7 lessons from the skool of Life that an MBA won't teach you

[srinirao]

Networking: If there's anything I've learned in the 2 months since I've been out of school, it's that I didn't know a thing about networking. The only thing I learned about networking in business school is that it was important. The reality is, like most things in life, networking is a skill you have to develop. One of the things I made conscious effort to do was to follow the networking strategies of books like Brian Tracy's Luck Factor and Never Eat Alone.* Perhaps the best networking advice I'd ever come across was volunteering for organizations in your area of professional interest. I started to do that and the interview I had today was purely the byproduct me recognizing the hiring manager's name when I checked him in at an event. The next day he emailed me about the position even though I didn't get a chance to talk to him at the event. The other important realization I've come to is that networking is something you should be doing whether you have a job or not. I'm in the position I'm in because I didn't network in my last semester at business school the way I should have.

Ego: There really is no class in business school that teaches you how destructive the power of your ego is, although there should be. I made an error in judgment early in my business school career, which completely changed the trajectory of my MBA experience. I indirectly violated someone's trust and never managed to earn it back. My ego-driven desire to get ahead was what caused that decision and in the long run, it didn't even pay off.

Enlightenment: I'd love to see the day when a business school offers a course on enlightenment. Just imagine a bunch of MBA students sitting in a room meditating and contemplating life while the professors appears to be some sort of monk. This kind of coursework is highly unlikely, but enlightenment is an important quality of all important leaders. In fact at the top of Maslow's Hierarchy is self-actualization and thus in my mind essential to effective leadership.

Goal Setting: To say that business school doesn't teach us how to set goals* might seem ridiculous to some. But, if you ask some MBA students what they want to do they will most likely reply "find a job after graduation and make 6 figures." While that's a noble goal, it's really more like a task. It's only through my study of personal development that I've come to understand the power of goal-setting. If MBA programs offered a course on goal accomplishment for one semester, it'd be really interesting to see how much more effective people would be. If I could go back and do it again, I would have kept a visible reminder of my goals somewhere all during business school.

Perseverance: Nobody teaches you this in business school. This is a lesson that you can only get through the Skool of Life. Unfortunately we've been conditioned to believe failure is bad. But it's times like these you have to remember that Michael Jordan said"


“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Detachment: If we could master on skill that would forever change the quality of our life experience is becoming detached from outcomes. Business school is a goal driven environment where everybody is trying to get a good job, make good money, and end up doing what they love. So ,being detached from all outcomes would be almost looked down upon. However, if we did become detached we would find an a peace of mind inside ourselves that would allow us to sale through our personal and professional lives.

Patience: According to Wayne Dyer, in A Course in Miracles it says somewhere that "Infinite patience leads to immediate results." I personally am not the most patient person in the world.* But, there is something I've noticed in my moments of patience. Usually after I surf, I'm often stuck in traffic, but I'm so wiped out and mellowed out that I'm completely patient no matter how bad the traffic is. This kind of peace where nothing phases you is an ideal place to operate from.


Tags: life lessons, mba, networkng, goal setting, enlightenment

[patric]

Great post. :-)

I'll email to my subscribers to read what you've wrote.

Keep up the momentum!

Patric Chan
www.successtrace.com

[wdhart777]

That is one heck of a life list of things to focus on - I just had to print it out. I already had a few of them, but as many people the networking part is my weakness. I suppose I should add to my list "focus on your weakest attribute until it is one of your strongest". Would that work? I will let you know.

[Brian]

A little technique I think is very effective is to aim to under achieve every day! It sounds ridiculous but it really works! If you have larger goals then break them down into very small steps that are almost too easy to do each day. for example if you are trying to clear out a spare room, then aim to look through 10 items each day - it is a very small number and may take 10 mins but after 1 week you will have cleared out 70 items! Great! Try it out and see for yourself!!

Cheers,
Brian

[matthewferry]

Experience indeed is the greatest teacher; as it shows a progressive kind of learning that includes self principles and characteristics that has a great impact on success. Will definitely share this!

[Rhonda Olsen]

What a brilliant post! Life truly is the great teacher. As the saying goes, "When the student is ready, the teacher appears." This can be especially powerful if we are open and willing to see and learn from the lessons.

Can you imagine, as you said, if they incorporated this kind of teaching into a post-secondary curriculum? And the impact it could potentially have on younger minds in the primary school systems? Most people would likely experience increased levels of confidence, a stronger sense of knowing and purpose, and inner peace. Beautiful!

[seeker]

Well-said... Couldn't agree more... It should start within us, our perceptions and belief system--then will all others fall into place...

[KevinSotello]

This is by far one of the best post that I have read!
KUDOS!!!!!
Are there more of this? Boy! I cant wait to read from your next post! I will be looking forward to it!
If I am to name five of my favorite post from any forums I've visited; this this would certainly qualify to be on the top five!
Whats best is that I still haven't named the other four!
Again I say to you SRINIRAO.... KUDOS!!!

[ThePocketface]

Yeah, that whole networking business is something that I have not got ontop of in my life thus far, so it kinda struck a chord in me. It will definately take time for me to learn that stuff, but I am starting to see the value to it more and more (which this post has contributed to). Might look at the Brian Tracey program in the future, cause I have gotten a lot of value from some of his stuff in the past. Thanks srinirao

[wealthlink]

infact, i just concluded a class on wireless networking now.that the new area where the world is tending towards now