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.