Michael Jacobs’ holistic view of business, government and academics dates back to 4th grade when he read about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Robert E. Lee. He soon realized that these great Virginians were all involved in commerce, politics, and academics.
At a very early age, Jacobs decided to do all three. He served in the U.S. Treasury during the Bush (Sr.) administration. He founded a boutique investment banking firm, Jacobs Capital, which has helped over 300 private company owners with liquidity and exit strategies and completed over 75 transactions. He is also the author of Short-Term America (Harvard Business School Press) and Break the Wall Street Rule: Outperform the Stock Market by Investing as an Owner (Addison Wesley) and teaches corporate governance at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.
“Understanding business today is so difficult if you don’t understand how government works and how policies are made in Washington,” he said, “I can’t really quantify it but I just enjoyed all three worlds so much more because I’ve been in the other two. It’s been a really rich experience.”
Jacobs has no plans for retirement except for including a teaching theme. In the classroom, he puts academic literature into the context of the real world for students. He believes that HBS stands out because of the real world experience that the professors bring into the classroom, and he tries to bring the same to his students. He spends hours talking to students about their career plans and upcoming job opportunities. It's little wonder his classes are always oversubscribed and attract the brightest students.
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