The Four Agreements

Time is moving so quickly on this MBA journey! Two courses down, two more started. Lots of life reminders and life lessons being learnt along the way. I recently came across the statements above and they provide useful guidelines on how people should interact with each other on their various life journeys. I have tried to live by these guidelines, but the reminder is timely. 

Breathing space....

So far, this MBA programme has been full on. I have not worked full-time since December 2011, so I am really feeling drained by the long hours of sitting, In fact, I have never had an existence like this before. My days have always been broken up into more dynamic chunks. So I was glad for some space this week, at the aptly named Geenlands (Green lands indeed) campus of HBS. What a difference from the more urban Whiteknights campus. And so I began to think about how important it is to deliberately build breathing spaces into our lives. I have been fortunate to have many breathing spaces in my career....breaks that were not planned, yet resulted in significant growth.  They have been wonderful and have given me the opportunity to step back, and engage fully with who I am becoming.

The Personal Development class provided space for relaxed, deep, cleansing and refreshing breaths. But one activity also made me think about the last breath that I will inevitably take. What will be the question that I may ask of myself in that final moment? I may ask myself, did I live a purposeful life? Did I enjoy my life? How will the world ever know I was here? What will be my legacy? I intend to use the breaths that I have to ensure that I can answer all of these questions in a way that will bring a huge smile to my face in that last breath. Until then, the MBA journey continues.....

Living my life as I dreamt it!

Last week, a noble son of Trinidad and Tobago passed away and his son captured his last moments on earth in a wonderful piece. I share the link below. Geoffrey Holder was a wonderful dancer and choreographer. He lived his life's passion and he died doing his life's passion. He was put on this world to dance and dance he did until his last breath, The story struck me and me me think to what extent am I, and others around me, living our passion? I am! I love where I find myself now...back being a student after completing a doctorate. Who could have ever thought? Someone said to me today, he never heard of anyone who had attained the highest academic qualification going back to school. Yet here I am, and I am not alone. You see, my passion is learning, and teaching, and learning some more. I teach best by keeping myself in learner mode. And being a student when you know the other side although sometimes challenging, is most enjoyable. I can feel myself growing. I am not standing still. So like Geoffrey, I will do my own dance, in my own time, in my own life, just as I dreamt it.


 http://www.npr.org/2014/10/09/354529748/this-impromptu-dance-geoffrey-holders-son-tells-one-more-story?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social

Equality or Equity?

One of my students brought this cartoon to my attention and I find it very useful to use to explore the concepts of equality and equity. 

Just too old.

I learned today that the operating system on my computer (Mac OS X 10.6.8) is too old to connect  to the university's wi-fi system. After two hours of trying, the IT assistant could not connect my computer. Thank goodness for my iPad-mini. But this event made me think...am I too old for this? Are there some university experiences that I cannot connect with because of my age and experience? I mean I have been there done this so many times before, but here I am again. What am I missing out on? 

Talent is a scarce resource!

The Talent Strategy Model

http://www.pti-worldwide.com/service-subcategory-detail.php?ID=20&CatID=1

We ended the class today with the question: "what was the aha moment?" For me, it was a poignant question, having received an email just before the lunch break that informed me that a very good friend had died suddenly this morning. That was certainly an aha: life is short and unpredictable. I remember this friend telling me a story about perserverance: about a man who spent his life digging for gold, and eventually gave up. Then the next day another man came along and dusted where the first man had been digging and he found gold. So how does that relate to the statement that was my second aha moment, "talent is a scarce resource"? I suppose, good talent is a scarce resource and indeed as managers we may have to dig deep to get it. Did HP have a talent gap, that they did not take the time to fill? What is the consequence of settling for talent rather than continuing to find 'golden' talent? These are the thoughts that are in my head at the end of this memorable day. RIP CDW

One week down!

The first week of the FTMBA was really packed with courses, presentations, activities, films, and discussions on Personal and Career Development. Why this focus? Clearly the designers of the programme realised that it is very important to distinguish this FTMBA from just another academic course. And for that I am really happy. Too many times I have seen students get caught up in just doing what it takes to get the qualifications and not taking the time to map their own learning. In my most recent classes, I have encouraged my students to keep a blog about their learning experiences and invite their classmates to share. I have also kept a blog about my learning during the course and asked my students to read and comment. The last entry of each blog (usually done just before the last class) is based on out learnings, thoughts and feelings after re-reading all the blog entries. Without exception, we all described how much we have grown over the course. So I will keep my blog and hope that my classmates and lecturers comment on it. In that way, we can all push out thinking and leave with more than just a qualification. The views expressed in these blogs are my own.

Joy's MBA Joys

Wow! I am really here, back in the role of the student and I cannot believe it! It is a very comfortable place for me to be. In the classroom. I love the paper, the people, the arrangements for learning. I am at home in front of the class and seated in the class. I am so looking forward to this journey because it will be a different kind for me...new people, new knowledge, new skills and new understandings of old experiences. I am so looking forward! The views expressed in these blogs are my own.