Preserving Authenticity

The excitement of a new class has fully set in, and the engaging atmosphere in the classroom has shifted dialogue to a whole new level. This week we were to have read Let Your Life Speak, Listening to the voice of vocation. Starting the class, Dr. Christian showed two video clips. One with inspirational leadership quotes from across the times. I wrote a couple down-
"Authority is a poor substitute for leadership".
"The more you say, the less they remember".
The other was "Lessons on Leadership: From Mandella to Obama".
We came to focus on the importance of preserving authenticity while in leadership, and how leadership by nature dwells in a state of tension. For example, the best leaders are incredibly authentic and empathizing, however, according to the video clips- Mandella reportedly will never show how deeply the 27 years of imprisonment hurt him, and yet some how beyond his pain he authentically found the common will to end an apartheid in South Africa.
The book, Let Your Life Speak, shared a common thread with Mandella's journey... the discussion of how "dark times" serve in the development and clarity of vision and leadership.
Dr. Christian then pulled 4 chairs up to the front of the class forming a semi-circle open to the class. He asked for 4 volunteers. I went, along with 3 other students, not knowing what the assignment would be. We ended up leading the book's discussion. As other students in the class had input, they would come, and tap one of us on the shoulder to join the conversation. It was a great time to provide introspection into the text and ourselves. We contemplated the purpose of "the dark times", anything from experiences with cancer to other times that leave you with little than surrender to cling to. Some students were blessed enough never to have gone through a time such as this, and wondered if they needed a similar situation to develop fully into a leader. (I pray they never will).

Through those formative moments, dark times or in the light of leadership preserving authenticity remains a central theme, and I look forward to next week as we dive into servant leadership.

The Paradigm Shift

Last night was the first night of a one hour credit of Leadership of Self. Leading up to the night were readings in Strengths Finder 2.0, our assessment naming the top 5 strengths, and some reading selections out of Business Leadership. From the class pre-work, I learned my top five strengths are 1. Positivity, 2. Communication, 3. Woo (Winning Others Over), 4. Arranger, 5. Includer. It's amazing their interconnectedness, and I certainly see how these have been brought to light by my current position.

In our reading, the author pointed out the 7 ages of Leadership. I personally identify with the very first stage- The Infant. At this point the emerging leader is on the cusp of "What's to come" and recognizes that the next steps will be into a position of leadership, which can be a little nerve rattling and mysterious. The book highlights the importance of mentors, and I am very thankful for the ones I have in my life- Teri Hill (Amazing Executive Coach, here in the Austin Area), Dr. Edna Rehbein, Director at Texas State University- Round Rock, and my aunt Debbie Rippstein, Executive Director of our Houston-based agency. The next age provides the tips to a successful entry as leader, and I am already formulating my plan, even though the opportunity remains yet a mystery.

Today I find myself in a grant writing crunch. We submitted our LOI to a local foundation, and Tuesday, a hair shy of three I get the email that the foundation would like for us to fully complete the application process, and oh by the way, it's due Friday. For those of you unfamiliar to the grant writing process, you must understand that grant proposal personnel are packagers of sorts. We work with a whole team to get the latest in statistics, outcomes, and more from program staff. This "crunch" I am now viewing as a leadership opportunity. I used my positivity in constructing an email to staff to encourage them as we all work together to get this proposal completed. I communicated with six staff on each part of the proposal I needed their feedback on, and provided positive affirmations on their quick turnaround. Rather than just a collaborator, I have seen my paradigm shift to view this as one of many opportunities to exude leadership.

Week 10- My first graduate class is done!

Dave Ramsey has this concept of a debt snowball. If you are unfamiliar with it, he suggests that the best way to tackle the mountain of debt is by taking the smallest debt, and paying it off first. The concept is that by setting yourself up for small victories, the taste of success drives you on! Last night was week 10, and the final evening with Marketing Management with Professor Warren, and just like that, we're done! One class down... the taste of victory is fresh, and we march on to tackle the mountain of our 2 year MBA.

One thing I appreciate about our MBA experience is the value placed on reflection. In a fast paced world focused on change and what's next, Concordia knows that transformation begins from within. While most of us came to the decision of achieving our MBA with the drive for change or what's next on our journey, we are now encouraged to "take in the journey" as we travel to this destination.

Reflections on the last 10 weeks.
I can already see so much growth just from where I began 10 weeks ago. Just 10 weeks ago I came in confident, but not knowing what I didn't know, just that there was a need. 10 weeks later, I find myself confident knowing more and taking the honest look at having a more detailed idea of what I still have yet to learn. It's a good place. It keeps you humble, open to the realm of teaching possibilities. At the same time I'm "gaining my legs" in my current work place. I have confidence in new ideas, better ways of getting the job done, and a splinter of discomfort in a comfortable environment. I still have opportunities to grow, but I can see from the horizon that there may come a time that I'll have to determine what opportunities will continue to challenge me as my skill set continues to grow.

These 10 weeks have been full of teachable moments for both Concordia and me. I appreciate the open nature of the professors, faculty, and Program Director to our honest feedback. Another student summarized her thoughts well stating- I feel an obligation to let Concordia know what is working and what can be done better. It's not only my education, but the experience of the classes that come behind us.
What an incredible journey to grow ourselves, have the experience of pioneering a new program and the great opportunity of laying the groundwork for those who will follow. If you have the true spirit of the entrepreneur and want to give something, to mold, and to leave your imprint while receiving your MBA, well... that's what the Concordia MBA means to me.

Ready to Manage Marketing

I can't believe we only have one more week of Marketing... and yet it seems like I've learned so much, but also just began the journey! We have one more week, which will be the final, and this week we did our group presentations, Group Facebook Page Reviews (My group won with the most followers!), and we took a test on the last three chapters.

I'm excited about what I've learned through Managerial Marketing. I feel that in my role, I can do so much more with strategy and purpose, which is a big deal for a nonprofit, and great for me and my skill set.

Next week we begin our journey into leadership, and I'm really looking forward to some introspection. There's been a recurring theme in my life over the last year... what's next? I am so glad I was able to land a job for a company I love, but it's important that I continue to grow, and I'm always one for having new goals, so its been important to me to redirect my efforts and continue to define my goals so I continue to live on purpose.

And now it's time for the drum roll.... I am thrilled with how I did on the economics test. I made a 91... and had I just spent a little more attention to my essay on shortages and price ceilings, I could have landed a 94! Anywho, I'm just thrilled to have an A in the class, and be thinking in terms of economics... even last night I was listening to some girly radio show on my drive home at 10:20PM, and they were discussing whether couples should go dutch on the first date. The radio host was talking about how women pay so much to get ready for the date (hairspray, new outfit, get their nails done) that they were "owed a meal". I was thinking about how this was somewhat of a economic financial view because it viewed implicit and explicit costs rather than just the balance sheet of an accounting financial view. Not that this insight was any bit important, but my new concepts are permeating my thoughts, so I feel great that my education is coming into play!

In the big push

We are just past mid way for both classes and the last two weeks have been the biggest push to get everything done that we need to get done. I am happy to report the Mid Term in Econ is behind me. I got together with several other students for the day of the test and we took off and studied all day, which made all the difference. All of the econ terms had been floating in my head and available for recall if someone else mentioned a term, but now it seems that each definition is rooted and I can actually intelligently discuss the Law of Diminishing Returns, Surplus, Price Floors and Ceilings and all. I can't wait to see how I made out on the test!

Marketing class has been subtitled- A Crunch to Time. Some students are feeling it more than others, and while I'm not a fan of having 3 group projects due within 2 weeks, I'm going to try to do it with a happy heart, cause at least I will be a pro for SWOT analysis! The hard thing is with presentations there just wasn't enough time to even get all the presentations done within the amount of class time we were given. This next week we will then have a test, the rest of the presentations we didn't get to, group presentations and the Facebook group project presentations. The consensus in the class is that there's just no possible way of getting it all done. Something's gotta give, but we just aren't sure what it will be.

Well I have to get back to work on all the marketing projects due on Tuesday. Our group is getting together on Sunday, and then by Tuesday at 11 pm, I think I'll be able to catch a breath.

7 or somewhere in the middle...

It's official, the weeks are starting to run together! I'm officially losing count if it weren't for this blog of what week we are in school. I'm feeling very happy that I made this decision to go to Concordia, and am finding that this feels to be the one thing I am doing for myself right now. I do this because I enjoy it, and I look forward to it.

Our class dynamic is great, and only makes my experience that much more enjoyable. We have a way to find make ourselves laugh, so there's an overall good comradery building in the class.

This week feels a bit like a pressure cooker... Tuesday is our individual project due date for Marketing, and Econ finally gets our grades rolling with a Mid-term. I know me and two other ladies are meeting up at campus, taking the day off of work, and studying all day. I was hoping to use last night to get some work done, but I decided to run, cook dinner, and catch up on my DVR with my husband. I think what I'm learning, beyond elasticities, marginal rules and channel marking (all concepts I was unfamiliar with just 7 weeks ago) is really learning how to make this balance with my life. There's a certain semblance of normalcy I'm trying to carry over, but I also just have a lot to get done. I'm needing to learn how to balance that with spending time with my husband, who is in grad school full time, and just learning how to make this new routine work for me.

Good news- there will be 1 10,000 scholarship available next year. I think everyone in the class will be going for it, but I'm hoping our one income on a non-profit salary and all my community involvement will give me a push in a good direction.

I hope to report by this time next week that the Econ Mid Term went well and my presentation knocked it out of the park... we'll see!

Week 6

This was a great week. What I'm sure was sparked from the thoughts shard on the Marketing Mid-Semester Evaluation, students freely asked Professor Warren about the course work, course load, and what to expect vs. previous expectations. I think we must have had about 25 minutes of open dialogue, and everyone seemed to feel the time was beneficially spent.

Professor Warren shared that in his MBA he was the 5th class to go through another program, and he said each year was a different MBA experience. He recognized that we are the "trail blazers" and really encouraged us to share our thoughts openly with Program Leadership.

I think one of the greatest differences between this professor and our Economics prof is the idea of what is the greatest help to us as students. My fellow students and Professor Warren agreed that 10 weeks to cover marketing with the text provided by the curriculum is just too much. His response is to test often, relating course work similarly to undergraduate testing routines. He recognizes that its been twenty years since some have been in this setting, and wanted to offer them a course that would ease the transition. Dr. Estrada sides with us being given realistic expectations in what our outside involements may be, and thus our grades are more heavily weighted on a midterm, final, group project and class participation instead of homework or quizzes.

This week is our evaluation of Economics and how it's going. I really enjoyed last night's class- feeling like for the first time I wasn't just trying to keep pace with the notes, but that I was jumping ahead in thought... that as income increases and decreases the line moves out or in, but parallel. And with a shift in product prices the line tilts. The book made mention of "clockwise", but until Dr. Estrada showed, I wasn't clearly grasping what that meant. I think Economics was never meant to be taught from a book. That clearly gives it a boring and lifeless reputation. Economics was meant to be a conversation, and in that packaging you get so much more out of it.

We'll see in two weeks how I feel about economics when we have our mid term. There's another Marketing test next week. I'm trying to fit it all in. Friday 7:30 AM - 8PM is the first big night of the music and arts festival I am co-chairing, and Saturday, my normal study day is going to be similar as we expect 3-5K people, and I'm so short on volunteers. I hope Sunday and Monday night I can fit my two worlds together accomplishing all I need to for work and school. It's a balancing routine... and I just have to make it through October.