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!

The Clapping Class

I’m 1/3 done; Holy S**T! Time is flying and within 8 short months I’ll be tagging three very expensive, but invaluable letters to my name ;) I’m feeling more confident then ever that the program is providing me with the skills and network that I need to achieve my post-MBA goals, and I’m going to ensure that I’m working my ass off to make it happen. Remember; things don’t necessarily fall in your lap during an MBA program…you’ve got to make things happen! That said I’ve definitely lost a fair amount of hair during the first bit of the program, which really sucks….guys are conscious about their receding hair lines and I’m no different. I also find myself rapidly turning grey; I seem to be getting more comments then ever on how my hair is turning grey….at first it was cool because I felt wiser and more mature but now I think I’m just starting to look older? Did I mention that I noticed a couple of greys in my beard and on my chest? Yes.. the stress and pressure of this program definitely have effects on us students…. when we first started the program there were likely only 2 or 3 regular smokers; now at break times there appears to be 10 to 15 (no I'm not one of them)! Remember to keep up the exercise during the program; I don’t think I would have gotten here thus far without staying healthy and active. I seem to get my stress relieve, second wind, and adrenalin rush from running at the end of a long day of classes…

Thought I’d share my top MBA phrases and words that I’ve picked up from the first 1/3 of the program: ‘culture’, ‘holistic’, ‘burning-platform’, ‘urgency’, ‘communities of passion’, ‘vision’, and the one I seem to be saying all the time ‘apparently’.

So how did exams go you ask? They went as well as they could under the circumstances. I’ve had a lot on my plate and a lack of time. I’m happy with my finance exam, not very happy with accounting, and luke warm about strategy.

I’ve been overwhelmed by some of the response I’ve had lately from readers of my blog. I had no idea that people were actually reading this blog and it’s nice to receive emails and questions about the program from them. Originally, this blog was meant to be an open, public diary for my former work colleagues, friends, and peers that were curious as to what a realistic MBA experience is all about from a personal, and professional perspective. I didn’t refrain from sharing personal details, despite some of them being overly-personal. I now feel a bit of restrain from being as personal as I’ve been in the past, however I also believe that I’m not being true to myself or to anyone else if I don’t show that personal perspective.

Recruiting season has set in for the iBankers and consultants of the class; you can feel the competition heating up. Our class social coordinators have done a wonderful job in ensuring that the class continues to get out socially and relieve themselves of the day to day MBA and recruitment stress. All in all I must say that I’m delightfully surprised at how well the class continues to get along despite the increasing job competition, and despite the so-called ‘honeymoon’ period being over. Some groups of people tend to click more naturally then others; in our class’ case the Ivey admissions teams definitely hit the mark with selecting a compatible and diverse bunch…we jive, we have each other’s backs, and we are united. For example, every single time one our classmate’s make an announcement or a presentation the entire class provides a standing ovation or a loud applause for that person. We love encouraging each other and driving each other with positive reinforcement. Its gotten to the point where it’s almost amusing; our class just itches to applaud for each other… hence I now refer to our class as “the clapping class.”

On a secondary note, I honestly think that they are a few people in this class that will surely emerge as superstars within 5-10 years; after a few months you get a good sense of the gifts/talents that are hidden within each student …but there are a few that standout like sore thumbs. There is some incredible talent in the class and I find myself learning from their diversity and their gifts every day. I’m excited about re-visiting this blog entry a few years down the road to see if my prediction holds true. In the mean time I’m going to let my intellectual curiosity wander some more and to be as open as possible to continue absorbing from my mates.


Recently, our class president raised a very important topic to the class; the importance of not spreading ‘negativity.’ In my experience, negativity is contagious. It’s a cancer that spreads rapidly. Our strategy professor likes to call such things ‘viral.’ I think that name is appropriate. Day in and day I’m making more of effort to become a positive person. I believe in forceful optimism. I consider myself to be an eternal optimist but I’m human and I like to b**tch about things like everyone else. When others start to complain, under the right circumstance I’ll join in. Over the last year at Nortel, a work place that has its fair share of negativity (for obvious reasons), I’ve witnessed the power of negativity and what it can do in a work place….it spreads. I’ve also witnessed that being positive can encourage others and provide them with the inspiration to want to do their best. That’s who I want to be and who I strive to be.

Geeta and I were in Ottawa twice in August for two different weddings. Weddings seem to be seasonal in the East Indian community (my background)…they all seem to be in the July/August time frame. We had four weddings to attend in August but picked two. One by best friend’s got married last weekend. It was really nice to see how happy he is, and for whatever reason it made me appreciate how lucky I’ve been to have married my best friend. These days with life being so busy and all, I seem to take things for granted. I sometimes forget how good I’ve got things. Not too long ago, I decided to make some changes by spending more time at home, and by reducing the number of MBA social outings I attend. I think these changes have been positive, but I also realize that there is no substitute for time which will always be lacking throughout this program. For those entering into a one year program with partners, remember that you’re going to have to work that much harder to keep things good on the home front; you’ve got to treat this experience as a partnership! Also remember that you’re going to go through many ups and downs, but that you’ve got to take life day by day and find common ground.

My former director (bosses boss) at Nortel accepted a job in Turkey. I can’t say that I was surprised, but it made me think about the prospects of working somewhere international. I think that getting international experience would be an incredible experience and perhaps the timing is better then ever to go for it?

So what are my top learnings from the program thus far? I think that’s the topic of my next blog…stay tuned.

Until next time….which will hopefully be sooner then last time ;)

sorry for the delay in posting

I'm in the midst of stuying for Module 2A finals and I'm getting rocked from excessive fatigue ;) Yes its a work-hard play-hard atmosphere, but at the moment there's no play. I've never been in a situation where I could honestly say that I didn't have the time to prepare for an exam to the extent that I wished; I can now say that this is the case. I'm playing catch up and I find myself in uncharted territory....a perfect recipe for some additional, unrequired stress. I can't say that its all because of school. The truth is that I've had a really busy extracurricular, and personal schedule over the last month which has taken away from my studying time. I just got back to London after attending one of my best friend's wedding in Ottawa. I was one of his two bestmen and hence I felt that it was important for me to put that ahead of studying for finals this weekend....by the way the speech went well. In a previous blog entry, I mentioned that I was having writer's block with respect to writing his speech; well one day about a week ago I was able to write his speech in 15 mins!....talk about having a good writing day ;) When it rains it pours.

I've gots lots to talk about and lots to update on....I'll get to it with a blog entry this Labour Day weekend. Wish me luck!

I'm Loving It!

Can you believe it: I’ve completed a quarter of an MBA degree already ;) Time is flying by, and I am truly loving the Ivey MBA experience. In all honesty I think the program has been excellent thus far and I think that most of my colleagues would agree with me. The learning materials are relevant and applicable in the real world, my peers are awesome (I feel like I’ve made 70 good friends), career management has been very helpful and is living up to their reputation, and the alumni network appears to be as strong as ever. What more could I have asked for?

I recently got back from Industry Week; a week off from class where the class was put up in the Hilton Hotel in downtown Toronto and given an opportunity to meet with industry, alumni, and recruiters. It was truly a great experience and a fantastic way to weigh one’s options with respect to potential career paths and target companies. In particular, I found it useful because I was able to eliminate a number of career paths that I had been contemplating. When I came into the MBA program, I was focussed on going back to the telecom industry in the capacity of general management, or product management. Early on in the MBA, I got caught up with the management consulting and iBanking (investment banking) crowd. It is difficult to stay focussed on your career goals when you are being wined and dined and lured in by the consulting and iBanking companies. It also doesn’t help when 60-75% of the class is talking the iBanking and consulting talk day in day out, with its promise of big money + bonuses etc. Well I’m off that diverted track and I came back from Toronto more focussed then ever. I feel that I’ve cleared mind with respect to my career path: I think I’m sticking to my initial objectives and will follow my passions in Telecom (remember Sacha that the intersection point between your passions and strengths will lead to success --> I live by this!). Of course there are a few exceptions; I am considering technology consulting as a potential post-MBA path. This type of consulting is somewhat different then management consulting and is somewhat appealing (more research required). At this point, my first preference would be to go back to Nortel if the offer and opportunity is right and fits my goals. I feel very loyal to the company, but I also realize that expanding my breadth of experience beyond Nortel is equally important at this stage of my career. At the end of the day I will need to pay the MBA bills and a good offer would likely sway me. I hope Nortel comes through for me because I want to give back and be apart of that turnaround story.

One of the interesting positive points that I’ve come to like about Ivey is how they are very quick to respond to student concerns. There are no doubts that the one year program is still in transition phase, however I would argue that most of the knots have been ironed out and any glitches in the one year program have been fairly minor thus far. About a month ago, the new acting dean came to our class and asked for the student’s feedback. All concerns were recorded and many were fixed immediately. For example, one student complained that some of the study rooms lacked a white board; within a week all study rooms that were lacking one were fitted with white boards. I guess that’s what you’d expect from a top b-school. I know I was impressed!

I recently applied and was chosen to be one of three ambassador senators for the Ivey MBA School. I’m excited about the opportunity. People who know me well know that I like to sell and promote things that I believe in. I believe in knowledge sharing and collaboration and I spread this wherever I go. I believe in Nortel and I promote the company wherever possible. I believe in Ivey, and you better bet that I’m going to do my best to do a good job as an ambassador for the program.

Speaking of Nortel, I am thrilled to announce that Lauren Flaherty (CMO of Nortel) and one of Canada’s 100 most powerful women (as per a recent award), has agreed to visit Ivey and deliver a talk on leadership and Nortel. I wanted to specially thank a particular reader of my blog who happens to work for Lauren and who endorsed my cause and invitation: Thank you! I can’t wait for Lauren to come down. I really believe that it will help change the perception of Nortel on campus and will help build the Ivey/Nortel relationship. In the mean time I’ve been in touch with the University Relations Prime at Nortel to help rejuvenate the Ivey/Nortel recruiting relationship; keep you posted on that. I believe that Ivey has some of the brightest business minds in the country, and I believe that Nortel should be taking advantage of this. I hope that Lauren’s visit and a potential rejuvenation of the Ivey/Nortel relationship will spark interest in Nortel amongst the students and vice-versa.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend a “dress for success” event that was put on by the Ivey Career Management folks at a high-end clothing store here in London. I learned a few nifty fashion tips. Here are some of my takeaways (which will be handy for the upcoming recruiting season): match you belt with your shoes, one should have at least four suits (black, navy, grey, and one other colour), one should have about 15 dress shirts (really??), brown shoes go with navy and gray suits while black shoes go with a black suit, there are many different tie knots, dry cleaning reduces the life of you attire by 50%, and never button up the bottom button of your suit (leave open). I’ll leave it at that. Did I mention that the store was selling $3k boss blazers! Maybe one day ;)

I just got back from a 4 day long weekend in Ottawa where my whole family spent the weekend together. My sister and her family came up from California, while my brother and his kids came up from Texas. Of course my parents, in laws, and other brother and his family were present too (all live in O-town aka Ottawa). The 22 of us had a blast; I love family reunions! We attended a wedding of a close family friend, and partied it up for 4 straight days (mix of wedding parties, clubbing, and outdoor activities including fishing!). I arrived back to London late on Tuesday night feeling like I needed a vacation from the vacation. Well, I’m in one piece but I’m still paying the price for a crazy, fun, sleepless weekend. I’ve been exhausted all week and haven’t been participating much in class. In addition, I seem to be falling behind a bit on the accounting and finance class material. I need to catch up on some sleep this weekend…What’s new? The good news is that it seems like most of the class is in the same boat ;) I'll catch up on sleep after hitting the barking frog (night club frequented by all Ivey MBA students) tomorrow night with my mates

In my last entry, I briefly discussed how I was feeling a lot of anxiety lately and was not always thinking straight + losing concentration etc etc. Well I’ve had enough of that #!#@# and I’ve decided to get a grip on myself. I'm feeling a lot better over the last couple of weeks, and I’m getting back to normal. I’m spending more time with Geeta (my wife) which is really helping me + I’m exercising regularly + I’m learning to take life day by day + I’m doing away with things that are dragging me down + trying to keep life as simple as possible: Keep you posted on my progress.

Until next time…

Sacha

Ups and Downs

Hello from Toronto! It’s the start of the Ivey industry week; a week where Ivey MBA students are exempt from school work and are brought down to Toronto to visit various corporations, network, and feel out potential post-MBA industries. I’ve come down a few days early to attend one my best friend’s stag party. What a weekend it has been. It was really refreshing to see my Ottawa friends again and have a good old fashioned boys-only party weekend.

I’m a bit tired from two days of little sleep, but I’m excited to be here for Industry week with my classmates. Hanging out with my classmates is a lot of fun and has really made the MBA experience really enjoyable thus far. On the other hand, I am without my wife this week; Geeta headed back home to Ottawa and will be picking me up when we wrap up in Toronto this week. We will be celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary (July 31st) a few days early this Saturday to accommodate my busy schooling schedule (yes those are the unfortunate sacrifices you make in this program). I feel bad that we haven’t had a lot of time together lately; it’s been tough on us and I miss our time together. A one year condensed MBA program is definitely tough on those that have partners/spouses. It takes a really supportive partner to get through the year with high spirits, and I’m really lucky to have that support. Spouses of those in the MBA program should get a pseudo-MBA degree when we graduate for putting up with our moodiness, crazy schedule, selfishness, and having to hear about our MBA stories 24/7.

Speaking of selfishness, I feel that I’ve become more selfish lately and have been testing my limits in all fashions including those with my spouse which hasn’t been easy on her. Yes; men always seem to pull that leash as far as possible before their intelligent spouses yank back at the right moment. I am no different and I was getting a bit too carried away with the partying/socializing and the whole MBA environment. I’ve made a decision that I will tone down the MBA outings and spend more quality time at home, while also trying to help out a bit more with household chores.

Geeta (my wife) recently assumed the Presidency role for the Ivey Circle (the spouses club); they’re club stands at 20 and that number is growing weekly! The club provides a social group to all the spouses here in London and elsewhere who’s partners are in the MBA program. I’m happy that she stepped up for it and I know she’ll do a great job.

Life has changed drastically for Geeta and me on a financial perspective since we’ve moved to London. For one, we’ve gone from two steady incomes to zero which has really put a lot of things into perspective for us and makes us appreciate the little things that we became so accustomed to. We both got used to living a very high standard of life over the last 4 years of marriage with a ton of travelling, and fine dining. We now look back at the good old days and are so thankful that we enjoyed life now that we are ‘poor’ students again ;)

In my last blog entry, I wrote about how I was pursuing Lauren Flaherty (CMO of Nortel) to come to Ivey to deliver a key note presentation to the MBA class and help raise the profile of the company on campus (Nortel’s reputation on campus is lacking here at Ivey in my opinion; and I want to change this). I haven’t a clue on who reads this blog but it seems like its reaching out to people and I was pleasantly surprised to here from one of Lauren’s reports (who read my blog entry) and has offered to help my cause…talk about the power of blogging!

Module 1 marks came back and I’m very pleased with my performance and transition back into the academic setting. I worked hard in the first term and it paid off. I must admit that my primary purpose here in the MBA program is not to score the highest marks possible, but to learn the most I can and network and socialize with my peers the most I can; if the marks come then it’s a bonus. For those coming into the program I thought it would be interesting to share that the Ivey marking scheme is bell-curved. Essentially the highest overall module mark you can get is in the 83-84% range and the lowest being in the lower 70’s%; this is a bit disappointing for those that work really hard since the payback in comparison to those that don’t work as hard is not very substantial. My advice to anyone coming in would be to get the best of all worlds; don’t kill yourself for marks, remember to socialize/network and most importantly remember to understand and learn (this will pay off far more in the long term when you draw on your MBA knowledge as an executive).

One of my key learning objectives this year is to learn to lead effectively without necessarily being the leader (i.e. having the leader title). One of the most difficult things for type A’s is to be able to sit back and strategically lead without getting the public recognition that they crave. I’ve learned through my years at Nortel that it’s the subtle leaders within high performance teams that make a world of difference. We recently had our class elections, and as much I really wanted to run for a VP position I decided not to in order to keep in line with this objective.

Speaking of the class elections….there were some stellar candidates running. What surprised me the most was that every single person who ran blew the class away with some incredible speeches, and campaigns. You don’t always get to see everyone’s individual presentation skills when they are presenting with their teams during day to day class life. Seeing the candidates individually present on a topic that they felt passionate about confirmed to me that every person in this class is gifted in some way or another when it comes to presenting.

I’ve been feeling a lot of anxiety lately over the last few weeks both personally and professionally which is making it really difficult to concentrate. I’m having feelings that I generally don’t typically experience very often and it’s taking me through a lot of ups and downs (sometimes on a daily basis). Generally, I always feel very self-confident, very in-control, and very focussed. Lately, I feel like I’m a bit of a mess and I’m a bit worried that I’m losing my ‘mojo’ with some of my key strengths and familiar personality traits. In some of my previous blog entries I discussed how this program was rapidly changing my personality. Who knew that a MBA schooling program could put you face to face with your insecurities, could test your boundaries, and could make you think in ways that once made you uncomfortable? Well I really believe that the program is doing this and I’m optimistic that it will be for the good in the end. I feel like I’m an onion being stripped layer by layer and then being slowly put back together; being taught to act and think differently. I just hope that I’m able to keep enough of my traditional traits so that my friends, family, and spouse still recognize me when I’m done ;) On a brighter note, my rental property officially closed a couple of weeks back, which takes off a bunch of stress and provides some much needed resources for this very expensive year!

My brother, sister-in-law, three kids, and mother-in-law came up to visit us here in London last weekend. My sister-in-law and 40 day old niece, Sanya, stayed the whole week. It’s amazing how a little baby can just light your day up. Seeing/holding her throughout the week was the highlight of my days and seemed to lift my spirits up.

Until next time….

Sacha

Module 2 In Like a Lion

It’s been a few weeks since my last entry and I feel like I have a lot to say; I’ll save some of my talk for my next entry. It’s pretty late now and I’m tired so excuse my typos and grammatical errors. My brother and his family are coming up tonight from Ottawa. I’m looking forward to their visit. My newborn baby niece Sanya is coming and I look forward to seeing her and holding her (I haven’t seen her since the day she was born). When I left Ottawa, I realized that having a bit of distance between the family and myself was somewhat of a relief. Don’t get me wrong; I love my family and am very family-oriented but I just needed some space. I’m now getting to the point where I miss them and look forward to seeing them.

On Canada Day long weekend, Geeta and I got a bit more of a chance to spend time together. We went for a 5km run in the pouring rain. What an experience! If you’ve never run in the rain before, it’s definitely an experience I recommend; how exhilarating, liberating, and refreshening! Mind you, I almost got hit by a car but it was still fun….yes a car skidded toward me on the slick roads while we were crossing. I narrowly missed having two broken legs by jumping out of the way in the last second.

Module 2 of school came in with a bang. We just finished module 2 midterms, which is weird because it feels like I just finished Module 1 finals yesterday. I think the exams went well and I’m feeling good about them. My new philosophy is all about KISS; ” keep it simple stupid.” I tend to over-complicate things (based on my engineering background), and this philosophy seems to be better-suited in the business management world. So far so good with module 2’s accounting, finance, and strategy course load. I’m enjoying the courses and the content. I find accounting and finance have a fair amount of overlap especially in the areas of Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Cash Flow Statement analysis; definitely aspects you need to understand in any leadership/management position. I had a good chat with my eldest brother about these courses and he gave me some good advice; “you’re not going to be an accountant or a financial controller; just learn the basics and don’t worry about the details.” I couldn’t agree more and I’m doing my best to stay at a higher level of learning. Strategy seems to be somewhat like the Leading People and Organization course from module 1; more on the soft-skill side. I tend to enjoy debates and high level, non-quantitative discussions, so I think I’ll like this class quite a bit. The professors all seem very interesting; Professor Hatch (teacher for Finance) served on the board of directors for Royal Bank, which I think is quite neat and prestigious.

With 2.5 months passed in the program, I’m starting to get a good feel about the advantages and disadvantages of a 1 year full-time MBA program. First the advantages: 1. You are out of the workforce for ½ the time of a regular 2 year program which is definitely cheaper from a opportunity cost, salary, and living cost perspective, 2. There isn’t any concrete evidence in my opinion that a 1 year program from a reputable school jeopardizes your employment opportunities, 3. The increased intensity of a condensed program takes your work ethic and endurance up a notch which puts those interested in iBanking and Management Consulting in the right mode of operation. In terms of disadvantages: 1. Sometime I wish I could slow down and take more time with some of the cases and learn them in more depth, but time doesn’t always permit this, 2. For those unsure about their post-MBA path, one has to quickly come to a decision on where they are going to get the most out of the industry specific recruiting cycles which doesn't come quickly for everyone, 3. The pressure and intensity of the program is stressful and one has to become that much more careful to ensure that they stay healthy.

I finally heard back from Mike Zafirovski’s office (CEO of Nortel) on my attempt to get him to speak at Ivey. Unfortunately, he won’t be making it. I’m a bit disappointed but have decided to focus my efforts on getting one of his cabinet members to come in. I was thinking of asking Lauren Flaherty, Chief Marketing Officer, and one of Canada’s 100 most powerful women (Business Week survey). Update to follow.

After 9 long weeks, my bronchitis is almost beat. I decided to force myself to get more sleep over the last few weeks and its working. I’m keeping up with the exercise and I’m a full 10 pounds lighter then when I started the program. I feel good, and my appetite is starting to pick up again. Of course it helps when you’ve got a supportive wife that cooks so well ;)

I started writing a speech for one of my best friend’s upcoming wedding. I’ve known this person since Grade 4, and am honoured to be one of his two best men. Writing a speech for someone you’ve known so long is often tougher then one would think. I’ve been having a tough time thinking of humorous stories; although I know we have so many. Hopefully it will come to me soon.

On a final note, my eleven year old niece in Dallas got her first email address and I was pleasantly surprised to get an email from her. I can’t believe how quickly she is growing up. I still remember holding her as a new born, and now emailing! How cool is that.

Until next time…

Sacha