functioning businesses. That’s why the “Creative Destruction" of the Industrial Revolution depends on general management to operate. The Industrial Revolution wants to consume your best work. Not in a grateful or emotionally sensitive way; it has no feelings and is indifferent to you personally. 

People like you demonstrate exceptional cognitive ability, conscientiousness, and productivity. So you’re put into useful, powerful positions in business before you are ready and ahead of your contemporaries. Since you own your life and no one is coming to your rescue, you need to write a playbook to get where you want to go. Business history can help. 

Most of you won’t go to business school to study general management or enjoy long apprenticeships with a terrific mentor. Thankfully, exceptional business people came before us. Some left behind stories and ideas in the historical record. In this class we borrow those lessons from the past to be better at our jobs today.

Our code of conduct is simple: treat colleagues with respect as fellow human beings. Some obligations that come from this code include: show up early or on time, stay until the end of class; do all the homework and participate in the discussion; support professional, open inquiry and free speech. 

If you choose to apply, please provide thoughtful, complete answers to the questions. Tuition is $2400 per person.