Student Experience, Action Learning, MBA – Page 9

As I sat in class, looking at several different faces from different countries, terrifying thoughts ran through my head. Have I made the right choice? Do I really fit in? Am I really sure that this is what I want to do? Then she walked in, aiming a beautiful smile at every one of the 36 students from 16 countries sitting in the class. She stood in front of the class, looking at us for a while, then greeted us.

“Good morning, class, my name is professor Loredana Padurean, Faculty Director of Action Learning.” Those words came to my ears with a sense of assurance, and at that point I knew why I was here and why this was the right place for me. That was my first day in class as an MBA student at the Asia School of Business (ASB) in Malaysia.

By the end of class that day, I walked out with an absolute conviction that I had made the right choice and that I was in the right place specifically designed for me. My colleagues on whose faces I had read uncertainty, doubt and unanswered questions were equally excited, walking with so much confidence radiating from their faces. Yes, there is a place for everyone and there is a place for unconventional people, I told myself.

Sometimes in life, we struggle so much to change ourselves just to fit into others’ definitions of what an ideal person is. The results are always devastation, dissatisfaction and self-hatred. We hate ourselves because of someone’s perception about us. We live a fake life just trying to please the people around us or trying to meet the standards set for us by society. How perfect are those who define these standards?

How good are those who tell us how to live our lives? How fair is it for our society to determine for us how we should live our lives? Looking back at the journey of my life so far, I found that I have struggled to maintain my identity. By establishing who I am and what I stand for, I lost a lot of friends and parted ways with loved ones and business partners. However, I am glad I held on to my values.

I am happy I lost those friends, loved ones and business partners, because it gave me the opportunity to further discover and embrace myself. Nothing is worse than losing yourself and changing yourself in order to fit someone’s definition of anything. To anyone out there who is still struggling to figure out their true identity and still living by the standards set for them by others: know that you are you.

You are not like anybody and nobody is like you. You are unique. You are special. Your life is more important than what others think about you. Don’t worry, it’s okay to be stupid, confused, or arrogant. It’s okay to not be beautiful or loving. You know why? Because nothing has meaning apart from the meaning you give to it. Define your own standards. Assign your own meaning to each action and stand by it. Very soon, you will know that there is a right place waiting for you.

I have found that there is a place for extraordinary and unconventional people. I found the right place for me and that is ASB. Thank you ASB for showing me that there are others like me and there is a place in Malaysia for us. Thank you Sean Ferguson for finding me. Thank you Loredana Padurean for inspiring us and giving us the tools to uncover ourselves. Thank you ASB for welcoming us.

“I got my first job during a short plane ride from Zimbabwe to South Africa,” Tawanda Mutsopotsi, a recent Class of 2019 graduate, says. “I sat next to this guy and we started talking about the economy, sports, and politics. He asked me what I wanted to do and I said ‘banking,’ and he asked, ‘Have you considered working in this country?’” For most people, this kind of conversation is a rare stroke of good luck.

But for Tawanda, whose classmates gave him the superlative “world’s best networker,” opportunities seem to arise with every new connection that he makes. For example, during his off-hours on an Action Learning project in Indonesia, Tawanda was approached by a stranger on the golf course who asked to play with him. After conversing for eleven holes, Tawanda was surprised to find a convoy of SUVs approaching them.

He eventually found out that the stranger was a popular presidential candidate in the country, who continues to keep in touch. He also spotted a popular South African politician at his hotel on a trip to Abu Dhabi to watch a Formula 1 race. Though his friends advised him to “not embarrass himself,” he walked up to the politician’s entourage and made small talk.

He was not only invited to watch the race from the VVIP area, but got the politician’s direct phone number in case he later needed a job. In fact, his first post-MBA job offer came through this chance meeting. Some people seem to be born with a natural talent for networking, while others struggle to make connections that last. But despite appearing to be a “natural,” Tawanda believes networking is a skill that can be learned, and that ASB helped him take his networking game to the next level.

He notes that, during Board of Governor’s meetings or similar events, most MBA students wait with business cards in-hand for their turn at a thirty-second career pitch. By his second semester, he had abandoned this as a networking strategy. Instead, he comes to events without an agenda, later finding the people he’s met on LinkedIn and sending a personalized connection request.

“You start meeting them for drinks or coffee, or a game of golf. You shouldn’t tell them right away that you’re looking for a job. Just by being with them, they get to know your likes, dislikes and aspirations, and they can propose opportunities for you,” Tawanda says. With this advice, he touches on a common theme taught at ASB: the importance of soft skills (we call them “smart” skills). He notes that even those networkers with a great deal of natural ability should continue to actively develop these skills.

Why he’s a natural networker

Tawanda’s practice began early. He grew up in Zimbabwe with six siblings and has always been surrounded by family. Early on, he learned how important it was to have a support system, and seeks out environments that put him in the middle of the action. Because his house was close to Zimbabwe’s main airport, Tawanda first wanted to become a pilot. As he saw flights take off and land each day, he fantasized about being on one of them and traveling to exotic destinations.

Then, in high school, his career goals changed. He grew to admire bankers, if only because he would be able to wear a suit every day. Having landed his first job in the banking sector, he appreciates the knowledge that he’s gained about financial markets, as well as the personal growth he’s experienced. Most of all, he’s appreciated how it has helped him develop his networking skills.

At the bank, half of his job was client-facing, which meant he was meeting or entertaining clients every day. That was when he began networking on a different level. “When you’re growing up, it’s just about making friends and you don’t expect anything to come of it. Now, it’s all about maintaining relationships or gaining new clients on behalf of the bank, but you also gain personal relationships,” he says.

How ASB helped kickstart his career

While he didn’t want to move away from the banking sector completely, he joined ASB’s MBA program to leverage his current financial knowledge and take his career, as well as his professional relationships, to the next level. What first struck him about the program was how diverse the MBA class was. With the Classes of 2019 and 2020 hailing from 29 different countries, he gained a truly global network of friends and colleagues.

His class included people from Brazil to Turkmenistan that he wouldn’t have otherwise met, all with varied expertise that helped him learn unfamiliar subjects more quickly. He was also impressed by ASB’s intensive Action Learning curriculum, which he calls “the heartbeat of the school.” The projects helped fulfill his childhood dream of traveling to places such as Vietnam and Indonesia, all while working on impactful business challenges with companies such as Unilever.

“Every single project teaches you a lot about business culture in Asia,” he says of the Action Learning curriculum. “As a non-Asian, it was a learning experience every day.” Most importantly, through his Action Learning projects, Tawanda learned how to be part of a team. He notes that, though most people label themselves “team players” in cover letters and job interviews, few have experienced what it is like to be part of a highly diverse Action Learning team working in a foreign country. And from a networking perspective, he claims, “ASB was the best decision I ever made.”

Tawanda’s networking advice for MBAs

For incoming students looking to enhance their networking skills, his advice is to not overthink the strategy. While some students are afraid to sacrifice precious networking time to make small talk rather than pursuing their goals, the latter could be more counterproductive in the long run. Instead, he recommends being authentic and approachable.

He believes first impressions are often made based on subconscious “cues” or “vibes,” and that as a result, people who approach relationships with a transactional mindset fall far behind those who are genuine. When Tawanda met his first employer on that long-ago flight to South Africa, he never could have known where he would end up years later. But on the flight, he learned a lesson that he would take with him through his journey at ASB and beyond.

For when he expressed his doubts about getting a visa in the country, the banker laughed and said, “Sometimes you just need to know the right people.”
Tawanda now echoes that advice for those who are just starting their MBA journey at ASB. “Build a bridge all over the world,” he says, “because you can never know when you’ll have to cross it.”

“So, what did you learn from your MBA? Has it transformed you?” I recently graduated from Asia School of Business (ASB), established in collaboration with MIT Sloan, a school globally renowned for both Technology & Management. As someone who has worked with emerging technologies in a top tech firm, I often encounter inquisitive youngsters with similar backgrounds deliberating whether an MBA can add value.

To this, I can say yes, my MBA program has been truly transformational. Through courses such as Building Successful Careers and Organizations, Leadership, Communications, Negotiation, and Ethics & Corporate Accountability, I started reflecting on questions such as the purpose of my life, my values, and my mission. Working on projects with people from diverse backgrounds made me more aware of my working style, strengths, and personality.

This self-realization changed me as I started appreciating and building on skills that I already had. Specifically, the MBA has added value in the following ways:

1. The MBA provided me with exposure to multiple industries and multiple functions.

As someone with a tech background, I didn’t have formal training in Finance, Marketing, Sales, Strategy, Operations, or Managerial Analytics. I not only learned these subjects from some of the best faculty in the world, but also applied this knowledge outside of the classroom.

Through the program, I solved real-world business challenges across several industries in the form of Action Learning projects, which exposed me to the ways in which businesses operate. This exposure, combined with a technical background, gave me a unique skillset that allowed me to design and implement solutions. Not to mention, I could understand the business implications of these technological innovations.

2. The MBA enhanced my ability to work with a diverse group of people.

In my cohort, I had the opportunity to work with students from 16 countries: Canada, Denmark, Ghana, India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Taiwan, Turkmenistan, the United States, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. The 2020 cohort also included students from countries such as Australia, Botswana, Bosnia, Morocco, the Philippines, and Russia.

I lived and interacted with this diverse group for 20 months, working with them on high-impact projects. From these experiences, I learned the importance of establishing good team dynamics, becoming more adaptable, appreciating different perspectives, integrating cultural differences and becoming more inclusive.

3. The MBA made me a better storyteller.

I gave innumerable presentations and pitches to CEOs, department heads and investors during my courses and projects, becoming a more effective presenter. For example, here is a pitch I gave for a strategy project with Nestlé on YouTube. Of course, those in technical careers also give presentations and deliver trainings. But through my MBA, I was able to present financial projections, business models, and growth strategies using a data-driven storytelling approach.

4. The MBA provided a structure for problem-solving and decision-making.

Throughout the MBA program, I analyzed case studies and learned frameworks that stimulated my thinking. Further, the common practice of cold-calling improved my ability to think on my feet and develop a plan of action with factual support. Tools such as Cluster Analysis and Discriminant Analysis, as well as courses such as System Dynamics and Financial Analytics enabled me to make well-informed decisions and create cost-effective strategies.

Also, courses on Entrepreneurship and Strategy improved my ability to deal with ambiguity and emerge from difficult situations. These days, when discussing the Future of Work, soft skills are often acknowledged as the skills most difficult for machines to replace. At ASB, soft skills are referred to as smart skills.

Through the MBA program, I acquired a lot of these smart skills along with what ASB calls sharp skills. While I believe that techies without an MBA can still acquire these skills, I credit the ASB experience with the transformation I underwent over the last 20 months.

KUALA LUMPUR: Education is an essential foundation for the betterment of the nation, paving the way for future progress, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. “The best investment that can be made is in education. Education raises the potential of the individual through value-added means, which, in turn raises the potential of businesses and economies to perform well,” he said in his speech at the Asia School of Business’ (ASB) Master of Business Administration (MBA) convocation ceremony, here, today.

Read the full article here.
This article was originally published on News Straits Times website.

Category: Student Experience, Action Learning, MBA