The Summer Update

Where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday I sat down to write a blog post about being offered a summer internship. That was over 2 months ago, and here I sit almost half way done, and no blog to show for it. (Well, I did write one for a MBS blogging competition. I didn't like it, as I felt like I was writing a report, not telling the story of what I am experiencing. None the less, I won a gift card as a result (That was just a humblebrag...). That was due more to the fact I was the only one that entered on time. Even still, I'll take it.)

I assuming the only reason you are reading is because you are interested in hearing how things are going that, or you are just really bored and are trying to pass the time. Either way, I thank you.

After a great trip home to see the fiance and the family, I was ready to get started on my internship. It had been 10 months since I worked in an office. 10 months since I had to regularly dress in work clothes, and 10 months since I had to wake up early in the morning 5 days a week (I am proud to say I have not been late for work a single day this summer. Not starting work at 6:30 really helps.) So I showed up the 1st day, rang the bell to get buzzed in, and I sat down and waited for my boss to show me my desk. 30 minutes later, I decided to e-mail her to make sure she got the message from the stranger on the other side of the buzzer. She hadn't. Interesting way to get started. From there I got my desk, got set up on my computer, learned how to call IT to get my password unlocked, and waited. Thankfully, I had a bunch of meetings scheduled to learn about things based on my project. Up first was with the boss, going over the 12 week project plan of what I would be doing. They are looking for a very specific outcome, so the structure was put into place. The good thing is since I didn't know what I was doing, I had an outline to follow. The bad thing you may ask? Since I had no idea what I was doing I had no idea on how to follow!

In retrospect, I see a huge disconnect in this plan. By being so involved in the planning, everything made perfect sense. Of course, I was eager to get to work and impress, so I tried to be smart and understand it all. And I did, well, at least what was on paper. But I forgot my experiences back in my sales days - it isn't what they tell you, it is what they don't tell you. What are the hidden needs, either known or unknown.

As I got into the project, I thought I knew was going on, but I didn't. Thankfully, I have been having weekly meetings with my boss, and at each of those meetings, my understand has changed (and increased.) Instead of trying to figure out what to do, I actually feel like I am progressing. I guess that is natural though, any time you start a new job, there is a learning process.

Besides the lack of training, I have been dealing with one other major challenge. Back at Jackson, I was paid to talk to people. I was on the phone averaging 4 hours a day. I was working in a small team, and with a larger team. I was training people, answering questions, and just talking to my neighbors. It was an energetic work environment. At Hilti? Well, I sit next to other people....

The project itself is massively different than anything I have ever done before. The structure of the company as well. I love working in teams, with other people. The human element drives me, getting energy off other people (trying only to absorb the positive!) At Hilti (or at least, as I should preface, in the area of Marketing i am working in), the jobs are very defined. One product manager has one defined area and task. They might be grouped in a team, but they don't work in a team. They put together PowerPoints, training schedules, marketing material, etc. And I am doing the same thing. I have my defined project. I am the one working on it. Sometimes I ask for help, but try not to disturb to many people for to long. It is not a bad work situation, just not the one for me.

At the end of the day, I am enjoying my internship. These challenges are new ones that I haven't had to face in the past. I had people to train me at Jackson, rather than training myself. I had a group of people to work with, team discussions and meetings (as much as we bitched about the team meetings, turns out I like them a bit more than I led on to!) The new environment, the new working conditions are helping me learn. They say you learn more when you are faced with challenges, outside your comfort zone. It took me the first 3 weeks of my internship to realize this (those were a long three weeks!) but I have now. I am getting an amazing experience to prepare me for my next stage of my career. There is a lot of carry over skills to consulting - jumping on a project with no knowledge of what is behind it and juggling several different stake holders. Would I stay at Hilti long term? Maybe not. But am I wasting my time and regretting working for them? Absolutely not. Let's just hope I can say the same thing in 7 more weeks.

Note: I have talked about a lot of the challenges and things I don't like at Hitli, mainly as a part of the understanding process I need to go through to make the most out of my internship. This is not meant to be a blog bitching about it, but just talking about how I feel about these challenges.

As always, for anyone that has made it this far, thanks for the read, and feel free to share thoughts, comments, etc.

The Resilience of MBAs

I wanted to title this blog "How MBA's are like a Cat." Because, as rumor has it, cats always land on their feet (a fact I believe to be true, but as I am not an expert on cats, I say with a certain reservation." But since the analogies stop there, I figured it might be a confusing title, so you get what you got.

It seemed like just last week (I think, it was in fact 2 weeks ago) I let you in on the struggles of the MBA Internship search. The processed dragged out. I had sent out 40 applications. I didn't hear back from firms. Connections who offered to help turned out to either try really hard with little success or to just completely disappear/drop the ball/decide they actually hate me and don't want to help any more/or something less self centered where they just were no longer able to. But then, I finally got my first breakthrough in the process. A call back for an interview.

Hilti is a brand I had not heard of before, well, I applied to them and did a little research. They are in the construction tool business. Apparently, their brand is well known, but then again, what do I know about construction tools? But the internship, well one of two, was centered around 1-2-1 sales, which I knew a lot about. So I researched Hilti a bit more, and went all in (well, at least it felt like that at the time.)

About half way through the interview, things seemed to be going well. I had mentioned something and why that would help me with the 1-2-1 sales internship, and got a curious response from the two sitting across the table. "Oh, we thought you were interested in the other one. Well, are you?" Of course I am! But the problem was I did not know what the other project was, so I didn't want to get caught. "Well, I was more interested in the 1-2-1, so I haven't read the other brief, but I guess I would be interested..." Shit, that was a terrible answer. So we got the interview back on track and I continued to hammer my sales experience for the original position.

To prevent a long story from going any longer, I got a call back for round two, had what seemed like another good interview, with no fumbling about what position I was interested in (although, I had actually prepared and understood the other brief, and even was interested in that one too!) The following Monday, I shockingly received an offer. Not shocking that I received an offer (MBAs - always got to keep faith) but shocking in the fact that it was for the 'other' position.

In retrospect, I am actually happy I got the project outside of my comfort zone. Working on a 1-2-1 sales project, while fun, would be a chance to take what I know and apply it in a new way. Working on this project is going to be a chance to learn something new while applying it in a new way. While I am nervous, I just can't forget my lessons from my MBA - That we are like cats. I mean resilient.

BONUS SECTION:

This really has nothing to do with anything except a quick catch up of what is going on in my life. If you have no interest, thanks for reading this far and see you next time.

Marathoning: I was once again, easily talked into signing up for a marathon. This one was the Greater Manchester Marathon. Note, it was the Greater Manchester - not the Manchester. We did not in fact step foot in the city of Manchester. But we did run 26.2 miles just west of the city. On a rainy day. in 40 degree temp. In 25 mile an hour wind. Blowing in our face (for at least the majority of the exposed 2nd half of the race.) Lovely British running conditions. I am proud to say I finished in 4:15:15 (knocking off over 30 min from my previous time.) Up next is a goal of 4 hours in Amsterdam on Oct 21st. In the words for fellow marathoner Rafael - Keep Running.

Traveling (or at least trying to): In addition to Amsterdam, I am off to the US in June before my internship, Dubai in Sept. for some classes, and hopefully a couple more trips beyond that. Goals for the summer. York, Oxford, Cambridge (yes, you friend of shorter stature that will be studying there), Stonehenge and places in Scotland. Goals for the fall: US (DC and Denver - gots to get me a job) Bali to eat some of Chef Nicks great food, another European city on the back end of Amsterdam, and as many day and weekend trips as I can afford around the UK. That is lofty goals, and it won't all happen. But I will be stoked if even some of it does.

MBAT: Next week I am off to Paris for an international sports competition involving MBAs from all around Europe. 3 days of sports, drinking and fun. Should be an amazing time and lots of pictures to come.

Wedding: Kathryn and I are looking at May 2014 time frame, although nothing is set in stone yet. But we at least have an idea. And we plan to stay in a bungalow over the water in French Polynesia for our honeymoon. Google them and tell me that they don't look amazing. So excited for that (and the whole rest of my life with her thing too!)

Other than that, life remains busy as hell, but it is good. Less than a year left, and we will have a new batch of nervous MBAs starting in just 3 months. To just think where I was last year compared to this. Man, life is good.

As always, drop me a line, let me know your thoughts or just to say hi. Love you all!

In Search on an internship...

I had mentioned earlier this year that I was going to write more. As you can clearly see, that turned out to be a typical new year’s resolution - it never happened. I have wanted to write. I have sat down several times, and started typing, only to delete what I put down. Let's see if I make it through this time.

The second term of the MBA, in a lot of ways, is easier than the first. I only had 3 classes, instead of 4. The group project was based around Mergers and Acquisitions (desktop research), instead of working with an outside client. As a result, it was easier to manage – (and get a distinction!) There were less intro classes and more free time. Most importantly, I knew how to manage my schedule. I knew what to expect. And I understood that you can't do EVERYTHING possible, so I didn't sign up for as many things that didn't interest me because I felt I should.

So why the silence? If it was easier, shouldn't I have had more time to write?

You see, the thing is, in a lot of ways, the second term is a lot harder than the first. And that is for one main reason. The internship search struggle. Coming into my MBA, I looked forward to the internship with big dreams of what the future holds. I was going to lock down an internship with a consulting firm, the job of my dreams, then kick so much ass that they were forced to hire me back for full time. And because I am so awesome, I expected to have this all wrapped up by Feb, so I didn’t have to worry about it much from that point on.

So I set out applying to any consulting internship I could find. From McKinsey to Accenture, Deloitte to Simon Kutcher (Simon who?) Big or small, it didn’t matter. But the same thing happened. “Dear Mr Newell, we regret to inform you….we were fortunate enough to have many qualified candidates….but we were impressed by you….but good luck ELSEWHERE.” And that letter was better than what many firms gave me – silence.

I’ll admit, while I am use to rejection, I don’t think anyone is use to it at that level. I lost count of how many places told me no. I watched my friends get interviews, and helped them prepare. But I couldn’t understand why I didn’t get an opportunity. What am I missing? Why not me?

Every time I sat down to write about it, to talk about my frustration, I was coming across angry, hurt, and any other emotion constant rejection brings upon you. I didn’t want to write like that. I didn’t want to remember my MBA experiences like that. My stubbornness, if you will, prevented me from putting together coherent thoughts. So I focused on putting my head down and applying to the next one.

I truly think getting an MBA internship is one of the hardest things I have done, for many reasons (or at least reasons I use to justify my challenges.) Not all firms want to take the time to bring in and pay and MBA for just 12 weeks’ worth of work. They don’t see a long term value out of it. Combine this with the fact that most MBA programs are only a year, there is less internships than there are students fighting over them. Additionally, most internships are in London. Manchester is a great business school, but it isn’t London Business School, or isn’t as close to London as Oxford or Cambridge. We have a huge hurdle as students in the north, trying to battle with the best of the best on their home court. Thankfully, there are tremendous amounts of internships in the US, or so I thought. But I can’t help but worry that as soon as they see my application, all that runs through the US recruiters head one of the following questions - “What’s a Manchester Business School?”, “Some kid from England? He would be hard to interview – next!” or “How much is that going to cost me to relocate him?”

Even with these struggles, I have never questioned my ability to do a job. I know who I am and what I have to offer. I know I am meant for big things in the future. I have confidence in myself and my interview abilities. I seem to be a likeable guy (that, or everyone is just really good at bullshitting with me!) But I felt like I was running into a brick wall with a steal door keeping me from having any fair chance at fulfilling my lofty dreams. All I was asking for was that one opportunity. I was like the Little Giants – I just needed that one time (Yes, that is a mid-90s movie reference, and no, I do not regret making it.)

I am lucky. I have had a couple opportunities come up. I had my first interview, which has led to a final interview later this week. I have a back-up plan back in Colorado. But, at first, it was been hard for me to get excited about them. Not because they aren’t great opportunities, they really are. But because they aren’t the lofty expectations I let myself have coming into this. They aren’t the international consulting firm I wanted. It took me a while to accept that, to stop being angry about it, to stop feeling hurt. I have to remind myself about how competitive the internship search is, and how when I search for my full time job next year it will be easier. I will end up all right, and get through everything. But if you don’t hear from me for 3 months next year, you might now know why.

As always, I hope this gives you some insight into what the life on an international MBA is like. Hopefully, this kicks that writers block I have had this term, as there are a lot of exciting things going on over the next couple of months. But in the mean-time, any feedback is welcome and appreciated – unless it is simply to correct my grammar. I know is sucks so don’t be that guy. Till next time (hopefully not another 3 months.)

What's your Impact?

I want to start off with a quick exercise. Think of someone in your life, past or present. Someone that you don't particularly like to be around. It could be a coworker, ex, friend of a friend, etc. Got someone in mind? Good, hold that thought.

Over break I crashed Jackson's National Sales meeting. I did this because Jeff and Jessica, the to partners I use to work with were in town. I wanted to see them. I also went to the office a couple of days to see some of my old coworkers (I didn't see everyone I wanted to, so of course, I went back.) And it got me thinking about why I wanted to see some of these people, and frankly, why there were plenty of people that I use to work with I didn't. There were so many people at Jackson that made and impact in my life, from the manager who hired me all those years ago, to the recruiters, coworkers and bosses. Some of them set out to make an impact. Some of them did not. Some of the impacts were positive, and some, well, let's just say I wasn't excited to see everyone back at the office.

It felt so good to hear the excitement from some of my old coworkers, seeing some of the external sales guys, a manager in a completely different department. Apparently, based on what they said to me, I made an impact on them. I will never know the breadth of the impact I made, but even more so will never know any negative impact I made.

So let's jump back to that person you are thinking about. The one that you won't be buying the next round for. I have a few in mind. Now I don't think they woke up each morning thinking about how they could be mean, rude, obnoxious etc towards you. There might be a few extreme examples, but other than that, I highly doubt they thought of you. Or more importantly, thought of their impact.

Everything you do is going to effect others. That is just the nature of the beast. You might be in a rush, and bump into a stranger on the streets, who might be having a bad day, who now (ir)rationally hates you. Or maybe someone doesn't appreciate your cutting in line. But on the other side, holding the door open might make someones bad day a little better. A simple thank you for a job well done. The point is, everything you do has the potential to impact others.

But how many people think about their impact on others? How many people try to make as many interactions they have positive ones? To me, it doesn't seem that hard to do. Start with the smaller things. Build from there. But most importantly, simply be aware of the impact you are making on everyone around you.

I am trying to continue making a positive impact through not only my life, but my blog. From some feedback I have received, I have been doing a good job at that so far. But i do ask one favor in addition to feedback (as always, good or bad is appreciated!), if you believe in what I write, and feel that it will help someone else who reads it, please feel free to share it. And as always, let me know what you think.

2011 - The Reflective

It has been a while since I have sat down to write, so I figure what better time than now to look back on the last year, and just as importantly, look forward to the next year. So here goes.

From 2011: Things I have done/am proud of.

- Moved to a new country: This is obvious. Having been accepted to Manchester Business School, I wrapped up my 4.5 years at Jackson, packed my bags, and jumped the pond. This is the first time since I lived in Australia I have been so far from home. It has been the adventure of a lifetime. And there is still 15 months left, it will be amazing to see where it goes.

- Ran 26.2 Miles. That is a marathon. And more importantly, I trained for the marathon. That was the challenge of the marathon, not the race, but the training. The dedication of running 2-3 times a week (ideally, more!) But it taught me a lot, the perseverance of it all. And I am like many marathoners, excited for the next one.

- Acted Academic. That is right mom and dad, I have been a student. And a good one, or at least I think so! I have studied for tests, I have attended classes (over 90%), and busted my ass on projects. And I have enjoyed it. Who know, being a student isn't all that hard. Working hard for classes doesn't kill you. I just need to keep that momentum into 2012

- Watched Every episode of Glee. And Merlin, and countless other shows. Hey, we all need an escape, and as a result, I have become a gleek.

- Made new friends from every corner of the globe. That is the nice thing about MBS. We are from everywhere. And everyone there is amazing in their own right, and it has been amazing to learn from them.

- I got engaged. Yep, this is the most important thing I have done in all of 2011, and can't be happier. I have found the woman that supports me and completes me. I would not survive in school, overseas, running marathons or anything else without Kathryn's support. And I hope (and she says I do) that I am half as strong for her as she is for me.

That is just the highlights for last year, and what a great year it was. From the move, to the MBA, to Kathryn, I couldn't have planned out a better year. But here is my attempt, my plans for 2012.

- Blog More. It is easier to find excuses than to sit down to write. I sometimes think more about the people reading than myself writting. But blogging for me is helpful, and even a bit therapeutic. It helps me process thoughts. It helps me learn from what I am doing. MBS talks about self reflection as a part of the learning process, and I believe that. I have done that to an extent, but I want to use this avenue to further it. I hope you find it interesting, but if you don't, I hope that I continue to find it helpful. Until the latter changes, I will keep at it.

- Study my ass off. I have 15 more months to go. It won't be an easy journey. But it will be an enriching year though. It will be a fun challenge, but a challenge none the less.

- Do what I need to do. This relates to Kathryn. I need to bust my ass in school, so I can get the job I want so we can start our life together. And after spending the last 2 weeks with her over break, I couldn't be more excited. Talk about strong motivation.

- Run more. And track my running better. I have marathon number 2 set up for April 29th, in Manchester. I have a full 4 months to train (better than 2!) I want to keep up the running more after the race too. I love running, but once again, it is easier to find excuses than to lace up the shoes. I have new shoes, cold weather gear, and new excitement for it this year. And lots of runner friends. Now it is just a matter of keeping it up.

- Live healthier. This goes hand and hand with the running. Go to the gym more, eat better, and balance the lifestyle. Now that I am not interested in drinking every night of the week, it is time to take the next step to a healthier living. I took out a lot of the bad, but never have added all the good, so that is my goal for this year,.

- Find an internship. My goal is to work for a consulting firm, and I have an application out there already. But I need to bust my ass, balance everything else, and commit to researching a whole lot of internships. I will, going back to blogging more, talk about the trials, tribulations and experience of finding one.

- Read another 5 books. Ideally, I would like it to be 10. I read about 15 last year, between fiction and non fiction. Jumping around books for fun and books on business and human behavior. I would raise the number, but I know that will be a challenge with studying. After school, the number will be at least 1 a month. But for now, 5 is a good goal.

- Work on goal setting. I have never been good at it. I have never put anything down, all though I have thought about it in the past. I have laid out maps in my mind, but nothing more than that. I am never going to make a specific goal based on a potential, yet volatile outcome. But doing something like this, will help me on this step.

- Continue my pledge and challenge I laid out to other people. Learn something new every day, and continue to go out of my way to do something nice for other people. This, in my opinion, is what is wrong with our world. People get complacent and don't treat other people with respect. If we can change that, just imagine what will happen in the world.

- Stay in contact with people better. I have to make a better effort to keep in touch with people. I have to make the effort, I am the one over seas (out of sight, out of mind, if you will.) And this is more than just my close friends. This is the old coworkers at Jackson, old business relationships, and people that helped me and touched me in my life.

Well, there it is. There was 2011, and a set of goals for 2012. This is not all I will be working on, but gives me some ideas, some points of reference for the next year. It will be added to, and subtracted from. But over all, I know it will be an amazing year.

A holiday away, but not alone....

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope everyone is having an amazing day, wherever in the world they are.

It is crazy to think how I got here, my first holiday away from home. One year ago today, I was sitting in Aspen, waiting for the phone to ring. I had my interview for Manchester Business School. If all things went well, I would get to pack up and move overseas the following Sept. I was at my grandma’s house with Kathryn, my mom, Mike, and of course, Granny. They were listing to one half of my conversation, and critiquing (congratulating) my answers as soon as it was over. (The room upstairs has a window to the living room, so they weren’t hanging by the door with a cup against it!)

I am very close to my family (ies), and holidays were spent diving around from house to house (see the movie ‘Four Christmases”, like that, less crazy though, thankfully.) That is the challenge of having divorced parents. But the challenge ends at logistics. I am so lucky to have such a warm and loving extended family, and have been so welcomed into Kathryn’s family. Even if it was tiring driving to house after house, and trust me, it is, every holiday was filled with love, family and food! And I couldn’t ask for more. Going from that, to a thanksgiving spent learning about mergers and acquisitions, a dinner at an Italian restaurant with a good friend, and back home to work on more projects is quite a change! Spending my first holiday away has proved to be a bit harder than I thought.

The challenges of being away from my family and the home I have known for pretty much all my memorable life got me thinking about why I am here, what I am doing, and most importantly, in the themes of the holiday, what I am thankful for. So be warned, there might be sappiness. But there will be a lot of love.

I am thankful for the opportunity I am embracing at Manchester Business School. The chance to change my life, study my ass of, party on occasion, and build my skills to move to the next step of my career. It is funny, all thought I came to England to learn, I am not learning everything from England. It is better than that. I am learning from England, I am learning from India, Peru, China, Japan, Brazil, etc. I am learning from over 45 different countries, with more to be added from next year’s class. I am learning from the best and brightest these countries have to offer. I spend more time with people who don’t live in England than I do with people from here. But that is the glorious part of Manchester. That true international make up, which is helping me grow.

I am thankful for Not for Profit, Mergers and Acquistions, Marketing, Corporate Finance, Accounting, Economics, and every other class/project I have done or will do. Well, maybe not accounting, but can you blame me? Even with the challenges from class, or a month long ‘hell’ stretch with 4 presentations, 4 reports, 1 test and countless case studies (I think, I might have lost count…), these classes give us the environment to learn from each other. Sometimes they are good. Sometimes they suck. Well, most of the time they suck. But that is the point of us being here, learning the technical skills, but more importantly, the medium for us to learn from each other. Learning about how to manage your time, manage your efficiencies, and manage working in a team.

I am thankful for Red Bull. While it may not actually give you wings, it does help you plough through tough classes and study sessions. Keeps you awake when you have just a couple more hours to go.

I am thankful for the internet. Not only does it help with the studies, more importantly, it helps with sanity. Staying in contact with sports, news, and tv (yes, there is websites for that!) Some nights you have to shut out the world and responsibilities, take some personal time and not have a care in the world. Don’t worry, the assignments will still be there the next day.

I am thankful for Saturday afternoon football (soccer, when I am not to hungover), old friends, new friends and anyone that who has come into my life. I am thankful for the occasional Manchester sun (got to enjoy it when it comes). I am thankful for the 5 minute walk to school, and will be even more thankful when the weather gets worse! I am thankful for my camera, my running shoes and every other tool that gives me those moments of peace.

I am thankful for my family. They have loved and supported me every stage of my life. They have been with me every step of the way, the mistakes I made, the adventures I went on, and the learning I have done. I have been lucky enough, through all the craziness life throws at everyone, to have their support and love.

And I am thankful for Kathryn. Her support has been amazing. She gave me enough strength to set out on this adventure, and she gives me the strength to be my best in everything I do.

Even though Thanksgiving has been hard being away, I still have so many things to be thankful for. Most importantly, I am thankful that being away does not mean I am alone.

Occupy Yourself

Don't worry, this blog is not about politics. If you want to talk about why I believe what I believe, feel free to e-mail me. If you want to argue, feel free to e-mail yourself. But the occupy protests have me thinking. What will be the America I come home to be like? What will it be like in 10 years? For my kids?

My democratic friends will say it will be bad because of the republicans. My republican friends (yes, I do have a few) will say it will be bad because of the democrats. But they are both wrong. It is already bad.

I can talk for hours on what I think on politics (and have many times before.) But politics isn't why America is in bad shape. And it isn't what is going to fix it. We are in a crisis because of us, and we are the only ones that can fix it.


You see the crisis is not political. It wasn't created in Washington, and it not anything new. It has been a long time coming. Washington simply is a focal point for us to watch it play out. But it is easier to blame Washington than it is to blame ourselves. But what people don't realize, it is easy to fix. I truly think it breaks down into two simple things. So what are these simple things?

The first is a desire to learn. In other posts, I have talked about not being afraid to fail, and to try to continue to better yourselves. That means actually taking the time to learn something new. But I don't think most people do that. Now, I will admit, watching the train wreck cast of the Jersey shore may be more entertaining than learning about federal monetary policy. But one of them is being manipulated (by both parties) in order to gain your vote. I'll let you guess which one.

The thing is learning is so simple. We have endless resources out there. The internet has put everything at our fingertips. But it has also put games, videos, porn, chat room, sports and basically everything else at our fingertips too. Guess what, you don't have to give those other things up. Since learning is a never ending activity (I plan to stop learning the day I die), a little bit of time each week adds up! Anyone can do it. I am living proof.

Studying text books and searching the internet is a great tool for learning, but sometimes can be daunting. Don't worry, there is an easier way. You just have to ask somebody. And that takes me to my second point.

Learn to learn from your fellow man. And hopefully, in turn, they learn to learn from you. Basically, this is all about the golden rule. We all know it, but we don't all practice it. How can we expect congress to behave and function when we barely can as a society. Think for a minute. When is the last time you saw someone treat another person negatively. A day? A week? I would be surprised if the answer is more than that. When is the last time you have treated someone negatively?

We have to break down these walls with each other. Just because someone is a Democrat does not mean they are a lazy hippy wanting a free ride. Just because someone is a Republican does not mean they are soulless and greedy. Yet, during political times, more often than not, these labels are used on people with different views. I have done it.

Have you ever asked someone why the believe what they believe instead of telling them they are wrong?

We are so quick to discredit our fellow man, so quick to discard their thoughts. But all we need to do is take a step back, RESPECT THEM, and start a dialog. Start talking about what makes us common, not what makes us different. Start talking about ways we can both succeed together, not ways we can't. Go out of your way to be nice, help someone else. Ask them why instead of telling them no. Maybe little kids have had it right all along.

I have brought up politics several times, but our problems are so much greater than that. Politics just simply takes our problems and shines a big spot light right on them. And the keys to fixing them are not very hard.

So I am putting a challenge out there to anyone that is reading this.

1. Commit to learning about something new every week. Take a topic outside of your current job, current life. There are so many resources out there that make it fun. Ted.com, thersa.org, the Kahn Academy. Or talk to a friend, or a stranger. Just make sure to ask why.

2. Commit to improving someones day every week. Go out of your way, talk to them, help a friend, help a stranger, don't yell at a service rep. What ever it is, take out one negative interaction with somebody, and replace it with one positive.

And when you master doing that once a week, try for twice, then three times, and so on.

If you think this is a good idea, please share it with someone else. Share my blog, make a Facebook post, challenge your friends to do better and be better, just do something. 

Ultimately, change doesn't start in Washington. There is no point in occupying Wall Street. It is time to occupy ourselves. Start the change within.

(Note: While this is was written with context going towards my American friends, the ideas are universal, and the challenge is global. Lets start to make this world a better place.)

9 Oct 2011

The hardest thing I have ever tried The hardest thing I have ever done:

Over the summer, I was talking to a colleague, Andre, about running a marathon. After finding the Manchester Marathon in Nov, and realizing it was in New Hampshire, not my new home, I was able to find plenty of excuses to not sign up for another one. Then one day I got an e-mail from another colleague, Maanas. He informed me that he and Andre were signed up to run the Liverpool Marathon. The date, 9 Oct, 2011. The registration deadline? The next day. I didn't have much time to think about it. I have always wanted to run a marathon, but always had an excuse. I would get fit first, then I would sign up. Funny thing, that never seemed to work out. So here was my chance to jump into the deep end and just sign up for the race. I would start training right away (so I thought.) Not only did I sign up, I talked a 4th colleague into doing the same. And just like that, Rafael and I were running our 1st marathons, in order to join the exclusive club Maanas and Andre were already members(2 and 3 I believe.)

There is an old cliche, that is used all the time. I imagine most people have heard the phrase 'it's not a sprint, it's a marathon.' I don't know where that came from, but even I have said it before. Hell, I can't count how many times it has been said about the MBA! But what does that really mean? Well, if you have ever wondered that, you are in luck, because yesterday, I had quite a bit of time to think about the answer to that.

1. It's all about the training: When I signed up for Liverpool, I had three months to train. I had been running much of the spring, so I was in a good position. But then I stopped. It was my last summer home, running was the last thing on my mind. So my training started just 8 weeks before my race. Most training programs look for 13-18 weeks to get your body ready. My procrastination only left me 8. But I still was able to train. And, if you think about it, all my MBA colleagues have been training for our 'marathon' of school. We have done this through undergrad programs, the GMAT, and most importantly, our work experience. That is why I chose MBS, the value they put on work experience. If I didn't have the early summer training, I would not have been able to be ready in 8 weeks. If I didn't have 5 years experience working at my last job, I would not have been ready for school. Never over look training.

2. Set some goals: I have never been much of a goal setter, at least not in the old fashion sense. I always would strive to get better, but never put them down on paper. Never put tangible numbers to things. It was always more open and vague, like never stop learning. But to some extent, I do have some goals. Things to accomplish during my time here at MBS. Things to work on, ways to be better. Just like I had in Liverpool. I knew my pace to run, I knew where my splits should be. And I had a goal of running 26.2 miles in 4 hours and 30 mins. I, for the first time, was a proper goal setter (more on this later.)

3. Run your race: There is a tendency in life to compare yourself to other people. When you do that, I think you loose sight of what your true goals are in life. You are living for them, not for you. This is true in a marathon, as well as an MBA. It may or may not surprise you how many 70 year old ladies could beat you in a foot race. First instinct is always that you should be faster then them, so you speed up. Then you realize you are out of your race, running a pace you can't keep. And when you slow down, guess you goes right on past? And the hardest time to control your race? The start. It is a great way to make the next 25 miles more difficult. At MBS, knowing why you are here is key. That means doing the things you are passionate about, not things other people are passionate about. It is easy to get pulled into a club you have no interested into because it sounded like a cool idea when 2012 described it. With so much activities, and so much excitement about starting my MBA, I have already had to step back and think about everything I am doing. Why am I doing this, will it help me? You know, those difficult questions only you, not other people, really know the answer too.

4. Expect the unexpected: Liverpool tried to throw every obstacle in our way. The race started 50 minutes late. There was lots of wind. As a runner, it always seems the wind is in your face, and never at your back. And always on a uphill! And of course there was rain. What would a English marathon be without a little bit of rain. But the biggest challenge was the course. We looked at the course and elevation map. But what none of us saw was the hill we would have to run up. For about 5 kms, we were climbing. Now any runner knows, even a slight incline is a challange. I wish I could say this was slight. Or short. We were not expecting it. The MBA is going to throw many challenges at everyone over the next 18 months. Last minute meetings, balance sheets, cash flows, marketing projects, demanding clients, etc. There is always something to do. And if there is not, wait 10 minutes, that will change. You just have to expect that something will come, the unexpected.

5. Always move forward: I'll admit it. I had to walk. After the hill, my legs were shot. My pace was where I wanted to be, but my hill training was not. It was a bad time for my body. But not my mind. I never stopped moving forward. I had the goal in sight (well, not quite insight, but about 12 miles away!) I had committed to finishing my marathon. I threw my time out the window. All I could think about was finishing. And how I would train for my next marathon better. And this blog. But mostly finishing. This correlation to the MBA is the easiest. We will have classes we don't like, groups we hate, things we don't get, and meetings we don't want to go to. Every challenge will be there, on good days and more on bad. But the key is to always keep moving forward. Think about where you are going more than where you came from.

6. Even in failure, there is still success: Thomas Edison was asked how it felt to fail at inventing the light bulb 10000 times, before his eventual success. His response?  " I have not failed. I've just found 10000 ways that won't work." You can't be afraid in failure, as 'failure' teaches us the best lessons. And as long as you can learn, you didn't fail. You had a great chance to practice again. I was inspired by another MBA blogger, talking about this same subject. He failed a class, went back, studied harder, and came back and passed it some 9 months later. The most inspiring thing about something like that? Not the failure, no one will remember that. But the completion and the resolve to get it done. I ran my marathon in 4:51:03. You could say I failed by 21:03. I will correct you. I succeeded by 26.2 miles.

7. A group is stronger than one: I had so much support on my marathon. I couldn't have done it without them. From Andre and Maanas to convincing my to sign up, to training runs with Rafael. Vassil, who was running another marathon yesterday, was always seeing how I was doing with my training. I had a team, we were accountable for each other. But more than that, everyone in class was supportive. So was everyone back home. This blog would go on for days if I tried to list them all, but thank you to all! I drew energy from the support (A extra special shout to Sana and Joao for making the trip out to Liverpool on race day!) There were over 600 volunteers on race day, handing out water, guiding us on the route. And thousands and thousands of more fans, cheering on complete strangers. Who knows how it would have been without them. I am here at MBS, not to compete with my colleagues, but to succeed with them. Not to compare, but to learn. I won't be a better business man without their help. I won't be a better person. 

And this list can keep going. There are so many correlations you can get from running a marathon to grad school. Both are time consuming. Most people wouldn't consider either. If you do it for the right reasons, and do it for yourself, you will become a better person for it. It will challenge you more than anything ever has before in your life. In 18 months, I will be looking back at my accomplishments. Graduation day. And I hope I am thinking to myself, I just completed one of the hardest things I have ever done. For as they say, It's not a sprint, It's a marathon.

Rhythm and Flow

Don't worry, even though the title is Rhythm and Flow, I am not going to turn into a white rapper. We all know that would end bad. I'll leave that job to Eminem. But I do want to talk about Rhythm and Flow. It isn't a new topic by any means. I did not have an epiphany. If anything you know as much about it as I do, or the next guy.

I read a book earlier this year (and yes, it wasn't just pictures!) by Daniel Pink called Drive. The book is about what motivates people. It is a fascinating look into why the old carrot and stick method is not good for any hire level job - one that involved thinking. More so people are driven to be better, work harder, and be smarter. You don't have to pay them more, you just, a lot of times, have to get out of their way. If you are interested in human behavior, or management, I suggest reading this book. If you are not, at a minimum, click on the attached link, with a great (and entertainingly done) summary. http://youtu.be/u6XAPnuFjJc

While Daniel Pink called this concept in his book Rhythm or Flow (he used them a bit interchangeable), it is a well known concept. Stella called it her groove, and spent two hours trying to get it back. Austin Powers went on a time traveling search for his mojo. NBA Jams (yea, I just went back to 1992) players 'caught on fire.' There are so many examples, of this essence, this mood, this attitude. Have you ever woken up and just had a bad day? I bet you didn't feel like you had your rhythm and flow.

Which brings us to the question, why am I talking about this? Because, to me, this is a huge factor for success. It is all about finding a comfort in your life. Not living a comfortable life, but finding a comfort. I don't mean having a lot of money, or having a big house. I mean loving what you do. Having comfort in your actions, your being, your purpose.

I have been gainfully unemployed for 2 months now, and spent over half that time sitting back into the classroom. Most days I head to school at 9, am there until 7 or 8, then have more studies and reading to do at home. I am still trying to figure out the path to success in my MBA (not survive, but succeed), and I have a good start. And that is to develop my rhythm and flow. And yes, it can be developed. It can be changed, It is simply a mental state. It is about not only accepting the task in front of you, but being excited about the learning opportunity and the challenges presented. It is about managing your work load, budgeting your time, and finding that balance in your life.

I am using the same thoughts to run my marathon. Finding the time to run, finding the motivation to keep going after 20km, and just pushing through it. You know when you are out of your rhythm and flow. When you wake up on the wrong side of the bed. People have their bad days and good. The key is to maximize the good days, by controlling your rhythm and flow.

On a side note, my computer was in the repair shop for the last month getting a new screen, which unsurprisingly disrupted my Rhythm and Flow (and gave me some time to think about the concept and adapt to a new one.) But now that I have it back, I hope to get back to writing my updates weekly/biweekly. As always, thank you for reading, feed back is appreciated, and let me know if there is anything you want to hear about specifically!

Into the Deep End

I have been struggling for find the words to write this latest entry (as shocking as it may be, as I never seem to shut up!) At first it was easy, I didn't have much to do, and had so much going on. Everything was fun, there was no alarm set for the mornings. I could go run, drink, play and anything else I wanted. I knew that would not last.

The Manchester MBA starts with a Pre-MBA, or as the seniors (2012 batch) tell us, "A time to party, cuz you won't be busy yet!" The skills are a refresher for some, and brand new for many others. Pretty much, we are cramming a semesters worth of accounting into 4 classes, learning how to work on consultancy skills, learning presentation skills, and any thing else that we may or may not need to help us over the next 18 months. After the "easy" month, the actual MBA program will start. Only if the Pre-MBA were easy.

Now, the learning side (aside from the chapters about chapters of the 7(so far) text books we have received) has not been too bad at all. Some of it I fight to stay awake, but most of it I am enjoying. But the challenge is the amount of information we are receiving right now. Class starts at 9 am, and we have four 1 hour 30 minute sessions every day (this is how the term will look when we start in 2 more weeks.) Then after that, we tend to have a presentation from an external speaker, or a group project, or another group project, or more reading to do. It seems that being at school from 9am - 9pm is going to be the norm for the next bit of time in my life. But as I have said before, I am excited for that!

I came here to challenge myself. In every aspect of the word. I came here to prove to myself that I can succeed in the academic world. High school and college were about doing enough to get bye. This is about doing more than that, and then more than that. I know I am not as smart as a lot of the people here. I have already seen the millions of ways I would have never thought to solve a problem come up. I have so much to learn from the 114 other colleagues that are going on this journey as well. And it is an amazing bunch to learn from, I can already tell that.

For me, my path to success is a simple one. When you get an MBA, you don't really talk about your GPA, or anything of the sort. You simply state, I got one, and look where it is from! This school is ranked well! I'm a good hire! But ultimately, everyone has a goal of passing, otherwise they wouldn't be here. I know I will pass, simply because when I accomplish my goal, it will never be in doubt. All I am trying to do, as simple as it sounds, is work harder than my Indians friend sitting next to me in class, or the Brazilians and Peruvians and everyone else in the room. And I hope they have the same goal! If I put in the effort, and work harder than I have every worked before - which I can already tell, I will have to - I should be just fine. This is the way I am going to learn, better myself, and prepare for the next stage of my life.

I am excited to do this with my colleagues though. While I want to work harder than them, I also want to work with them, learn from them, and hopefully share some of my views/opinions/thoughts/experiences. And hopefully they can learn from that too. Now I recognize not all here, or in the world, feel that way. And neither of us are wrong in our views. I know what works for me, and they, I can only imagine, know what works for them. At the end of the program, we will embark on a 3 month international business project. I have already started identifying the people I am not as keen to work with. Not because they are not smart, but because of how they work. I hope to find, or be asked on a team, that values working together, and with a shared passion, and we will kick major ass in the project.

I found myself getting frustrated at some of our early project meetings. It seemed that we were spinning our wheels, and time is not an asset we can afford to waste. But when I got away from the meetings, I realized I was a big part of the problem. While I was hearing what people said, I wasn't listening. In the next meeting, after starting to get frustrated, I sat back, and calmly asked the most basic question - why? Why do you think that? Why should we include that? Just simply, Why? Turns out we had been talking about the same, or similar ideas. But I never took the chance to listen. I just heard what they said, in a second language, not what they meant. I am damn happy I realized that early on!

We have been fortunate enough to have a lot of exposure, guidance and advice from the seniors, and even other alumni. If anyone else is ever embarking on a journey of the sort, my one peace of advice is listen very carefully to what they say is helpful, and ignore any negative. I have heard from so many people about 'How to Survive my MBA.' But that answers the wrong question. I want to know 'How to Enhance my MBA.' We all knew this would be a challenge, telling me so isn't going to make it different. I want to know that it is a good idea to establish set ending times for the meetings, not that they go on all night. I want to know how to get the most out of the clubs I join, not how to fit them into my schedule. I know I will work hard, I want to know how to organize myself, how to plan better, time management. But that message, unfortunately, does not seem to be the one I have heard as much. I know it is going to be hard, but don't try to damage my spirits before I have even started.

Part of enhancing my MBA is going to be the things I do outside of the classroom. I have already been playing football (soccer), plan on joining some clubs, act as a student ambassador for those wanting to follow in our footsteps, and anything else that frankly, interest me to some degree. Next April we will be traveling to Paris for a sports competition weekend with top B-Schools across Europe. We have different theme nights, poker club, and what seems like anything else you could think of. And I want to do it all! Well, as much as I have time for.

With that being said, this post will most likely be one of the more interesting ones to look back and read in 18 months time. I have barely dipped my toe into the water. But the pool is deep, and it is getting close for time to jump in. But I can swim. I have my floaties - enthusiasm, passion, everything put into my calendar, all homework assignments mapped out and a focus on time management. From what I can tell, from talking to classmates, these are the tools, not to survive, but to succeed, and enhance and MBA. Maybe it is naivety talking, maybe not, but either way, I am ready for the challenge.