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“Be part of the change you want to see in the world” Mahatma Gandhi

During the last couple of days we have done: Stress Management, Advanced Project Management, Time Management and had a very interesting day on Diversity; what it really means, the business implications and how it is working in practise with excellent speakers from BT, Aviva and Ernst & Young.

I am a little overwhelmed with tools, techniques – onions, 2×2′s, flows … the list goes on. However, due to the relatively small class sizes (10 at min so far) it has meant a chance to get closer to the speakers, ask more questions and listen more to their stories. Their generosity, openess and attitudes are great – happily in contrast to the “nice guys come last” mentality you often see; these are nice guys (and gals!) coming very definately first, blue chip board members and managing directors.

Just the inspiration I need and hoped for by joining this course.

The (in)famous Nick Bates – see link to his blog right – is in today to teach us presentation skills … Don’t forget your newspaper guys!!!

Links you should check out:

http://www.sykesfairbairn.com/

http://www.normanbroadbent.com/

It is fireworks night today so I thought I would pop in a nice picture I found on the net, just to get people in the mood!

Obama has won the US election and everyone in the US looks like they have been having a great party to celebrate – a career selling fireworks perhaps?

The “Soft skills” week continues on the MBA with mixed (or very selective attendance) from the class, many of whom don’t really rate this stuff, either because they have done it all before or because there are no direct marks allocated I think. I didn’t come on this course simply to get the MBA ticket, the stamp for the cv etc., and if I am honest, I recognise that these skills are some of the most important for me to develop. Although the MBA swamp is trying its best to drag me under, as it has already to many others, my resistance is holding up and I am having an enjoyable week so far – I now even know where I sit on my colour spectrum!

In one of the closest and most tense ends to an F1 GP season, Lewis Hamilton won the Championship in the last corner of the last lap! Awesome stuff. I felt a little for the Massa family, as they thought they had it in the bag, only to be told (live on air!) that they hadn’t – gutting. In many ways a scrappy season but the right man won this year – here’s to Lewis now getting his McLaren F1 LM (in orange I imagine!)

MBA life continues a pace. It is projects projects projects this week while we catch up from taking time out for revision over the last couple of weeks. The lectures are focusing more on “soft” skills this week too so a small rest-bite from the main lecture subjects – do you have any “Loafers” in your teams??

Yesterday we spent the day having presentation from the various elective module leaders; these are ones we can choose verses the core subjects to date. On the whole it was a useful session and helped to guide me to making a decision on these. It is tough to priortise them, as they are all relevant, but at least we have the option of sitting in on a course, even if we are not assessed in it.

The class generally was pretty tired looking though – as quite a few had celebrated the ending of the mid-terms in style! … great to see people letting their hair down (as we say in the UK – for some reason!?) as it is quite a pressure cooker day-to-day.

The big question for the moment is … will Lewis Hamilton do it?? … come on lad!