Personal MBA Reading List Announcement

I have posted before about the Personal MBA run by the venerable Josh Kaufman and want to make sure that readers here don't miss the opportunity to see the new reading list he's compiled.

The list hasn't been posted yet, but the announcement can be found here. Take a look at what is coming and be sure to check back regularly. I'll keep you updated here as well.

Summer Semester, Module B Summary

I'm in the middle of my seventh and eighth program courses. Where does the time go? As a side note, those of you who are putting off joining a program because you don't have the time, reconsider. Time accelerates and compresses so much, you don't have the opportunity to consider what you've gotten yourself into. Just get started.

This module marks the first two classes that represent what I wanted to get out of this program:

• Marketing Management & Strategy; and
• Corporate Finance

Both professors are exceptional and leaders in their fields.

A word on course methodology: When deciding which school to attend, I implore you to dig deep about teaching style. I've had two professors that claim to use the case method thus far: one thought he used the method and the other actually uses the method. Case studies are - hands down - the best way to go through B-School. I can prove this empirically - ask me for the digression. Make sure that whatever school you choose, this is the primary methodology.

I will touch on material covered in each course in future posts.

On Conflict Management

It's bound to happen at least once during the program. At least once. My quota was met this last week and it involved an assigned final grade.

The grade was not reflective of my work and did not account for the situation that ended up yielding four different professors for a single seven week course. My goal was to get a grade that was accurate and base it on reason and rationality; I didn't want the change because I was a squeaky wheel.

So here is what I learned based on the solid tactics I employed and the mistakes made:

1. Keep it professional: Before each correspondence with a faculty member or administration office, I committed to an hour long break after learning something new that got my blood levels up. I forced myself to write down all the arguments I was thinking and distill them to the pertinent and reasonable base. The result was that I was thanked and complimented by more than one person for taking the professional approach to the situation.
2. Follow the chain of command: I made an early mistake here. I took issue with how my exam was graded and rather than speak first with the grading professor, I went to the chair of the department. The student body was instructed to do this, but that is no defense for myself: I should have been aware of how this would make the grading professor feel and respond. He didn't appreciate it. If you have an issue, take it to the professor first and follow the chain of command only as necessary.
3. Pick your battles: I had an issue. I was not happy with my grade. I was not happy with how the overall situation was handled. I was not happy with the department's initial response. On and on it goes. My biggest pitfall came at not deciding which point to get across. It all came down to the grade change. I needed it to move up. My dissatisfaction with everything else became moot. And I brought some of it into the discussion which was ill advised. When a conflict is coming, you need to decide your endgame. If you want the other party to do something you need to identify the points of contention immediately and only the relevant issues. Don't fall into the trap of pointing out all the faults with the situation. It won't help and only makes the other party defensive.
4. Honestly appraise the good things: This can sound like flattery; however, sincere appraisals of a professor's good performance can go a long way. If you've listened to the other person's complaints, you can reinforce or reaffirm them with honest feedback that convinces them that you both want the same thing: you want to maintain an amicable relationship.

The result was I got what I needed.

An MBA's Satisfaction

I had an intense feeling of satisfaction yesterday. It had nothing to do with the fact that the day marked the end of the worst course thus far. It had nothing to with the fact that I am no longer required to take any accounting courses. I out thought Excel. Nothing more.

If you're considering starting your MBA you need to be aware of one critical aspect of your education: you're going to learn a lot about Excel and you're going to pay a lot to learn it. Solver. Sumproduct. Reference cells. If this is making sense to you, consider trying to have a number of your courses waived.

Because if you don't, be prepared to be extremely unsatisfied by the material presented in many of your courses. Prepare to resign yourself to the fact that your triumphs will not be based on conquering a challenging subject or developing competitive transferable skills; No, your triumphs will be over the inanimate screen in front of you. This program will subtly condition you to curse it when you see the word "infeasible." A moment later you will prostrate yourself before its gaze, basking in the warming glow of the words "solution found." With these words you experience great satisfaction.

Just be careful not to consider that you learned how to use Excel for $500 an hour.

Newfound Respect

I was sitting in class last night and reflecting on the latest module. It's been rough. Every week has been a struggle to get in the car and drive 20 miles to campus for another three and a half hours of core coursework. I've had to re-evaluate whether I'm wasting my time and money. I have a number of respected colleagues and friends that appraise the MBA as a money pit: You can get all that information and development through self education, they argue.

And they're right. You can get all the education you need from self-education. It may take more time and it will take a lot of discipline. And it's the latter that is the sticking point for most self-education proponents. I have long sought after fellow self-ed enthusiasts to dedicate their time to discussion, research and reflection and I have found only a few - unfortunately thousands of miles separate me from them.

So I found that the only way to find committed people was through an organized, accredited institution. The "free" tag of self-ed is not compulsive enough for most people to participate because there is no commitment. I've been witness to this effect with different online efforts to form communities of self-taught business professionals. Getting people to commit is tremendously difficult.

The people that do commit to something financially and with their time speak volumes. I didn't full grasp this until last night. I looked around the room at people who may not be the smartest people on paper, but they exhibit committment and all that that implies. It's no wonder that people are willing to pay more for an MBA. Many people disparage its value, but it does a fantastic job of identifying people who are willing to make a decision and tough it out. Deciding to stick with a program after a full days work in the office, sitting in traffic to get to campus for a 6:00 to 9:30 PM class represents characteristics of someone I would like to work with and can move business forward.