Semester 5: Into the looking glass

We start semester 5 today.  For one reason or another, I'd been somewhat dreading this semester... whether it had been preconcieved ideas of the professors or just the sheer magnitude of what we just accomplished, I had found it a little difficult to exhert some enthusiasm about this semester. 

Thankfully, for this semester there were no pre-assignments prior to the first class, which is a first, and a needed break.  The only assignment was reading the first chapter of each text.  I took time this weekend to do so, and my interest began to be piqued as I felt I could reconnect with the subject material.  (Last semester focused largely on manufacturing, and I had zero experience, and my interest was somewhat limited (but I was glad for the experience)).  As I began to put together my binders for class and read my printed syllabus, I'm actually feeling quite hopeful about this semeseter. 

Our 10 week class is Business, Society and Public Policy.  In the syllabus it talks about strategic collaborations between Government, the Corporate Sector and the Nonprofit Sector.  I believe this is the first time Nonprofits were actually mentioned in the class syllabus, and so I'm really interested.  I also have a nack for collaborations and partnerships for leveraging resources.  These are specific reasons why I wanted to get my MBA- to leverage nonprofit resources to serve more.  So I have to say I'm quite hopeful about this class.

The second class, also has me waiting for what might be coming.  The class is called Decision Making and Strategy in Complex Situations. The syllabus specifically covers sustainability, multiculturalism, and social and community responsibility.  All big topics for the nonprofit sector.

We all know a syllabus can say one thing and a class produce something else, but to my fellow humanitarians- stay tuned.  There is the promise that this semester is for us!

I also wanted to give a quick "shout out" to Dr. Roy Steele from last semester.  He was kind enough to invite students who were willing to complete what he calls an XT assessment.  The XTgraded our tallents and personalities based on a mid-level manager position for a "widget" maker.  Over the holiday break, Dr. Steele and I talked on the phone about what my results meant, and perhaps particular tendencies I need to be aware of.  Being that I'm driven to care for others, and see myself in a humanitarian light, the XT picked up that I can be subjective and focus on these softer qualities instead of hard driven logic.  While I consider myself a very reasoned person, as each thing I do  has a reason behind it, those things are not always hard fact based (not always a negative).  This, combined with my tendency to be a quick decision maker could leave room for error in that perhaps not all the facts have been given time for consideration.  Dr. Steele brought this to my attention and really encouraged me to slow down, just a bit, to ensure I am considering all points of view.  I bring all this up, because it gives me another reason to be interested in what I will learn this semester.  I am hopeful that Business, Society and Public Policy will help expand my worldview and my process for considerations.  Then I'm looking forward to what I will learn in Decision Making and Strategy in Complex Situations to really engage this tendency to make it more of a strength.

As it is the New Year, and we've discussed resolutions, I think about what I resolve to get out of these classes.  My goal is to provide thought out and focused efforts for the assignments, and to leave with an expanded worldview and greater insight into collaborations and decision making.  In 10-15 weeks, I'll check back (if I remember) to see if I've gotten out of these classes what I set out to do.