It Takes a Team to Build an MBA

Yay! Fall semester... DONE! In a near consensus, this has been the most challenging term yet in terms of workload and complexity of the content.

But despite the demands of it all, this has actually turned out to be the most rewarding term. Last year was spent laying the foundation of a solid business education and this year has been all about putting that foundation into action.

Besides the content however, the how of getting things done is quite different this year. Laying that foundation last year required a lot of independent reading, writing papers and doing homework ensuring that we individually understand the core business principles. This year though, working in teams to get our projects done wasn't just assigned, it was critical to our success. From my fabulous teammates in New Venture Creation, to my awesome partner Tish in Digital Law and my tireless collaborators in Branding and Promotion, I've loved working in groups this term as the dynamic simulates what its like to be out in the working world again... working with different personalities & experience levels, negotiating compromises, balancing strengths and encouraging each other when things get tough... There were a lot of moving parts to manage but doing so made all the difference to our success.
Aside from our assigned teams however, studying for Law... sheesh - I don't know how I would have digested all that content if it wasn't for my study buddies. To give you an idea of all the cases we had to master in a short seven weeks, here they are, shown w/ Basia's head for scale.

Anyhoo - its time for a break over the holidays before we come back in the Spring to wrap this thing up.

Until then, dMBA'ers congrats on a tough but valuable semester.
Go ahead and strut... we've earned it.

Digging Deeper

The dust has settled and yesterday's euphoria has faded. Yep, we had a successful pitch yesterday - our team has even been approached by multiple people about making the business plan a reality... but its Friday night and I'm back doing homework.

I did take today off a bit. I was just drained after yesterday, so I slept in... did some family stuff... even caught part of the Tennessee Williams marathon on Turner Classic Movies.

But looming over the day were the three Branding & Promotion papers I wanted to get out of the way today so that I'd have the weekend free. You know, free to study for Tuesday's Digital Law final exam. Free to study for Tuesday's New Venture Creation final exam. Free. Yay. Free.

Well, two papers are down... one to go. After the 2nd paper I hit the gym to feel alive again. I admit it... I was pretty bitter about another weekend eaten up with school. But then I blew out my eardrums at the gym with this gem from Linkin Park and I'm ready to dig deeper... cause after the finals on Tuesday, I'm free.

PS - thank you PW for introducing me to this stress-busting song!

Digital Law... Its Like Angry Birds!

Digitial Law. Its like playing Angry Birds. Specifically, its like one of the levels where everything is made of concrete and you just keep throwing yourself at it hoping to break through.

For our Digital Law class we are each assigned a case to analyze with a partner which we then present to our classmates. Tomorrow my partner, Tish and I are presenting the U.S. Court of Appeals case of Comcast v FCC concerning issues of net neutrality and regulation. Important issues to be sure... but if you're not getting an MBA in this stuff, read the Wiki version instead - it'll spare you a headache.

OK, as much as I gripe about reading for Law, the truth is, my classmate, Crystal and I were just chatting today about how reading page after page of these court documents is re-shaping how we think about everything we now see. Not just in terms of the law, that's a given... and the promise of becoming issue spotters is already coming to fruition. But, also, really, its strengthening our mental toughness. To break down this FCC case, Tish and I have had to meticulously comb through this case (beginning over Thanksgiving Break... yay!!!) to tease out the issues buried in legal jargon and evaluate the dense assessment of the Appellate Court. To get through it I just pictured myself as a little Angry Bird just busting through the concrete and annihilating monkeys!...sheesh... I am really becoming a Digital Dork!

But, as Crystal and I were discussing today, this understanding of the law is already paying off as a recent digital/copyright case has hit the local news. Botticelli's, a small but popular Austin restaurant, has suddenly become embroiled in a lawsuit with corporate giant, BMI (shout out to my friend Vicky Garza for some awesome reporting!). What strikes me the most about this story, is that the business owner apparently ignored repeated requests from BMI to cease the copyright infringement. If this is true, it seems the Botticellis didn't understand the gravity of copyright infringment and perhaps thought they were too small for BMI to trifle with. But as we're learning in Digital Law, size doesn't always matter (I'm being nice, this is the Wiki version) ... so as painful as it can be at times, it makes me glad I'm learning this stuff... you know, so I can annihilate the monkeys! Yep... Digital Dork.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

One week of classes left in this term and I have a billion chapters of Business Law to read, 2 papers to write for Applied Digital Convergence (ADC) and a final project and presentation for Project Management - aggghh! Its always this way towards the end of the term where I get cranky about the sheer volume of work and wonder how its all gonna get done.

And then I heard the news that Steve Jobs died today... and it all got put into perspective. The first thing I thought of, of course, is his contribution to the world via digital technology - how he put the power of technology into the hands of the consumer and has radically changed how we communicate and express ourselves. In ADC Jobs and Apple are hot topics in examining the notion of "disruptive technologies" - and as digital media MBA's we are being trained in how to nurture and spot "the next big thing" in business.

But in re-watching Jobs' 2005 Stanford University commencement address - I'm struck by an even greater legacy than mere technology - that of a philosophy and perspective that allowed his creativity and visions to change the world.

As I prepare for the last week of this term in grad school, I am struck by the profound impact that this man, who didn't finish his undergrad, has had on the world. Maybe I'm just feeling wistful - but it seems like everything I really need to know he says in his speech - and the opportunities from grad school are just the icing on the cake.

My favorite lines from his address:

You can't connect the dots looking forward,

you can only connect them looking backward.

Believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path and that will make all the difference.

Keep looking, don't settle.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.

You are already naked, there is no reason not to follow your heart.

Your time is limited so don't waste it living someone else's life.

Don't be trapped by dogma which is living with the results of other people's thinking.

Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice.

And most important, have the courage to follow your own heart and intuition - they somehow already know what you truly want to become.

Stay hungry. Stay foolish.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Since starting this blog about my experience of St. Eds' dMBA program, I've had prospective and future students send me questions about it. The most common questions have been about how to best prepare for the program.

My answer is pretty simple: come academically prepared and have an effective stress coping strategy.

To academically prepare, 1st, check out the list of required courses and look for your weakest areas. This will, of course, be different for everyone depending on your work and undergraduate experience. For example, I've worked in Marketing pretty extensively, and in undergrad I was a Sociology major, so I felt pretty comfortable with Marketing and Statistics. Because I have written copiously in my career and, as an undergrad, took way more writing component courses than were required and completed an independent study research project, writing and Marketing Research weren't an issue. My areas of weakness however, were Accounting and Finance and that's where I had to work the hardest.

2nd, upon identifying areas to strengthen from the list of required courses, begin to fill in any knowledge gaps now. You can do this by taking a course at your local community college, or, at the very least, pick up a "For Dummies" type of book to familiarize yourself with key concepts - trust me, your future self will thank you! Before starting the program, I took Accounting at Austin Community College, and boy, am I SUPER glad that I did!

An effective stress coping strategy is just as critical to the program. I can't emphasize enough how quickly this program moves - 3 new classes every 7 weeks. But don't be fooled, that doesn't mean the curriculum is watered down - we're being prepared for the national MBA Major Field Test (in 2 days - wish me luck!). Throughout it all, my favorite stress release has been training in Krav Maga at Fit and Fearless (2 blocks from campus!) 3 - 4 nights a week. There's nothing quite as physically and mentally refreshing as punching the heck out of a bag for an hour.

On the eve of starting my 1st year, the best advice given to me came from a dMBA graduate who advised, "Its not rocket science, you just gotta do the work." That summation became my mantra, reminding me that I CAN do it and that, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it. So, as I reflect on my successes and perhaps, even more importantly, my challenges over this 1st year, I'm grateful for the how well the dMBA program has been preparing me to continue forward to pursue my passions.

1st year of business school... DONE!

WOO - HOO!

As I celebrate completing this 1st year of the dMBA program, I can't help but think how this year has been like the 300-meter hurdle event I ran in high school, an event which requires both speed and endurance.

Like a sprint, this program has moved at a super-fast pace as we've completed 3 full courses every 7 weeks. To put that in perspective, in one 7 week term we:

• Digested 10 chapters of Finance,
• Designed and implemented a marketing research project (similar to one I did in undergrad that took 1 full semester) and,
• Covered the basics of the entire Adobe Creative Suite.

When each 7 weeks were up, however, it was on to the next set of classes, making this more than a sprint, but a test of endurance as well. And of course, there are the hurdles... you know, just those everyday things of life that we have to overcome to make it to the finish line.

Sometimes I think I'm a little crazy to have signed up for such an intense program... but us dMBA'ers, we're our own special breed :) So, congrats to my classmates on a job well done! Now a little R&R before I'm off to my amazing summer internship!

Why My Cat Thinks I'm Aloof

Its Finals Week!

Exams are done, but projects are due next week:

• 1 Marketing research paper,
• 1 Marketing presentation,
• 3, yes, THREE chapters worth of homework for Finance (no, I didn't procrastinate, they were just assigned!),
• 1 video editing project (complete with color correction, sound mix and original score!)

I am SO taking a vacation to Barton Springs after this!

KO'ing Accounting

What's the deal with me getting giddy every time I write a budget lately? I've been absolutely euphoric as I work on my final accounting project. Seriously.

The project, to create the budget and financial statements for an event, is based on the Austin Regional Golden Gloves Tournament that I recently attended.

The tournament promoter, Art Cardenas, graciously took the time to sit down with me to discuss the expenses and revenue streams associated with the event. I arrived early for our meeting so I waited while he wrapped up training. I didn't mind waiting however, as I got to watch him work. I've spent a good part of my life in gyms and around fighters of all sorts so the smell of sweat and atmosphere of hard work made me feel right at home.

When Art wrapped up his coaching we got down to business. The best part of it though was that our financial conversation was punctuated with talk of boxing and the walloping rhythm of pugilists on the speed bag. So there I was, around people I love, talking about things I love, doing something I love. OK, technically, accounting in-and-of-itself isn't something I love - in fact, sometimes the homework feels something akin to my fingernails slowly being pulled out with pliers. But I'm in this program to better leverage business functions because I firmly believe that:

Accounting + Financial Knowledge = The Power to Make Things Happen

So my budget-induced-euphoria was caused by putting my newly enhanced accounting skills to use for something I care about. And why do I respect boxers so much? Because when I see them put their heart into their training, it reminds me that when things get tough I gotta, as my old boxing instructor used to say, "Suck it up." This dMBA program is challenging, but if my heroes can climb into the ring and repeatedly get punched in the face, I can do a little accounting homework.

Teamwork

As we approach the end of the first quarter, work on final projects is in full swing. For both Information Systems (IS) and Managing the Organization this means collaborating with a team of 3 others to conduct research, write and give a presentation.

For the IS project I volunteered to put together the Power Point presentation. As our team continues to collaborate to fine tune it I am reminded of how critical effective communication is - particularly late at night when we aren't face to face. That can be tricky, but because we've built a solid team foundation its actually going quite smoothly.

As the one putting together the presentation, I find I'm utilizing skills associated with media production. Specifically, like video editing, I'm taking the various pieces from my colleagues and synthesizing them into one coherent and compelling whole. I'm having fun now - but I'm really looking forward to putting these enhanced skills to use on a production!

Right Brain, Meet Left Brain.

I got the giggles in my Managerial Accounting class yesterday. Since giving up Winter Break's relaxing pace for grad school's frenetic race, it can get too easy to lose sight of why I entered the dMBA program in the first place. Its like not seeing the forest for all the trees - the trees being the abundance of homework! But as I sat in Accounting yesterday, I remembered why I'm here and so, despite the crazy workload, I felt really happy!

Happiness induced by Accounting?!?! Yes! I'm sure many people will scratch their heads on that one! You see, this week we are studying the budgeting process. Now, I'm sure I will be mocked mercilessly when my friends hear me say this, but I LOVE making budgets! In fact, last week, I did a sales budget for fun (seriously!) for my friend, Robyn, who is updating the business model for her Spirit of Africa Adventure tours. Now, I've created and managed budgets in my corporate experience, but it was while writing a film budget for a grant proposal that I recognized how much I love each stage of the filmmaking process. I had initially gotten into filmmaking because of the creativity of the production phase; but while writing the proposal, I realized that I relish the business elements, from budgeting to distribution, just as much. From this discovery, I concluded that I didn't want to specialize in shooting or editing, but rather, I wanted to be the producer so I could have a hand in each step from start to finish!

Despite my nerdly enjoyment of working in Excel however, upon wrapping up my Accounting homework, I find my right brain jonesing for a creative fix! And that's why this dMBA program is such a perfect fit - it encourages our artistic pursuits as well. So when I need a break from our traditional business classes, I find time to edit Grandmother Storyteller and polish up a short script that I hope to have animated by MacBoy (production meeting this Thursday!).

But for now, I'm off to research my Information Systems project - building a video editing workstation from the ground up! Did I mention this dMBA program is eclectic?!