First Quarter/Semester Survival Tips

Finished my first quarter here at Daniels strong. Although, not without a few speed bumps. So, in order to help others (and remind myself of what to do/not do next quarter) I have compiled a list of first quarter/semester survival tips.

Here are a few of my first quarter/semester survival tips:

1. It's great that you have pride, but know when you don't know - If you are struggling with a topic, go see the Graduate Assistant or professor for that topic.Other students may also be a valuable resource when the text in the book looks like a foreign language.
2. Take breaks!!!! - For two weeks prior to my finals I found myself hunched over a table, straining my eyes, in denial of a massive headache approaching, and starving. I studied for a total of 10 hours in one day forgetting to relax. Short of dying, I was not in any condition to study and my brain reached the point of diminishing returns! So, take my advice, plan on taking interval breaks to rest your brain.
3. Nobody remembers the GPA of Steve Jobs - Grades are important but don't forget that there is so much more to your time and what you can get from a MBA program. Of course you have to maintain a certain GPA but don't seclude yourself to your room with nothing but your books, get out and go to social/professional events on campus as well as in the area.
4. Take care of yourself - You are more than just a student. Create a routine that allows for free time, family/friend time, professional time (work on internships, resumes, conferences, ect.), and time to take care of your health.
5. It's not what your MBA program can do for you, but what you can do for yourself - Let me qualify this by saying that MBA programs have a myriad of resources accredited to you being a student and paying tuition. However, it will often be your task to be actively developing your professional rapport. If you want to get an internship, don't sit on your hands waiting for one to be given to you. Sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands.
6. Don't forget your friends/family back at home - Sometimes friends/family is sacrificed in the midst of time constraints and building new student/professional relationships. Don't forget that where you are can also be contributed to your old friends and family. Don't forget about them!
7. Get involved, volunteer! - Volunteering for professional association events can be a great (free) way to go to an event and network. Plus, it's mutually beneficial for YOU AND THE ORGANIZATION! Score!
8. Course reading good for interviews? - During one of my courses we were required to read 100+ articles. At one point I thought, other than knowing the content and authors how else can this be useful? During my next interview, I brought up a concept and stated the author who it was from and it just so happened that the interviewer knew the article and we discussed in for 30 minutes. At the end, I was hired!
9. Remember that you don't have to take the class forever - I found motivation during a difficult course by reminding myself that I only had to take the course once if I passed but twice if I didn't.
10. Just because the quarter/semester is over, doesn't mean the work is - Ok, Ok, Ok, I know this is NOT what you want to hear but it's true. Now that the quarter is over, you'll have more time to apply for internships, meet contacts for coffee/lunch, and apply for scholarships.

2010 Angel Capital Summit

Denver Skyline

This year I had the pleasure of volunteering for the Angel Capital Summit (ACS) which was held at the University of Denver - Daniels College of Business. The ACS provides business professionals with the tools and intensive screening needing in preparation for presenting to real investors.
As an aspiring young entrepreneur and a marketing professional, I have come to understand the value proposition within networking. The ability to connect with people can sometimes be more beneficial than academic credentials alone. All of the events that led up to me participating in the ACS were all brought about by networking and the generosity of people who understand you're future goals.

The Power of Networking
A few months ago I received an email from a professor (Dr. Paul Bauer) referring me to an event searching for Daniels student business volunteers to help with the ACS. I instantly connected to Mr. Les Makepeace, who is the CEO at TIGON Enertec and an adjunct Professor at Daniels College of Business.
It was through Mr. Makepeace that I was connected to an exceptional young man, Xander Page. He was the liaison between the ACS production team and Mr. Makepeace. After contacting both, numerous time, I finally was able to connect to the event.

During the event I was a "room producer" which afforded me the opportunity to sit in and watch successful CEOs/Entrepreneurs and other business executive give workshops on entrepreneurial "tricks of the trade". The first presenter was Mr. Brian Tsuchiya Founder of StartupGuru.com and serial entrepreneur. Mr. Tsuchiya gave valuable information about building venture capital through crowd capital as well as other means.

The second presenter that sparked my interest was Ms. Becky De Stigter, Director of International Operations at The Business Catapult. She gave an informative presentation on many insightful points about International Operations and how to notice and strategically navigate cultural barriers such as etiquette, mores, and professional status. As a student with an International Marketing background, her presentation was one that I definitely made sure to make mental notes of.

The third presenter was Ms. Chia-LiChien, CFP® CRPC PMP or "Jolly" as she presented herself to the audience. Ms. Chien was a dynamic speaker at the ACS, during her presentation on the 5 Deadly Business Sins to Avoid, I found myself trying to balance my tasks as a volunteer as well as taking valuable notes on many of the key points Ms. Chien shared. As an aspiring young business professional, there are two nuggets of gold that I took away from Ms. Chien’s presentation: 1. Know who you’re industry market makers are and 2. You must have predictable profits! I would recommend reading her articles at chialichien.com.

 One the closing day-2 of the event, I was able to speak to many exceptional business leaders and found that successful networking isn't about excessively promoting yourself and your professional agenda, sometimes it's about simply listening to others and learning from their success/mistakes. Everyone has a story and I honestly believe that business networks is a balance between professional relationship building as well as mutually benefiting each other.
 
I am very grateful to everyone who was involved in the ACS at Daniels this year. The event was a huge success and I look forward to working with many of the people I met again.

Student Activites at Daniels

Once again, I have predetermined my destiny (to be over committed) by eagerly agreeing to be a part of various activities and organizations during my time here at DU. I am highly enthusiastic about joining the graduate student led group Entrepreneurs in Action (EIA) whose mission is “To promote entrepreneurship at the University of Denver through alumni engagement, community involvement and hands-on learning opportunities.”

Another thrilling engagement that I have committed to is the Daniel’s signature case competition called “Race and Case". Race and Case as described by the second student MBA graduates is business ethics challenge in which teams (4 to 6 individuals) are given a prompt and after a specified duration of time, each team comes together for a preliminary competition. After making it to the next round, the selected teams will then have another competition presented in front of business executives. The last aspect is a NASTAR ski/snowboard racing (hence the name) event. This is were the teams select two men and two women members to compete. A few other key components include:

• The ethics based prompt is delivered to teams three weeks prior to competition date.
• Presentation length will not exceed 20 minutes.
• Presentation is followed by 10 minutes of Q&A.

Scoring System

Several improvements have been made to the scoring for 2011!
The score is weighted 80% on the case competition and 20% on the skiing.

Case Competition: A panel of judges will score each presentation. Each judge may award a maximum of 10 points each for 10 different criteria for a maximum of 100 points. Please refer to the official scorecard for the criteria on which teams will be judged. Each team's raw score will be carried over as their score for the case portion of the competition and multiplied by 0.8 to get the weighted score.

Ski Race: The race will be held on an official NASTAR course. Each participant may ski a maximum of three runs. Any team not comprised of at least two women and two men must accept a time of 50 seconds for each missing member. The two fastest women and two fastest men on each team will be individually ranked and given an individual score based on position. The team score will be the combined score of the top two men and the top two women. The maximum team score is 100 points. The team score will be multiplied by 0.2 to get the weighted score.

Both weighted scores will be added together to get the final team score.

I have a fantastic team this year and I strongly believe we will take home the "Gold"!
If you are interested in participating and you attend another school Race and Case is open to all students (not just Daniels) check out the link above.

Entrepreneurial Drivers

In the midst of taking a 15 minute accounting break I ran across a post by Jeremy Wilson today that caught my attention it was about "what makes a great entrepreneur". I highly suggest reading it, especially if you have ever thought about engaging in your own business venture. I, personally, found inspiration in his citations by Suneel Cupta. Basically, what it all comes down to is strategic perseverance. If it didn't work out the first time, think critically about why it didn't work and then revise a new "plan of attack".

Leading at the Edge weekend: The team that "belays" together, stays together

Rock Climbing Challenge

October 1st-3rd was my cohort's Leading at the Edge weekend. This entailed three days of intense mental and physical challenges that targeted individual leadership styles and group dynamics. This weekend took place at a nature reserve call "The Nature Place" in Florissant, CO.

The experience itself was very demanding, first we were divided by our assigned groups of 10-13 MBA students then we were taught orienteering skills and sent off to complete multiple challenges. The immediate objective was to get the team to navigate to a series of locations based on compass barrings and typography maps. However, the ultimate goal was to learn how to tailor communication skills to individuals. Prior to going on the trip, each student listed two ways to effectively communicate with them, what they brought to the team, and how not to communicate with them. This was based off the Insights and CareerLeader Assessments that we took during orientation. This knowledge was very useful during the edge weekend because it clearly states how you can clearly convey a message based upon the individuals preference. Although this is always easier said than done, it was great to put it to practice.

Another interesting aspect of the weekend included developing more self-awareness in regards to personal capabilities, fears, and leadership styles. There were a few times in which I may have strategically reasoned through a challenge scenario by gathering everyone together to discuss the pertinent arguments/opinions of everyone before we made a decision. Other times I had to stand back and reflect on how I could have done other things differently. I was also faced with intangible challenges such as my fear of heights. There were multiple opportunities during the ropes course to push myself beyond fear for my team and myself. I discovered that, although fear is a very strong deterrent, the power of a supportive team and resonance can go beyond limitations and can allow a team to reach new levels.

Overall, the weekend was a very non-traditional way for a business school to incorporate the reading topics of team dynamics, systems thinking, reasoning, critical thinking, and leadership into a physically/mentally exhausting experience.

“If we see the bigger picture, look back to find out why, what, where beliefs come from, we may be able to see with more clarity and accept a medium point”

- James O’Toole (Why we disagree)

First week survival tips

Going on week 3 now of my MBA program and I feel as if my head has been opened and gallons of information has been poured in indiscriminately. Although orientation was very useful in terms of helping me make the transition to a MBA program. I would like to share a few words of advice that I found useful.

Here are a few of my first week survival tips:

1. Know where the closest restrooms are to all of your classes prior to the first day - It is not very attractive watching a grown man/woman doing the "pee-pee" dance while wandering the halls looking for the nearest toilet.
2. Obtain a map, specifically of (free) parking locations - it's not fun walking 5 blocks in heels anticipating the relief of sitting in your car only to find your first official graduate parking ticket.
3. Be cheap! - Buy used books or rent for the courses you don't anticipate using the books for referencing in the future.
4. Schedule a meeting with a career coach/career service representative. - Two years will go by fast, but you will be regretting it a lot sooner if you're scrabbling for an internship or job after graduation.
5. If you're not already, become organized. - You will have lots of different professional engagements, assignments, meetings, and personal tasks. It may become difficult to remember everything so buy a good day planner that you can carry everywhere (or use a mobile calendar scheduler). I recommend syncing your mobile device with a program such as Microsoft Outlook and setting reminders.
6. Visit the library. - You don't want to wait until your first paper to try to locate where the working printers are or get there 30 mins before they close the night before an assignment is due.
7. Talk to second year students. - Utilize their expertise/experience and learn from their mistakes, ask about best practices and what organizations/events/departments have been beneficial and why.
8. Make a Linkedin Account if you haven't already done so. - You're in a professional setting and you'll be networking with a lot of MBAs and business executives so it will be practical to keep track of contacts. You will also find it as a useful tool to meet new people that you may want to network with.
9. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a light cardigan. - I know it sounds like advice from your mother, but you'll be happy you did when you're sitting in a 50 degree air conditioned room for a couple of hours and walking around campus.
10. Don't forget to have fun! - Social events + drinks = NETWORKING! Meet other MBA candidates and enjoy the process together.

Insights and CareerLeader Assessments

Personality Assessments may help you develop self-awareness 

Like I promised in my previous post, I will discuss the many useful applications of the Insights personality assessment and the CareerLeader profile report. Both are very complementary assets for understanding and developing your professional persona and career paths.

Insights Personality Assessment
The Insights Personality Assessment has by far been the most accurate personality profile I have taken thus far. Although it was very long (approx. 30-45 mins), the 23 page report showcases both your key strengths and weaknesses along with how your effectively communicate to achieve objectives, how others may perceive your managing style, and suggestions for continued development.
 
According to the Insights Learning and Development company the profile is "Generated from several hundred thousand permutations of statements, this profile is unique... and that that a good understanding of self, both strengths and weaknesses, enables individuals to develop effective strategies for interaction and can help them to better respond to the demands of their environment." The report starts by giving a detailed on "personal style" and later gives a candid explanation of how the taker interacts with others.
 
The way that the report is organized with a table of contents makes it easy to navigate the report and to reference in the future. A practical application of the information contained in the report is to assess how to interact within a team setting. For example, the report will help you recognize that you have a tendency to micro-manage tasks and how that may be perceived by others as distrustful or arrogant instead of dedication to getting the task accomplished. This report has been beneficial to me in regards to how my actions may be perceived by other personality types.

Lastly, the report concludes with a "color wheel" and color metrics based on personal preference for introversion/extroversion, feeling/thinking, and your conscious ("At work") persona as well as your less-conscious ("At home") persona.

CareerLeader Professional Report

As a new MBA candidate, I already know that these next 2 years are going to go by with increasing speed. As a result, it is very important to engage in career steps that will get me into the position that will not only be monetarily rewarding, but will also match my values and strengthen my expertise.

The CareerLeader report is very useful in regards to understanding personal underlying motivators for career success, preference for structure, organizational culture among other key elements for professional well being. A few aspects of the report I disagreed with, especially the comparison of industries that I would "fit" with.

A few general tips that I believe will be helpful for all MBA candidates:

1. Think about how to leverage your assets -- not only your work experience, personal contacts and relevant abilities, but also your strongest interests (as assessed by CareerLeader).
2. Be patient, and think -- and act -- strategically. If you want to change what you do functionally (moving from your current role into finance, marketing, sales, etc.) and change the industry you're working in, you may not be able to make both changes in one career move. Consider changing one or the other (so you're in your preferred function, but your less preferred industry or vice versa), then make the other change a few years from now.
3. Remember, there are usually several ways to get from where you are now to your career goal. Consider all the possible routes to travel, consider their probabilities of success, consider the costs and benefits of each, look for still more alternate strategies, then choose one.
4. If you're a student, try taking a summer internship in the career area that you're considering. You might find out that you don't like it as much as you thought you would -- good to know now! .
5. If you are graduating soon, the same rule applies only with a longer time horizon. If you have an idea of what you'd like to do both functionally (finance, marketing, sales, etc.) and with a particular industry (food/beverage, telecommunications, etc.), you may not be able to satisfy both preferences.

 Overall, I like the supplementary information provided in the report such as the tips for discovering organizational culture and how to strengthen business skills but the actually personal career assessment wasn't as useful to me. What I will take from both reports is that is is better to understand what you want professionally, why you want it, and what are the underlying factors that can help you succeed as well as those that can hinder your objectives.