A note on MBA learning skill with reference to the Leonardo da Vinci's method

A note on MBA learning skill with reference to the Leonardo da Vinci's method (information from perplexity.ai)

My question: "Highlight the contemporary MBA students could do their study more effectively with reference to how Leonardo da Vinci learn himself (without school)."

The reply: "Contemporary MBA students, especially part-time ones like those in Hong Kong balancing work and dissertations, can boost effectiveness by adopting Leonardo da Vinci's self-directed learning habits, which relied on curiosity, observation, and hands-on experimentation rather than formal schooling.

Core Da Vinci Principles

Da Vinci embodied seven principles—Curiosità (insatiable curiosity), Dimostrazione (learning via experience), Sensazione (refining senses), Sfumato (embracing ambiguity), Arte/Scienza (balancing art and science), Corporalità (cultivating fitness), and Connessione (seeing interconnections)—that fueled his genius without classrooms.

These habits enabled deep, interdisciplinary mastery, much like MBA needs for strategic thinking and innovation.

Apply to MBA Studies

Cultivate curiosity through questioning. Da Vinci constantly posed questions in notebooks; MBA students can mimic this by maintaining digital commonplace books (e.g., Notion) for dissertation ideas, linking business theories to real Hong Kong cases like restaurant chains.

Prioritize observation and experimentation. Instead of passive lectures, observe markets or dissect case studies hands-on, testing hypotheses in work-integrated projects—ideal for time-bound part-time MBAs using pragmatism lenses.

Connect disciplines broadly. Da Vinci linked art, science, and nature; apply this by blending MBA finance with housing studies or action learning sets for continuous development.

Practical Steps

• Keep portable notebooks for sketches, notes, and backward-writing prompts to spark ideas anytime.
  ​

• Engage senses via field observations (e.g., Hong Kong business sites) and physical routines to sharpen focus.

• Embrace delays for perfection, iterating dissertation drafts experimentally.

Da Vinci Habit	MBA Application	Benefit for Part-Time Students
Note-taking & sketching	Literature reviews, mind maps	Organizes agile 4-month projects
Hands-on testing	Simulations, real-work analysis	Builds experiential competence
Interdisciplinary links	Cross-theory synthesis	Enhances dissertation depth

 

This self-taught approach turns constraints into strengths, fostering lifelong polymath skills.

A collection of blog notes on using chatgpt for research purpose.