Beginning of the Exciting Journey

Week 0 - Launch Workshop
So I have to admit that the Launch Workshop was a great idea on the part of the administrators of this program. There was a high level of anxiety, fear, and excitement coming into the first week of the semester. There would have been no way for me to focus on economics or marketing.

The evening was devoted to getting Cohort 2 acclimated with the learning environment we will use for the next 2 years, as well as getting to meet with our teammates. I wasn't expecting to learn so much about 19 different people on the first class, especially since I talk so much. This fact made itself apparent quickly. I joke about this, but it truly is an area I will be focusing on this semester. Luckily, "listening to others" is one of the core competencies that we are working toward. In order to jump start my corrective action I have begun listening to the Andy Stanley Leadership podcasts during my work day.

Prior to Week 0, we were faced with an issue, "Leaking Talent Pipeline", and asked to form a one-page situation brief focusing on one of the many aspects. As a father of a six year old I focused on the education of our children and collaboration. What's somewhat bizarre about my choice is that I constantly am amazed by how stinking smart she is in comparison to what I was doing in first grade. In that regard, who am I to say there is a problem with the education system. AHHH, that's when I had the revelation that my daughter may just be an out-lier. There is truly an issue with the system, and this is one area that I was glad to get some perspective of my classmates on.

See John Griffin's blog for more specifics about how we discussed the issue http://jgriffinmba.blogspot.com/. Each of the groups I was in focused mainly on Education and Collaboration. So, in discussing the issue with one table I heard a solution that frustrated me. The proposal was taxing companies more if they used labor from other countries. I was initially upset because it seemed discriminatory and completely against free enterprise and capitalism. As the evening went on, I realized that being upset about proposed solutions would be the worst way to go through the MBA program. We all obviously need to think outside the box, and we have to throw ideas out there even if they are half-baked or are counterproductive. I'm glad I realized this in week 0.

I also realized that there are certain students that share my exact same strengths and I am very similar to some students. At the same time, there are people in our class that are going to be very good at providing insight that I could never produce. I am proud to be a part of Cohort 2 already. As Jim Collins, author of "Good to Great" and "Built To Last", states "You need to get the right people on the bus". I think I'm on the correct bus, and this bus is definitely headed for an incredible destination.