Rewind: Who am I?

I thought it would be a good idea to kind of start over with an introduction of myself for all the new readers of my blog. I recently took on an initiative as a Student Ambassador for the Ivey MBA School, and was tasked with getting a blogging site up for the school. The idea behind the blogging site is to offer prospective students a view on what a day in the life of an MBA student at Ivey is like. Six curret Ivey MBA students were chosen to blog (including mysefl). Check out the site at http://iveymbastudents.blogspot.com/. As a first blog entry, I did an introduction of myself by writing about my ambitions, influences, and background. Anyhow, I figure it would be a good idea to formally use that same blog entry to introduce myself on my own personal blog for all my new readers that don’t know me. I’ll follow up with a regular blog entry soon detailing my thoughts on a heart breaking week at Nortel, a busy week off of school, and my recruitment plans etc…stay tuned.

So who am I? I’m a 27 years old engineer born in Canada and of East Indian decent. I’ve been married for 4 years, and have an incredibly beautiful and supportive wife who’s followed me to Ivey and put her own career on hold for me for the year. I have no children of my own yet although my wife and I hope to have kids soon. I’m born and raised in Ottawa, Canada; a place that I love and I hope to live there again one day down the road. I come from a close-knit family with a strong background in academics (both parents are PhDs).

I like to describe myself as a hard worker, and a team player with a good understanding of my strengths and development areas. People often describe me as being very goal-oriented in nature. Throughout my life I’ve always had a very clear idea of what I’ve wanted to accomplish and where I’ve wanted to go, and I put a lot of pressure on myself to follow-through. Going to b-school was one of those life goals, and I’m proud that I’ve gotten myself here to Ivey after a stringent application filtration process.

I’ve had three idols throughout my life that have dramatically shaped and influenced my morals, values, and thought process: my mother, Bono (rock star/social activist), and Wayne Gretzky (hockey legend).

My mother is an incredible women; she’s an executive at the Department of Foreign Affairs (Canadian Federal Government) and somehow was able to lead a hugely successful career while raising four kids. I think of her as the super mom. She’s a selfless nurturer and giver to all, and a woman that would rather give you her five minutes of personal time than take rest. Not only did she manage to successfully raise four kids and a run a household while juggling a travel schedule that had her out of the country 50% of the time, but she somehow managed to take me to all my 6AM Saturday hockey practices while I was growing up. She has advanced in her career and is one of only a small number of visible minority women in her generation to have reached the executive ranks in the Federal Government. I’ve grown up watching her work ethic and commitment to the family, and I’d like to think that I’ve gotten that from her. I respect her, and we are alike in so many ways; that’s probably why we argue and disagree so much!

Bono, a rock star from the band U2, has also been a long-standing idol of mine. It’s not just because I’m a huge fan of the band’s music, but it’s more about what he stands for and what is possible if you put your mind to it. Bono is a part-time social activist bringing visibility to the key issues facing third world nations in Africa. He’s changing the world in some ways by spreading awareness of the AIDS, debt and the Malaria pandemics facing these countries. His strategic use of his celebrity, network, and influence allow him to execute on his mandate, and there is a lot to learn from him on these aspects. He does all of this while being a successful husband and a father, and while being one of the biggest rock stars in the world. His words are melodic, his charisma is contagious, and his passion is inspirational to me.

Wayne Gretzky is another hero of mine. He’s an example of what hard work, intelligence, and confidence can allow you to achieve. Wayne Gretzky was never the biggest, fastest, or toughest person on the ice, but he used the eyes on the back of his head to outsmart everyone else and arguably became the most successful hockey player in history (I say ‘arguably’ but I truly don’t believe there is any debate here ;). Wayne Gretzky has inspired me throughout my life to work hard, to use my intelligence, and to be confident.

I’ve spent the last five years working at Nortel, one of the world’s leading telecommunications company’s, and have loved every minute of it. My last couple of roles at Nortel heightened my interest in wanting to develop my business acumen skill set particularly in the areas of decision making, finance, and effective leadership. Furthermore, it heightened my awareness of the power of networking, and the importance of extending one’s ability to leverage and influence others. In my last role at Nortel before leaving for b-school, I was given a team leader opportunity and failed at it. This failure took a large toll on my confidence, but it turned out to be a good reality check for me; it shed some light on some of the areas that I needed to improve upon. It was at that point that I realized that an MBA would be useful to me. In addition, earlier during the year I was unsuccessful at landing a Product Manager role because the competition all had MBAs. Based on some of my discussions with Nortel leaders, mentors, and MBA grads; going to a prominent, well-recognized b-school appeared to be the best way to accomplish my professional objectives. I applied and successfully achieved admission to the Richard Ivey School of Business and have loved every minute of it. What an incredible experience it has been thus far!

Hopefully by now you’ve got an idea of who I am, what I’m about, and why I’m doing an MBA. I look forward to sharing my b-school adventures with you all in the coming months.

Until next time…

Sacha Gera

Top Ten Things I've Learned in the Ivey MBA

Wow; it’s been a tough week. Lots of ups and downs but I feel like things are moving in the right direction. I’ve been looking for a boost lately…anything to lift my spirits and get me kick-started and energized again. I think I’ve got that finally; partly from my wife and partly from school. Geeta (my wife) really has a way of understanding me and I feel like she’s filled in the void that I’ve been feeling lately; she always knows what I need. I got my marks back for Module 2A today. I was quite sure that this term was not nearly as good as the last, especially in Strategy and in Accounting. To my surprise I did far better in all subjects and I’m very happy about the results. I feel more confident about my multi-tasking abilities and my ability to be productive even when faced with a shortage of time.

On a side note; Hurricane Ike blew through Texas on the weekend. I always wanted to be a meteorologist and I enjoy tracking weather and hurricanes as one of many of my weird hobbies. I feel for all the families that were affected by the storm, but I must admit that I’m always wowed by the power and strange beauty of these storms. I thought I’d enclose a radar picture of Ike slamming into the Texas coast line….I think it’s a fascinating picture; a balance of beauty and destruction.

I promised in my last entry that this one would be about the top ten things I’ve learned in the MBA thus far. I hope it’s helpful especially for all of you incoming students who have started reading my blog. Here it is.

Top Ten Things I’ve Learned ~Advice for Incoming MBAs

Sacha Gera, MBA Candidate (May, 2009)

#1: Take a chance; put yourself out there

You’ll learn more if you take chances. Put your hand up during class even when you’re unsure of how ridiculous your answer will sound; chances are that 1/3rd of the class is thinking the same thing! Don’t worry about your ego being bruised; a wrong answer is just as valuable as a right one and you’ll earn participation points for it too! In fact wrong answers often earn higher participation points then right answers. Furthermore, your colleagues and your professors will respect you for taking chances. MBAs graduates are often successful because they take chances and are not afraid to go against the grain in the board room; test drive this philosophy in the classroom!

#2: Make it collaborative, not competitive

In a class full of type A leaders, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of being competitive with one another and to lose sight of the long term picture. The power of an MBA often surfaces many years down the road when you are more likely to leverage your network. Too often, students take a short term view with the goal of out doing their colleagues for that first post-MBA job that everyone wants. Competition will always be a part of the MBA experience and you will compete for jobs, but do your best to promote a collaborative environment where helping each other is a common practice. It’s surprising how helpful my class colleagues have been, and I’m finding that the more we help each other the more that behaviour gets encouraged.

#3: It’s a marathon not a race!

The one year Ivey MBA program can get intense at times to say the least. Burning out is a constant risk that we face especially at the start of the program when we are learning the ropes with respect to how to study and manage our time, and during recruitment season. Be sure to pace yourself and to give yourself a break once in a while. Although it is tough to avoid, don’t worry so much about how many hours your colleagues are putting in; concentrate on being yourself (the same person that got you into this great school).

#4: Alumni power

You hear about the power of the Ivey alumni, but you won’t know it until you try it. As an MBA student you’ve got access to a database of 20 000+ Ivey HBA and MBA alumni, which is hugely powerful! The database allows you to search out contacts by industry, location, and company. In my experience, there appears to be a strong Ivey culture instilled in all graduates whereby Ivey alumni make great efforts to help current students and promote the Ivey brand. Reach out to the alumni and you may surprise yourself on how helpful they can be in guiding you and helping you with your job search.

#5: Staying healthy takes effort

Expect to have tough weeks with little sleep, and expect to get stressed at times. I’ve seen many of my fellow students adapt to the MBA life in both positive and negative ways. I’ve found that getting a good amount of sleep and exercising regularly are keys to staying healthy both from a mental and physical perspective. Leading a healthy lifestyle will help you keep your immune system up at those critical times. Remember that there will be times when you can’t physically do all the required work; know when to draw the line and call it quits.

#6: Remember the importance of networking and socializing

Expect to make 70 new friends instantly when you join the MBA program. Your classmates will form the basis of your professional network for years to come. Developing relationships and bonds with your classmates is important, and making the effort to attend MBA outings will help you achieve that. Don’t expect to attend all the events, and don’t feel pressure to go to them all. Pick and choose based on your schedule. If you’ve got a spouse or partner in town, be sure to bring them out and have them join the Ivey Circle (social group for spouses and partners); make them apart of the Ivey MBA experience!

#7: It’s a work hard play hard environment

Expect to work hard, but also take comfort in knowing that there is time to relax, socialize, and visit friends and family even in a one year program! I thought I was going to be pigeon-holed for the year, but surprisingly I find the time to take the stress off. Often times I find myself needing a break during the middle of an intense week, and I’ve learned to create time for myself even when it appears to be a bad idea. It’s important to work hard, but equally important to take time for yourself when you need it.

#8: The power of diversity

Coming into a classroom of accountants, engineers, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs and others is stimulating to say the least. Coming into a classroom with students from all over the world is even that much more stimulating. As we discuss and debate a case in the classroom, expect to hear many different and diverse perspectives on issues. Have an open mind to what others are saying. Listen hard and you’ll find yourself learning from your peers and thinking in new and unique ways.

#9: You can lead without being the leader

We are all effective leaders; it’s why we were selected to be here in this program. We are all eager to lead in some capacity or another. Learning to lead without necessarily being the leader is a very powerful concept. Challenge yourself to figure out how you can help your peers and make a positive impact in the class. Be there for your colleagues when they need you most, and share your talents and gifts; doing so will earn you respect and increase your influence in the classroom.

#10: Represent the Ivey brand

We all represent the Ivey brand, and we’ve all invested in it heavily. It’s important to represent the Ivey brand externally and internally at all times through the good times and the bad. Expect there to be hiccups, but they will be far outweighed by the positives of the program. Negativity is contagious but so is positivity; so make a conscious effort to be positive and to be an Ivey ambassador at all times!

September is here.

In my last posting I mentioned that I would talk about my key learning’s thus far; I’ve decided to delay that blog entry for a couple of weeks. We have a week off in September for recruiting activities and I think I’ll have more time to think through what I want to say for that entry.

I’ve just started my first elective cycle here at Ivey. I am taking negotiations and competition. It’s really refreshing taking electives. I definitely needed a break from the quantitative stuff, especially after taking accounting and finance. I’m particularly enjoying negotiations. Who knew that negotiation was part art and part science? Each class involves a one on one negotiation with a colleague from the class. The idea is to try out new negotiation tactics and strategies from the night’s assigned readings + the class discussions. There always is a winner and a loser in each of these negotiation sessions. In my last session, a colleague of mine (who happens to be part of my learning team), ripped me pretty good. The funny thing is that I walked out of that negotiation thinking that I did well. I guess he got the best of me and made feel good about it too; a true negotiation master. I guess the fact that he has a background in sales and marketing doesn’t hurt either ;) As part of the course we had to write a reflection paper on that particular negotiation. You can imagine how much fun I had writing about how I got ripped off. I tend to be a competitive person in general, but I realized that I have a harder time being shrewd when I happen to be friends or like the person I’m dealing with… Kudos to my negotiating mate!

Today was a really tough day and I find myself at a low point. This program and this experience have brought many new challenges and learning’s; some as a direct result of the program, some as a result of moving to a new location, some as a result of unexpected changes on the home front, and some because I let myself wander a bit too far. Today was yet another day in my march toward getting a grip on things and I find myself continually forcing myself to make the tough decisions that are right for me professionally and personally. I guess some days are better then others and today wasn’t a good one. I’m a bit down at the moment; probably a bit tired, and feeling a bit vulnerable. I went for a long run/walk today…the perfect cure for a shitty day. I think I need a break and some time for myself; I’m looking forward to the week off in September. I plan to go home and spend some time with my wife, my family and friends, while also using the time to catch up with colleagues at Nortel. I’ve scheduled a number of meetings with former mentors, colleagues, and peers. A very prominent Nortel executive has agreed to meet with me to discuss my post-MBA plans…keep you posted.

On a side note, I recently decided to entertain the idea of interviewing for jobs outside of Nortel. I recently had an interview with a prominent company for a product management position; a dream job and one that was totally in line with my post-MBA goals. I didn’t make it through to the next round of interviews for that job and I was a bit surprised. More then anything I was disappointed and it hit me harder then I thought it would. I’m sure that’s contributing to the downer day I’m having. Never fear; tomorrow is a new day and I won’t let myself stay down very long.

The new U2 album is delayed! It was supposed to be out on Nov 18th but has been pushed to early 2009. Why am I mentioning this?....because I’m a U2 fanatic of course. These days I’ve been listening to a fair amount of U2, as well as the new Cold Play album, and Arcade Fire…it gets me through those tough and busy days!