How would you describe your experience in participating in this course? How has
your experience shaped your intention of how to participate in future MBA
courses?
It was quite the change for me to be back doing homework after having been out of
the classroom for 20+ years (yikes!) and developing my career. One thing that I have
always looked back on regarding my undergraduate studies was that I wish I had
taken better advantage of my time in college and appreciated the opportunities and
knowledge I was gaining. Back then I was young, going to school full time and
working full time, while still trying to enjoy my social life and weekends off with
friends. I was a good student in high school, never needed to study to get good
grades, so I carried the same attitude through college and my homework often took
a back seat. 20 years later is a different picture! While I struggled slightly this
quarter with managing life, career, and school during the busiest time of the year for
me at work, I still made it happen. The most important thing is that while it was
sometimes difficult to juggle my schedule, the time I had to sit down and read the
week’s resources and how they correlated to my career was a nice “break”. While I
had to prioritize my job, this time I appreciated the knowledge I was gaining in the
weekly lessons and how I could apply it in my career. Having time on the job has
given me an opportunity to relate to what I’m learning and how I can approve upon
myself professionally going forward.
What were some of the challenges you faced in this course, and how did these
challenges help you prepare for challenges in today's VUCA world of work? How do
you think future courses will help you deepen your ability to work in the VUCA
world?
The biggest challenge for me was scheduling. I’ve wanted to go back to earn my
MBA for years, but always put it off. At a certain point I just decided to go for it.
However, I realized one week in that my timing wasn’t ideal and I planned the start
of classes during the busiest time of year for me at work. I’m often working long
hours and late nights. To top it off, this year I had quite a few travel obligations on
top of it. Week 3 brought along a change in my work deadlines during a travel week
which I literally had only 8-9 hours daily to dedicate to both work, school, and sleep.
What I learned is that I must be flexible and EXTREMELY focused in terms of my
time management…as much as I can, I need to prepare in advance should something
change or come up last minute.
The fourth industrial revolution has introduced early advances on the internet of
things; artificial intelligence (AI); and the production of smart equipment that can
analyze, diagnose, and fix issues without the need for human intervention. How do
these complex technological developments challenge leaders to adapt their
leadership style and behavior?
Personally, one of the biggest challenges that leaders will face in the fourth
industrial revolution is bridging the gap between technology and the workforce that
has been coined “essential workers” throughout the recent pandemic. I work in an
industry which society counts on for service. While technology will definitely help
our frontline workers do their jobs more efficiently and effectively, as older “blue
collar” workers retire, we are facing a shortage in available workforce as the new
generation of workers focus on college degrees for “high skill/high pay” jobs. Per
Klaus Schwab, this will give rise to a segregated job market, which will in turn lead to
an increase in social tensions (Schwab, 2016). Leaders will need to learn to be more
empathetic and aware of those tensions and ensure they are properly recognizing
essential workers for their important role within our communities.
For the last discussion of this course, review a part or segment from the program
that has made you proud. That may be achieving your first certification or badge, or
completing your first graded assignment, or even going through the resources that
have helped you expand your knowledge on leadership. You may choose to discuss
someone you have learned the most from: your manager, your spouse or partner, or
even a peer you have become friends with during the program.
I’d have to say one of the biggest things that has made me proud as I’ve started my
MBA journey is the appreciation, I have for the knowledge I’m gaining. I look
forward to the additional classes and how I’ll be able to apply them to my career.
This is definitely something I didn’t have when working towards my undergraduate
degree. Two things I really took to heart during this class and will take with me are
the following:
There’s a difference between a leader and a manger. I can’t tell you how many
leadership classes and personality assessments I’ve had to take in my career. I gave
myself a hard time because there were times when I felt I wasn’t being an effective
leader because I was too busy managing the whole time. While I took some
satisfaction in the fact that sometimes organizations put extraordinary expectations
on their managers, I’ve learned that I can do both effectively.
Be respectful of my team’s contributions. There have been several times in my
career in which my team members would turn something in, but when faced with a
deadline I would just change or do over myself if it did not fit my expectations. By
doing that I am not helping them develop nor is it effectively motivating them if they
put the time and effort in to complete something just to have me change it. I need to
take more time as a manager to work through these items with my team.
Schwab, K. (2016, January 14). weforum.org. Retrieved from The Fourth Industrial
Revolution: what it means, how to respond:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-
means-and-how-to-respond/
