Day One at Harvard — Leadership in Emerging Technology

Back at Harvard Kennedy School this week to close out the Executive Certificate in Technology and Public Leadership.

Day one is centered on leadership in emerging technology—and one thing is already clear:

Technology is moving faster than leadership frameworks are keeping up.

The room is filled with leaders from across the world—public and private sector, different nations, different perspectives. And yet, we’re all navigating the same challenge: how do you lead responsibly in a space where the decisions you make today will shape systems that millions of people will live with tomorrow?

That’s what makes this experience meaningful.

Not just the content—but the conversations. The tension. The moments where your thinking gets stretched by someone who sees risk, opportunity, and responsibility through a completely different lens.

Learning from faculty like Eric Rosenbach brings a level of clarity to it—where leadership, policy, and technology collide in ways that aren’t theoretical, but real.

I also recognized a few familiar faces from my last time here. That part meant a lot. Growth doesn’t always announce itself, but you can see it—in how people think, how they speak, and how they lead.

And in the middle of all this, there’s a personal layer.

Today is also my birthday.

If I’m being honest, I would have rather spent it with my wife and kids. That’s where my heart is. But sometimes, you make the decision to be where you need to be—not for comfort, but for calling.

There’s a tension in that. Between presence and preparation. Between what you give up now and what you’re stepping into next.

That tension is part of leadership.

Because leadership in this next era won’t just be defined by innovation—it will be defined by judgment. By stewardship. By the ability to make decisions in moments where there is no clear playbook.

Grateful to be here.

Even more aware of the responsibility that comes with what I’m learning.

— Bus