my EMBA Chronicle

The end of module one has led me take a few days off from school to celebrate and to reflect on my EMBA experience to date.  The realization that the technology industry is as much about business as is it about tools and systems is what led me to Loyola’s EMBA program.  And one of my goals in pursuing a MBA is to compliment my experiential learning with a solid academic foundation in leadership and business fundamentals.

Looking back on the past ten weeks of study, I see that I’m well on my way to getting all that I hoped for.  Just as valuable as the amazing amount of learning that has taken place — I am in a diverse and challenging cohort of accomplished professionals.  Getting outside my industry and being in a class with lawyers, entrepreneurs, publishers, real estate developers, marines, engineers and educators creates rich dialog and broadens the learning.

As I look back on module one, I am delighted with how far I’ve come and also realize just how much more I can learn.

It’s hard to believe that we’re nearing end of module one!  My leadership and ethics classes have been excellent and I’m sad to see them coming to an end.

When I was applying to school and researching EMBA programs, “you get out as much as you put in” was a common refrain from recruiters and graduates.  My coach used to say the same thing when I was training for bike racing.  When I was training, I would dread interval days because they hurt.  Although it seemed like my legs would fall off and my chest would explode, I knew that maximizing the intervals would make me a better racer.  This is not unlike bending and flexing my brain around cash flow statements and developing my grand unified theory for leadership.

The past three months at Loyola have been a whirlwind and I’ve been putting a lot into my EMBA program.  And just like cycling, sometimes we don’t realize how far we come with your training until we finish our first big race.  As I near the end of module one and prepare my final projects, I am not only amazed at learning and experiences I’ve gotten so far, I’m ready for more!

Racing

The President just announced Loyola’s new strategic plan which is based around one goal:

Loyola will be the leading comprehensive Catholic university in the nation.

This semester, we have talked a lot about vision and how strategy and organizational alignment can help to deliver on a vision.  What strikes me most about Loyola’s new plan is that it is built around a very compelling goal…the kind of goal that makes you gulp and makes the hair on the back of your neck stick up with excitement.  “Loyola will be the leading comprehensive Catholic university in the nation.” certainly sounds like a rally cry to me.

I’m in!…now what?
Of course, an aspect of goal setting that comes up frequently in our classes has to do with connecting everyone at the orgnization to the goal and building the right systems to support the vision.  As a current student (and future alum), I’m very excited by this new plan.  And I hope that the college is able to succeed where many organizations seem to fail — getting buy-in from everyone and helping to connect day-to-day operations to the long term vision.

I was talking with a friend who is finishing his final year in the NYU’s MBA program.  He couldn’t recall what school I was going to for my EMBA and when I reminded him that I was enrolled at Loyola he commented, “Ooh!  Isn’t that preppy!?!”

www.davidlebovitz.com

I’m not sure what he meant by preppy, but I took it as a compliment.  From day one of the my EBMA residency, I’ve been convinced that Loyola is…like…totally…the best school, eVER.  Here are some of the reasons:

The staff at Loyola are amazing:  Not only did staff from all the departments patiently answer my questions throughout the application and admission process — I saw them every day, all day long throughout the residency.  The residency ended more than two weeks ago and I still see Loyola staff at school all the time (night and day, weekends and weekdays!).  And it’s not just that I see them from far away (down the hall or behind closed doors) — they ask me how I’m doing and want to know what I think of the program.

The faculty are brilliant:  Each week, I ask myself:  “If I suddenly had to leave this program tomorrow, have I gotten anything out of it?”  And the answer is always a shouting YES!  Our faculty are not just smart, they are inspiring, published and actively involved in their fields.  They are challenging and real.  At Loyola, the faculty actually to talk with one another and really consider the overall program strategy in their syllabi.  AND they incorporate feedback from their students — on the fly and in the broader EMBA program strategies.

The school has excellent physical resources:  Loyola has this figured out.  Swipe cards — active immediately after your photo is taken; access to physical resources:  24×7.  A dedicated lounge/resource area that isn’t just full of tables and computers…but has couches, a microwave and office supplies.  People at a reception desk (at least until 10pm) who are actually able (and interested) in answering our questions.  And, to top it all off:  a meditation room.  A space that is consistent with the schools values around reflection, diversity and introspection.

I really don’t know what my friend meant by the term “preppy”.  It is clear that Loyola has been incredibly thoughtful about their EBMA and Fellows programs and that they are passionate about the success of their students.  A school that is committed to ME and cares about MY success — geesh!  It seems obvious, but I wonder how many people are really able to say, as I am:  I couldn’t have picked a better school.