Don't throw up your hands or abandon your values when you run into political difficulties. Stop, get a sense of the political terrain, and experiment with some ways to move cautiously forward.

Tempered intuition is more than beneficial. It's usually critical to resolving gray area problems. In other words, in the end, these problems are resolved by someone in a position of authority saying this is what I think we should do and will do to address this problem.

To overcome cultural resistance I think it's important to start with strong analysis, so you're sure that you're right about what needs changing or fighting. And then you have to articulate the best case you can and start working patiently to build support and to mobilize allies.

As long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a teacher, but a turning point for me was attending HBS as an MBA student. What I experienced was the power of the case method - that is, how much students can learn, not by listening to lectures, but by engaging in an intense discussion. This can be an exciting way to learn and a powerful one, because it really gets all the synapses to connect.

Sometimes, there are no simple or easy solutions to gray area problems. Or, put differently, the "solution" is working intelligently, with many other people, for months or even years - guided by a basic direction and a few central values that really matter to you and others.

Don't throw up your hands or abandon your values when you run into political difficulties. Stop, get a sense of the political terrain, and experiment with some ways to move cautiously forward.

Don't assume that your personal moral compass, however admirable it may be, will always give you the right answer to complicated questions that require in-depth analysis.