Challenge every step of the way
A plenitude do texto foi integralmente extraido do Financial Times, apenas as alterações em negrito, em itálico e partes do texto sublinhadas são de minha autoria para destacar um ou outro ponto.
Do meu ponto de vista, esta reportagem complementa a exposiçào da INSEAD que ocorreu há 2 semanas.
Challenge every step of the way
By Laurence Blandford
Published: November 3 2008 08:54 | Last updated: November 3 2008 08:54
It has been more than three months since I finished my MBA at Insead and my time there is already fading in my mind. While I recognise that I may be looking at my year in Fontainebleau, France, through the bubbles of a little too much rose-coloured champagne, there is no doubt in my mind that the academic, professional and personal learning I gained was worth all the sleepless nights and frightening moments of having to live on savings and mounting debt as credit markets crunched.
In my final diary, I hope to leave those considering an MBA with some thoughts on what to expect, whether it is worth the significant commitment of time and money and how to make the best of their experience.
Academically, Insead delivered. Of course, not every class was perfect and I did not love all my professors. Was I always happy to log 70 hours or more of class time and school work a week? No. Was the work worth doing and was it worth the extra effort to master the material sufficiently well to maintain my grades and actually read most of what was thrown at me? Absolutely.
Of the 24 courses I took over the course of 11 months, a significant majority offered an opportunity for challenging study, personal growth and useful takeaways that I have already applied in my new job leading international climate change policy development for the government of Canada. For example, the classes on leadership and organisational behaviour were real windows into the role of a manager and into as many perspectives on organisations as there were students in the room. While some students clearly felt that the “soft” subjects were not as useful as more technical ones, I would strongly encourage future MBA students to open their minds to the role of human emotion, interpersonal relationships and their own biases and preferences in shaping effective organisations in which people enjoy giving their best.
But, having said that, being pushed to think quantitatively, empirically and rigorously about business and markets is what an MBA is all about and something that is valuable to me in policy work as a public servant.
The courses in finance, strategy and accounting never strayed from a strong and conservative sense of managerial ethics: it’s not your money so be careful how you spend it; be accountable for the decisions you make to those whose interests you represent; don’t do anything you would feel uncomfortable telling your mother about; and be both prudent and relentless in pursuit of healthy competition and well-considered risk. Again, pretty close to a public service ethic.
The diversity and accomplishment of the student body at Insead contributed to creating a community whose whole was even greater than the sum of its parts. But Insead was unique in some respects, combining a student body even more diverse in its nationalities and ethnic backgrounds than the average school, with a classic college town campus and culture that bonded us in a way not possible in a major city.
So what do I consider worthwhile advice for MBA applicants?
Aim for the best school you can get into and can afford. This is not the time to scrimp and you will get the most out of your education if it really challenges you every step of the way.
Do not expect an MBA to change your life: no matter how good the school, most people will return to careers similar to the ones they followed before. However, you will certainly return a changed person and one who can excel in new ways.
Think carefully about whether a generalist degree is what you need: an MBA is about learning many things well, not learning a few expertly. If you want to focus exclusively on a single discipline, a more specialised degree might be more appropriate.
Cultural fit between you and the school matters. Insead was a difficult place for those who could not accept the strong group dynamic, the “work hard, play hard” culture, the open debate between people with very different backgrounds and world views and the lack of off-campus activities. But the streaming tears on dozens of faces at the graduation party suggested that, for many of us, Insead was an experience full of meaning that we will sorely miss.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
Do meu ponto de vista, esta reportagem complementa a exposiçào da INSEAD que ocorreu há 2 semanas.
Challenge every step of the way
By Laurence Blandford
Published: November 3 2008 08:54 | Last updated: November 3 2008 08:54
It has been more than three months since I finished my MBA at Insead and my time there is already fading in my mind. While I recognise that I may be looking at my year in Fontainebleau, France, through the bubbles of a little too much rose-coloured champagne, there is no doubt in my mind that the academic, professional and personal learning I gained was worth all the sleepless nights and frightening moments of having to live on savings and mounting debt as credit markets crunched.
In my final diary, I hope to leave those considering an MBA with some thoughts on what to expect, whether it is worth the significant commitment of time and money and how to make the best of their experience.
Academically, Insead delivered. Of course, not every class was perfect and I did not love all my professors. Was I always happy to log 70 hours or more of class time and school work a week? No. Was the work worth doing and was it worth the extra effort to master the material sufficiently well to maintain my grades and actually read most of what was thrown at me? Absolutely.
Of the 24 courses I took over the course of 11 months, a significant majority offered an opportunity for challenging study, personal growth and useful takeaways that I have already applied in my new job leading international climate change policy development for the government of Canada. For example, the classes on leadership and organisational behaviour were real windows into the role of a manager and into as many perspectives on organisations as there were students in the room. While some students clearly felt that the “soft” subjects were not as useful as more technical ones, I would strongly encourage future MBA students to open their minds to the role of human emotion, interpersonal relationships and their own biases and preferences in shaping effective organisations in which people enjoy giving their best.
But, having said that, being pushed to think quantitatively, empirically and rigorously about business and markets is what an MBA is all about and something that is valuable to me in policy work as a public servant.
The courses in finance, strategy and accounting never strayed from a strong and conservative sense of managerial ethics: it’s not your money so be careful how you spend it; be accountable for the decisions you make to those whose interests you represent; don’t do anything you would feel uncomfortable telling your mother about; and be both prudent and relentless in pursuit of healthy competition and well-considered risk. Again, pretty close to a public service ethic.
The diversity and accomplishment of the student body at Insead contributed to creating a community whose whole was even greater than the sum of its parts. But Insead was unique in some respects, combining a student body even more diverse in its nationalities and ethnic backgrounds than the average school, with a classic college town campus and culture that bonded us in a way not possible in a major city.
So what do I consider worthwhile advice for MBA applicants?
Aim for the best school you can get into and can afford. This is not the time to scrimp and you will get the most out of your education if it really challenges you every step of the way.
Do not expect an MBA to change your life: no matter how good the school, most people will return to careers similar to the ones they followed before. However, you will certainly return a changed person and one who can excel in new ways.
Think carefully about whether a generalist degree is what you need: an MBA is about learning many things well, not learning a few expertly. If you want to focus exclusively on a single discipline, a more specialised degree might be more appropriate.
Cultural fit between you and the school matters. Insead was a difficult place for those who could not accept the strong group dynamic, the “work hard, play hard” culture, the open debate between people with very different backgrounds and world views and the lack of off-campus activities. But the streaming tears on dozens of faces at the graduation party suggested that, for many of us, Insead was an experience full of meaning that we will sorely miss.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
© 2012 Criado por Marcelo Ambrozio Ramos.
