This blog is in response to a requirement for my MBA Business Strategy class. In a couple classes, our professor gave us the opportunity to think about our personal strategy - where we are and where we want to go. I started out by doing a personal SWOT analysis: thinking about my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. In conjunction with that, I took a look at my potential "Blue Oceans" - what is my unique selling proposition? I feel that one of my strengths is that I am good at striking emotional chords with people through my writing, so I decided to use a blog to capture my thoughts.
In class, our professor heavily emphasized asking the right questions (as did my market research professor). If we don't ask the right questions, we're not going to get useful answers. While reading my blog, I realized that a large majority of my posts from the last year talk about how much I love my family, how grateful I am for them, etc. I wrote a blog post specifically about what is most important to me: How Will I Measure My Life?
"The most important thing to me in my life is my family - not my career or my material possessions."
This is video of me singing to my wife at our wedding
She and I have performed in several local plays together
Performing brought us together and continues to draw us closer to each other
She and I have performed in several local plays together
Performing brought us together and continues to draw us closer to each other
The first question to developing my personal strategy was, "What is most important to ME?" I also needed to know the answer to "Why Am I Studying Business?" I liked what I wrote there, so I'm going to say part of it again:
"We need good, ethical leaders in business who will create and reinforce positive company cultures. Leaders who don't motivate with fear, who don't create negative work environments for their employees, who don't make stupid decisions that end up costing people their livelihoods. I want to be one of those good leaders."
In our first semester in the MBA program, we created a leadership profile which consisted in part of contacting friends, colleagues, former co-workers, etc. to find out what they felt our strengths were. What was surprising to me was what they told me. By and large, the most repeated strength they mentioned was "kindness." I had never thought of myself specifically as a kind person (not that I'm mean), but I try to show respect for others and help those who are in need. I also try to be sensitive to others and stay in control of my emotions (to think before I speak). Other strengths were my organization skills and my ability to stay calm in stressful situations. These other skills help me to be kind. Because I am organized, I usually have contingency plans for when things go wrong. Even when I don't have plans, because I think quickly, I am able to stay calm and collected in those situations. And when I handle stressful situations well, I am able to interact well with others, staying sensitive to their needs and feelings. Relationships are extremely important to me.
Looking toward to my future after the MBA program, from a professional standpoint I want to start out working in a B2B marketing function, but I'd like to try different functions: supply chain, M&A, human resources. I guess the point is that I want to have an influence on the lives of others. I want to make their working days a positive experience, so they can go home and continue to have a good day.
In the long-term, I'd also like to serve my community through supporting the arts. I am passionate about theater and music, and want to continue to work with local community theaters, supporting their productions. But ultimately, my first question drives my personal strategy. What is most important to me? My family. And I will do everything I can to spend as much time as possible with them. Even if that means turning down a potential career advancement that would take me away from them too often, that is a sacrifice I will make.
