It is always in the most unexpected moments when an idea pops in to my head: i.e. while i’m shopping…

Don’t know if my grandpa used Old Spice (highly unlikely), but then again…u never know. Anyways my shower gel made me laugh…and think (it DOES SOUND STUPID, i know:)) about the GSB and what I would’ve missed if i hadn’t applied. So here I am 4 months in and $50k+ poorer – what did i gain/learn in exchange?:

1.  a bit of financial accounting (although based on my exam performance Anne Beyer would probably argue), but more importantly;

2. CONFIDENCE that comes from knowing a group of 400 VERY SMART people from your class who will go that extra mile to help you if you ask. and another few thousand alumni. it is a powerful thing, that you don’t realize (although you hear about) until you experience it first hand. and it is pretty F**** comforting; thank you my fellow classmates!

3. OFFENSE. as we’ve learned in our OB 205 class: offense is ALWAYS better than defense. being prepared, pushy and decisive works miracles! don’t know why it took me 29 years and a GSB class to realize that, but better late than never;

4. CONFLICT IS GOOD. maintaining a healthy level of conflict in a team, of course ensuring that everyone is respectful of one another, is pretty damn effective. it pushes things forward, keeps you on your feet, just gets things done. but the prerequisite is ensuring that no-one takes it personally – which requires a lot of self-consciousness from team members;

5. SURFING. hands down the best sport in the history of mankind. and if you ever have the problem of choosing east vs west coast school – this should be the ultimate west coast argument;

All in All, the MBA ROI is still negative, but I sense the curve is turning north-east. and that’s a good thing. more to come.

M.