■FOREWORD

Liz Cutler Maw, Executive Director, Net Impact

“Incredible.” “Dynamic.” “Inspiring.” “Awesome.”

As MBAs, you encounter many kinds of teachers. There are tenured professors who recite lectures from memory. There are guest lecturers who bring real-live case studies into the classroom. There are patient tutors who symbolically hold your hand through the crunch of the core curriculum.

And then there is Mark Albion.

Mark is a different kind of teacher, one who ventures outside the classroom walls to teach what he loves to people he loves. Mark is passionate about finding meaning in life and work, and he has made it his life’s mission to share that passion with others.

At the Net Impact annual conference, we are fortunate to see countless great speakers, but few have made the impact on students that Mark Albion has. The adjectives at the beginning of this section are just a few of the accolades heard yearly as we poll attendees on their favorite speakers. Mark’s name is always at the top of that list.

Why is Mark such a hit with MBAs and other business students or professionals?

I have my theories:

• Mark embodies the advice he gives. In More Than Money, Mark advises readers to think differently about career possibilities. Mark’s personal story is one in which he thought differently, chose differently, and acted differently—and he glows with personal peace from doing so.
• Mark understands that his topic is a hard one. It’s not easy to make career choices during business school, with the many options, sources of advice, and financial constraints you face. Choosing the right job or internship can seem like the most important decision in the world to stressed and overwhelmed MBA students. Mark knows this, and he doesn’t belittle the seriousness of the choice but rather supports his audience to make the decision the right way.
• Like any good student, Mark has done his homework. He has collected hundreds of life stories and examples of career paths, and he has traveled the globe to learn and share these experiences with others.
• Mark is warm, funny, and caring. It’s much easier to believe everything will be OK with Mark as a guide instead of some of the other types you might meet on your MBA journey. (You know the types I mean.) And Mark’s right—it will be OK! Especially if you use More Than Money as a resource.

At Net Impact, too often we hear from MBA students that they are torn about how to make a difference and when to make a change in their career. The decisions are tough ones, and the answers depend on each individual’s passions, talents, and life goals. This book is for everyone who is pondering these issues now or who will face them in the future. Mark will lead you through his unique process of asking the right questions and finding the right path.

There are many books designed to get you thinking about your career and others that help you explore your feelings about your life, but very few intermingle the two as successfully as Mark has. More Than Money will ask you hard questions about who you are, what you want, and how you make decisions. If you challenge yourself, it may not be the easiest book you’ve ever read, but it may save you years of heartache.

Mark organizes his book around four questions and twelve lifelines, the result of which is what he terms a “destiny plan.” He offers you choices on how deep you want to delve into the questions he poses and offers suggestions for working with groups of friends or colleagues to explore ideas and potential actions. He also offers tools and resources to equip you on your quest. And he throws in many great stories to keep you inspired and to make you smile. Whether you’re curious and just want to enjoy Mark’s readable prose or you’re ready to get down to the details of planning your future, Mark’s book will reward your efforts with new insights and possibilities.

This book is a gift from a dedicated friend of Net Impact and a devoted mentor for MBA students and professionals around the world. As Mark says, More Than Money “supports you to follow your dream and make a contribution.” I hope that this book leads you not just to more than money but to a future that is more satisfying than you had ever dared to dream.

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Liz Cutler Maw has been Net Impact’s Executive Director since the fall of 2004. Liz has been active with the Net Impact network since 1999; she was a co-leader of the student Net Impact chapter at Columbia Business School and a co-founder and leader of the Bay Area Professionals Chapter. Liz’s professional experience includes strategic consulting to nonprofits with the Bridgespan Group, a not-for-profit strategy consulting firm, as well as fund-raising and direct marketing for nonprofit organizations in New York City and Washington, D.C. She holds a BA with honors from Yale University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. Liz also spent one semester at the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley.