Calling all you Masters of Marketing!

Robinson College of Business' students have done it again!  Check this out!  

The Graduate Business Association (GBA) has developed a Facebook page solely dedicated to helping GSU graduate students and GBA members hone their marketing skills, stay up-to-date on the hot topics in marketing & social media, provide a forum for engaging and relevant discussions and present the students with opportunities to market themselves (i.e. "network").  Who doesn't love that?! 

It's up and running, so be sure to stop by & spread the word! (and provide feedback, too, of course!)

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

"You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you."

 - Brian Tracy, is a best-selling self-help author.

In a world where the only constant is change - particularly in the world of business where technology and innovation wait around every corner and the economic environment is so uncertain (i.e. job market) - this is so true!  

I've mentioned I'm looking for a job.  Let's call a spade, a spade.  Foreseeably, this whole process will not be pink hearts, daisies and little ponies, right?  

I may get my hopes up about landing my dream job only to fail to land an the interview, botch the interview or realize the job isn't all that I thought it was during the interview. (HINT: Be sure you're interviewing the company just as they are interviewing you.  Make sure it's a mutually beneficial fit!)

The only way to recover from any such blows is to learn from my mistakes and move on, changing my attitude.  

Change is inevitable, but it is how we react and respond to the change that determines our perception of the world and our own happiness!  It is a choice after all.  Choose to change your attitude and adapt to your environment to keep calm and carry on! 

(And for a little more inspiration and boogie, we can always rely on David Bowie) 

... If I Only Had a Brain

Could this be the only advice we need?  

For the Job Search?  The Career Path?  Life?  

It's so succinct!  It's so simple!  

Yet it epitomizes much of the advice I've heard for the Job Hunt... 

Follow your Passion, but Don't Forget Your Sense. 

Quit, Camp or Climb?

Think about this: Adversity is one of the most potent forces in life. It shapes your character, clarifies your priorities, and defines your path. It can also fuel your greatness. Each of us faces a rich assortment of adversities every day, ranging from minor hassles to major setbacks and challenges, even tragedies.

Yeesh, that's a little heavy, right? But, have you heard of The Adversity Advantage, a book by Paul Stoltz and Erik Weihenmayer?

It's a scintillating, addicting tale of a boy, who as a young teenager, was rendered blind. That'd be enough to turn anyone towards bitterness and anger, but Erik Weihenmayer didn't feed those feelings.  Instead, he climbed the seven highest mountain peaks in the world - including Everest, and his message is one of clarity, adventure, hope, and optimism.  Even though it isn't always easy, it sounds like a pretty good idea to me!

Check out Erik's poignant, succinct metaphors that deeply resonate with me and hopefully with you, too.  We proceed into a world with adversity at every turn; let's triumph!

Are you a Quitter, a Camper, or a Climber?

Quitters have a limited capacity for challenge and change and tend to blame others, become overwhelmed, and allow adversity to endure longer than necessary.

Campers have some capacity for challenge and change, but tend to let adversity wear them down, resort to blame when tense or tired, and lose hope and faith when adversity is high.

Climbers have a tremendous capacity for challenge and change.  They tend to be resilient and tenacious, focus on solutions over blame, and be trusting and agile.  

I can only hope that I embody a Climber day-to-day, but let's be honest, life can get sticky, and there will always be challenges and opportunities for improvement.  Slipping into Camper (or even Quitter) Tendencies isn't failure, but I know if I can learn from my mistakes or weakness, I'll climb right back up.

So, I must ask you:  How do you adapt to adversity?  Are you a Quitter, a Camper, or a Climber? 

Are You Literate?

Check this out:  Robinson College of Business offers an incredible mentor program through the Institute of International Business, including a monthly meeting, "CrossTalk," where an entire cohort of mentors and proteges meet to exchange ideas.  It may have changed my life!  Without fail, , the renewed energy towards my student career and professional career unfolds in a new light with every CrossTalk.  The two nuggets of wisdom below are a few of many extracted from the recent idea exchange between global business leaders of today and the proteges who will be leaders tomorrow.

Now, here we go... 

Chances are pretty high that you already know how to read, write & speak, but can you speak the language of Business?

Well, hang on.  First and foremost, let me take a step back and start again. Can you read, write and speak?

To be a respected and followed leader, your basic business skills must include strong reading, writing and communications skills.  Period.  The recent buzz around the weaknesses in professionalism and proficient communication skills means you must make sure your skills are stellar!

You've got a good grasp of these skills?  Then, what next?  Well, of course, you want to be more than just a big fish in a small pond, right?  To take yourself to the next level, become fluent in the Language of Business.  Know the words, the trends, the people, the publications, the books that are relevant to not only general business, but to your industry.

Check out trade publications that are relevant, but that also interest you.  

If your eyes glaze over before you even finish the letter from the editor, chances are you wasted your money on a magazine you'll never read, and that certainly isn't your goal!  You want to know things!  You want people to know you know things!  Find relevant, engaging publications that your peers, clients, boss and industry movers and shakers would read.

Think about this.  The staggering results of being "Literate" will allow you a deeper glimpse into the world in which you live and work.  Empower yourself to hold your own in the boardroom, the classroom and at networking events or cocktail parties.  What if the CEO of your dream company is next to you in the buffet line?  Can you get his attention with your well-informed, intelligent dialogue?  Think of it like the 30 Second Elevator's Speech's close cousin.

Next, become an expert.

If you're looking to dive into international business, specialize in a particular part of the world.  (PS. Every company is a global company, so yes, this includes you even if you're defining your career goals or company strategy domestically.)

Decide on a country or region of the world that means something to you - even if you think it has nothing to do with those career goals or strategic decisions.  Be an expert in Italy simply simply because you're Italian.  Pick somewhere that matters to you!

Say you do select Italy, a founding member of the EU.  The world is flat! Consider the effects of the Italian culture and economy on the EU culture, its social norms, business etiquette, economic policy, and legal regulations.  Recognize the impacts of those elements on the other EU countries, their global trading partners, and the global economy.  See?  Kind of a big deal!

Saddle up and harness your potential to improve your professional prowess.  Build your awareness of the world outside of your own.  Speak the Language of Business with proficiency and ease and you'll advance to a higher level of leadership!

'Cause you gotta have faith...

Sophia Loren, an iconic Italian actress, once said:

"Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go much further than people with vastly superior talent."

To succeed in a career, in an organization, or just to attain a personal goal you may have, "you gotta have faith."

Your inner drive to succeed, coupled with "self-efficacy," i.e. the faith you have in yourself, can propel you ahead of any colleague who seems like a magnet for success. Besides, appearances A) aren't everything, and B) aren't always reality.  Don't put your faith (or your time and energy) there!  Don't worry about what the person next to you in the boardroom or the classroom seems to be doing.

Rely on yourself to succeed in any difficult profession (or even a difficult situation) and don't be afraid to call on that knowledge you have of your skills, experience and talent.  

Have faith that you can achieve great things - because you can and will!

Dr. Seuss Does Differentiation

Quick Tips for Those in the Trenches of "The Job Hunt"

Here are a few quick tips I wanted to share after meeting with one of the top career counselors in the area:

The big one? Start early and devote 10 hours a week for 8-10 weeks to finding a job.  

Of these 10 hours, do not spend more than 20% spinning your wheels on mass career sites, like Monster or Career Builder.  If, at the beginning, you need to devote time and energy to gain momentum and find comfort in increasing your presence online, that's ok, but pump the breaks when you find yourself spinning and applying to hundreds of jobs online.  That will not help you find your dream job, nor will it differentiate you from the masses.  Differentiate, Differentiate, Differentiate.  (A key to success - always.)

Back to that What Makes You Unique discussion... Do not fall back on submitting your resume to a generic email address on their website, or submitting without follow-up.  Even your application approach is an opportunity for you to separate yourself from the pack.  Directly contact these companies through phone calls, personalized emails (personalized!), and office visits.  Get in front of them.  To position yourself in their consideration set, they must actually have an idea of who you are.  If they can put your face to your name, even better! (Obviously, do not become a stalker, but be assertive, pleasant, and tasteful in your interactions.  You are building the brand of who you are, and it will last throughout your career!)

As I finagle this whole job search approach, look out for more tips to help you learn from my mistakes and to help you work smarter, not harder, but that's all for now!

Good luck to everyone getting started in creating a new future, and if you, too, are in job-search mode, please feel free to share your tips on what has worked and what hasn't!

If You're Different Somehow and Have Made Yourself Unique, People Will Pay You More!

According to marketing guru, Seth Godin, this current recession... is a Forever Recession, which means the end of the Average Worker.

The days when people were able to get above average pay for average work are over.

The Solution?  Instead of waiting around for someone to tell you that you matter, take your career into your own hands.  Differentiate yourself from the pack.  Make yourself Unique.

Don't wait for someone else to pick you.  Pick Yourself!  Make it Happen!

As we approach the Post-Graduate-School-We're-in-a-Recession-and-Unemployement-is-High-Aah!-How-Will-I-Get-a-Job World, consider this: What makes you unique?  What separates you from the norm? What do you want to accomplish?  And then do it!

Don't wait for someone else to come along to validate you or what you're doing.  Find that within yourself and charge ahead towards the life you want to create for yourself!

Don't Forget: You Are More Than You May Think!

Great advice for us all... And it is true! 

We so easily sell ourselves short in our self-perception.

Classes, people, professors, academics, and life -

Each have the potential to drive you a little crazy 

And demand a little too much. 

When it seems the challenges are stacking up a little too high, 

Remember this! 

Love What Is Next And What Is Now...

My Professor Doesn't Teach!

It occurred to me last night - in the midst of an active, impassioned class discussion instigated by the professor - that the professor doesn't teach us any material. At all.  There are not even any exams.  Our grades are derived entirely from three case presentations.

You may be thinking, "What?! That's infuriating!" 

And indeed it was until I realized that, although he is not teaching us any of the actual case and despite the fact that our class discussions hardly touch on case facts at all, he is one of the most effective professors I have ever had in B-school.

What?! How can this be?

Well, I'll tell you.  The man doesn't teach the material.  He guides us through how to think about the material - a lesson far more valuable than a regurgitation of facts about Honda entering the American market against all odds with no strategy, for example.  Because how far will that get you, really?  You may be able to impress a potential employer or client at first glance, but if you can't think critically and analytically in the face of real business challenges, that corner office may not be calling your name for quite some time - if at all.

However, marinate on this alternative... Your savvy self, able to think about Honda's nonexistent strategy while you're also considering the subsequent strategies that emerged as the company pursued its absolutely insane objective of penetrating a market in which they had no hope of success and then, being able to recognize the implications of those decisions and extrapolate those lessons into your own risk tolerance in business... well, that, my friends, is worth the money we pay for tuition.  And Hello, Corner Office!

Thank you for that wake up call, Professor because, personally, that vignette describes the business leader I would like to exemplify.

I'll be honest with you, some of my friends and classmates are inherently awesome critical thinkers, and I feel subpar when I listen to their valuable contributions to class discussions.  

However, I have decided that I am not too far gone to hone this skill, and I will look at this semester as an opportunity to tailor my thinking and my perspective on the world... to be flexible and open to other opinions and ideas that may be different than my own and that may be even <gasp> better.  (I've heard doing all these things are important in business.)  And I will look at this professor as a Sensei... a Sensei of Critical Thinking!

You can strengthen your analytical skills and deductive reasoning with the right tools, too!  So stay tuned for lessons from the Sensei that you can implement, and then use them to differentiate yourself in the classroom, on the interview, or in the boardroom!

You are the crème de la crème, and this is yet another opportunity to prove it!

Who Will You Become?

It's a daunting, exhilarating, hopeful question, isn't it?

So, last night in class, The Sensei of Critical Thinking posed that question through a discussion about traits and examples of innovative leaders, and of course, we mentioned... Steve Jobs.  

In all seriousness, the professor asked us: Can you become like Steve Jobs after your MBA?

Whew, that's a big one, and I'll fess up, my initial reaction was, "Are you crazy?  Of course not!" but, it got me thinking, and actually, yes, I think I can, and so can you...

The world awaits us after after our MBA... But truly, the world awaits us every day.  You can create the life you want to live and the person you want to become every single day.  Pretty deep, right?

So, let's consider Mr. Steve Jobs again.  Do you think he waited until some specific moment in time to take risks, express his inherent skills and brilliance, or become resolute in his vision for his life?  Highly unlikely.

That guy was his true self every day, striking out to give life to his dreams and vision every single stinkin' day!  He did not respond to his environment; he created the environment.  He changed the rules of the game to breathe life into the aspirations he envisioned.

Whether an MBA Grad or an MBA Student or just a Joe Schmo on the street, every day, we too have the opportunity to become who we want to be and create the life we envision for ourselves.  We may not create the next iPad or an App that cures Cancer, but we will achieve great things every day if we set out to do so.

So, what do you think...  Can You Become Like Steve Jobs? I think so.

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

- Dr. Seuss

We're #1!!!

Georgia State University's J. Mack Robinson College of Business finished first among all business schools in Georgia!  Not only that, but Robinson also ranked #22 in the nation and #8 in the U.S. among public universities.

...You know what that means?  That means that Robinson beat a very well-known, fancy pants University right around the corner!  More convenient, flexible, and reputable, but with a smaller price tag?!

That's a no brainer!

So, check out more on Robinson College of Business on its website: http://robinson.gsu.edu/index.html. There's still time to apply for Summer!

**For the full rankings, click here.  For more information about GSU's prestigious Flex-MBA program (attended by yours truly!), click here.

A Day In The Life... (A Real Doozy!)

Alright, guys, here is the epitome of a day in the life of a grad student.  Today is the real deal kind of day that may lie ahead for your B-school adventure!

6:45 a.m. : Hit Snooze...Forgo going to the gym.

7:45: Wake Up ...Check the weather while convincing myself I really should get out of bed.

8 - 9:00 a.m. "Multi-tasking at its Finest": Make coffee, play with the dogs, whip up breakfast, make lunch & throw together enough healthy snacks to last 12 hours on campus. 
Here's a little tip from me to you:  If you bring your lunch & your own healthy snacks, you'll make better (i.e. "healthier") choices when the hunger strikes (for me, it hits every 2-3 hours!) and you'll feel better, think faster, and won't spend a bunch of money on candy bars and Diet Coke... (I've been a caffeine/sugar junkie for quite some time, and let's be serious - the crash after the sugar/caffeine high is really kind of a drag and just leads to a vicious cycle of sugar cravings! Who has time for that?  Bring your own snacks.)

9 - 9:15 a.m.: Do a few minutes of yoga & stretching to release the tension in my lower back from kickboxing and also just to spend a few minutes getting myself together for the day because it's a doozy today, folks!  (Another tip: if you have a favorite way to blow off steam that gets you revved up better than a bowl of Wheaties, try to incorporate it into your day for just a few minutes - or at least a few times a week.  It makes a huge difference in stress management!)

9:15 - 10:00 a.m : Drink coffee while getting ready for the day, pack the backpack and grab an umbrella on the way out the door.  Realize I forgot to take out the garbage.

10:30 - 11:30 a.m.: Dentist. Ugh.  Find out having health insurance doesn't mean I have dental insurance.  That's a bummer.

11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.: Head to campus and get situated in the RCB office to study and work.

12:00 - 2:00 p.m.:  Have a snack ... do a little networking, look at potential job opportunities, return emails, work on blog... get sucked into a g-chat and exchange a few text messages... Turn on Pandora... realize this is my last semester as a grad student and get a little wistful, but then give myself a pep talk that the next stage will be fabulous, too.  Truth be told, I really enjoy being a full-time grad student.  It may be hard to adjust to the routine and race of "real world" again!

2:30 - 4:00 p.m.: Finish reading Honda case & HBR article for 7:15 pm class... have another snack... print out the syllabi for all classes and any readings due this week... read and do work for class tomorrow night... realize the professor listed a new textbook since I last checked the syllabus... order it off of Amazon.com... have a snack & a cup of coffee (see? caffeine!)...

4:00 p.m.: Leave the office to try to find the 4:30 class.  (It is probably only a five minute walk away, but I leave early because I don't know exactly where Classroom South is.  Since I have no sense of direction, I have to plan ahead to avoid being lost on campus and late to class.)

4:30 - 7:00 p.m.:  Class...

7:00 - 7:15 p.m.: Bolt across campus to try to make it to my next class on time as I text my friend to save me a seat just in case.

7:15 - 9:45 p.m.:  International Business Capstone class... (This is the class that means I'm going to graduate soon! Whoa. I can't believe it!)

9:45 - 10:00 p.m.: Walk to car with keys in hand and cell phone stashed in my backpack... pay parking attendant.  (GSU Student discount! $4 for 12 hours!)

10: 45 p.m.: Finally arrive home.  Wind down, finish any readings for tomorrow.

11:30 p.m.: Go to bed and get ready to do it all again tomorrow!

Fueling Those New Year's Intentions!

"Thoreau said: "I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestioned ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor." That is not only an encouraging statement, it is also an empowering one. It means you can accomplish a lot by applying your brainpower and then moving forward with it."

- Donald Trump, is an American business magnate, socialite, author and television personality

Ideas for your New Years Resolutions?