A review day by day every day!

Andrew Lien is probably the most underrated instructors in Santa Clara University MBA program. He comes across as a man who is small and has more than average sense of humor and temper. First week with him in his class and I came out saying finally there is this one man who teaches MBA classes the way they are supposed to be taught.

But the decision to enroll into his class was not an easy one. I realized over a period of time that not many people take his class. Why? Well for one he can come across as extremely rude person and his projects and presentation demands are MBA level. Wait a minute! So are these people I am talking about not MBA students. Of course! they are MBA students but its just that they do not want to work hard and face rude people after one whole day at work. 

Hmm! Then why did I take his class. I took it because people who have taken his class went something like this,"Take it if you want to learn. But if you want good grades then skip it." After paying $783 per credit hour do I care about grades or knowledge? I care for both but knowledge wins hands down over grades. I will surely give this course my best shot. But grades are not my priority. Not till I look 13 units one quarter. There are people who take 6 units or sometimes just 3 units per quarter with easy going professors and get an A and take forever to finish the course. Taking forever means when they graduate they probably won't remmeber what they or learnt or maybe they will? I do not know. 

And as an adult I respect their choice since they work but what I do not understand is that whether company's money or theirs are not we supposed to take experimental courses and gain knowledge in MBA program? 

Maybe people on the other side think otherwise. Thats not the subject of discussion. So I will not breed too much on it. The subject of interest here is Andrew Lien. So as I said I decided to enroll in his class because I wanted to learn International Marketing. I mean think about it. Can we avoid Marketing in our lives ever? Especially with the rapid globalization. No definitely not. 

OK to move on. First day in his class I realized that he needed us to do a case presentation in a very professional manner and a project which needs us to choose a US based MNC's product and launch it in a country where it has absolutely no presence. None what so ever. Yeah sounds easy but so far I have not been able to filter one single product. And groups are not always easy to work in. But with 6 quarters done and 1 more to go the one thing I know about doing MBA is to network. And that can happen only through groups. So I am all in for it. You never know what life has to offer. 

I still cannot believe that two weeks of school are already done and I am into the third week. So far so good. Andrew Lien seems pretty approachable and fun. I do not take his comments personally. And why should I? Is not corporate America just as ugly, and I am glad I am developing a thick skin. That is what MBA teaches you to face people, and worst case scenarios, and build networks, and get used to live in, and with what ever you have.

I will make sure to map my progress through this blog and hopefully next time someone asks about Andrew Lien they will have enough beef in here to make their decisions.

So long to who ever ever ever reads my blog.

Do I need management courses to manage things in life personal or professional?

Professor Ambrose Furtado was the one who around ten years ago introduced me to this sentence, "Reading between the lines." Never knew how big an impact this sentence would have on me. I never thought that active reading or listening could help me know when and where to stop. Every person I have known does this, "Reads between the lines." Sometimes a little less and sometimes a bit far too much. And of course age, inferiority complex and other such factors play an important role. Management 501 was a class that explained a lot about effective communication. Not that it said anything new that I did not know, but it gave me enough Ah Ha! moments. And at the end of the course I heard myself say," OK so the moral of the story is reading too much or too little from in between the lines can create problems."

Simple example. When  husband and wife have a tiff. Wife makes it a point to tell him (Of course! when husband asks as to why she is angry?) and husband listens and then comes up with another argument. And then wife comes up with a counter argument and the end result is a mere compromise from both sides (A solution that Management 501 suggests as very effective and successful).

 Something that is not needed in the very first place. Management 501 categorizes such problems as egoistic issues (As if people do not know!). And that it can be solved using simple techniques like a third party mediator or writing problems in a piece of paper or by listening more and not talking too much. Well! These solutions as a couple we never tried. Why for various reasons. Like a mediator is a bit too much to have for petty tiffs that happen between couples like us all the time. Writing is not my husband's strong point and listening is an art which both my husband and I have failed to master.

Anyways that is besides the point. The point is that when fight happens between my husband and I, it is either because my husband reads too little or because I read a bit too much from in between the lines. 

Keeping this in mind and the principles of Management 501 I decided to stop reading too much or too little. I will not say that it is easy to maintain a balance but is not impossible either. I am trying my best to strike a balance and trust me, it is work-in-progress. 

Forgiveness is easier to say but hard to do. Well but I would like to add that when you are married for almost four years what you learn or get used to do, is forgive. Because you realize that fighting for days is a boring thing since at least for me I am left with no one to talk to at home. And as my mother says,"Marriage is one institution that teaches you so many things." And I feel that what is best if you are married  is that if you are into MBA or management you get to apply those principles. At least that is what I do. And so far some have worked and some have not.

 Personally I feel every wife around the globe is a strategist working at her very best and a negotiator whom no one can beat. She negotiates with her in-laws, her husband and kids. Mothers are so accustomed to negotiation that they probably negotiate even with GOD all the time or probably threaten the almighty. So you see there it is management in full play.

That is one reason that I did not enroll in too much of management or organizational politics classes because, as a wife and that too an Indian wife, I deal with politics and negotiation every single day of my life. I am inherently the best at dealing with politics. At least that is what I think. Hence I chose finance and international business as my concentrations at a time when I can do live case studies on stuff like crumbling economy, banks on run and so on. 

OK that was justification of why finance over management. Now to talk about how I apply management in marriage let me mention what happened yesterday.

Well, Yesterday I did not exactly get what I asked for from my husband and I told him that I was angry at him and sent him an email that probably hurt him. So what did I do. I communicated directly. For now  I implemented the first step of solving a conflict in management. 

In the evening when he comes back we will have confrontation. Again second step in management and finally we will sort our problems out.

 That is I will get what I want and he will get me whatever he can now find here in the US since he is already back from India. So third step under Management 501, that is, Compromise, accomplished. 

Finally the last step which no one probably till date has mentioned in any management text book is that my husband and I will get a bottle of wine, drink, kiss and make up and wake up the next morning as if nothing ever happened. 

How about that. Can any book beat that?

So you see based on my experiences I feel that I do not exactly need to learn management because every woman is born a manager. Look around you. From Cleopatra to Hillary. There are managers, strategists, negotiators everywhere. So no my final verdict women at least according to me do not exactly need to take management classes.

My message to, "those some people."

What is worse? Having kids or not having kids? Owning a home or not owning a home? Pursuing a dream or not pursuing a dream? For a long time my answer to this question was; "For each his/her own." Turns out that is not the case. This world has three types of people; one who mind their business, some who let you mind your business and some who refuse to mind theirs and always want to mind your business. Does that make them bad? I do not know. Again it depends as to who that person is. Is it someone you want to mind your business or say do not mind them minding your business or is it someone who you hardly know and turns out to be a person who minds his/hers and everyone's business and in fact is extremely good at it. 

I am not saying anything all I am doing is wondering what is right and what is wrong. Just that I feel like this world, no matter how much it develops, will still have people who have enough time to think about others business along with theirs. Come to think of it these people can be excellent entrepreneurs. They can actually make a living out of it. They can track as to when a person should get married, when it is the right time for them to work and have kids and so on. 

I have made a new rule in my life to meet all kinds of people. Some crazy, some crazier and the rest that are the craziest. It makes life so much more colorful. I mean think about it. Had it not been for such people then I would not have subject to talk about with my husband. Gossip would be a rotten word in dictionary. They thrive on us the way we thrive on them. In someway it is mutual. Is not it?

My mistake as a desi woman in the USA was to break protocol most people follow. I chose to study and not work as soon as I landed on the soil of this country. And what's worse I chose to do MBA. Why?, because I am not an engineer. Then what about job without Green Card? Its hard to get finance jobs you see! No one sponsors H1 B for finance jobs!

Ok! these questions seem like I made a horrifying mistake by doing what I did. Maybe not that horrifying. Questions up there might be a little exaggerated and distorted. But  the question that pops up after reading the paragraph up above is Did I do something wrong? 

Maybe or maybe not! 

Ask me and I would say No. I know what I am doing. I am pursuing a childhood dream. Something that my life partner whole heartedly supports.  But as I mentioned for people who mind their business along with others  me pursuing higher education instead of having children or working is utter waste of time. The fact that I go to SCU and not UCB or Stanford, for them, is a ridiculous idea. And let me tell you that, these some people, are the ones who probably made it nowhere. 

Because so far I have come across so many Stanford and UCB grads who have nothing but appreciated my valor. Not that I would care if they did not but nevertheless. As they say empty vessels make the most noise. 

Honestly for me kids, home, travel are not a priority. Not at least right now. I am perfectly fine with sacrificing and stinging to pay for my education which is very expensive. Money will come. Higher education according to me; note again for me is always like a feather on a cap. US is one country that I love so much after India because hard work and education  in the US never goes unappreciated.  What I am doing is so very fulfilling that I know for sure that when on death bed I will have no regrets about having done MBA at SCU. It is indeed a dream come true for me just like being a home maker and having kids or working straight after under-grad is a dream come true for many.

Here is where I feel for each his/her own. 

Not that I am against anyone. My heartfelt message to the some people is. What you are doing is amazing. Probably you care too much about other people. 

But some day when you some people get time. Take a paper and a pen and write down what you have and what you do not. And also categorize them as to what will last with you forever, something that no one can take away from you or leave you. 

Believe me kids one day will grow up and like every bird fly away from their nest, Cars and houses will eventually wear out. Moreover many of these tangible things such as cars, vans, jewelry, and so on can get stolen. But education is one thing that will be there for and with you forever. It will never leave you and what's better no one can steal it from you. It will be your biggest asset no matter how time and circumstances are. 

Now look at people who delay things and invest in that one wonderful asset that never depreciates but only appreciates, that opens ones mind, makes one knowledgeable, teaches one to respect oneself and others and finally to mind ones own business and not others unless they are paid for it. 

I know as humans we all want to help and teach others and live for the day where we can say."Hey, I told you so." Nothing wrong about that. But in the process what we forget is to ask whether the other person wants to hear what we have to say. 

Lets keep all this in mind; and try to become someone who is considerate; someone who provides opinion over someone who gives instructions and finally lets learn to respectfully disagree and not declare war on someone who does not agree with what we have to say. 

There have been times when I was  one of those some people. But guess what, I grew up. I grew up to understand that my business is the only thing that I should worry about and others business is something that they should worry about. I offer help and opinions to others sometimes when asked for and sometimes for free. If they take it wonderful and if they do not take it then i get their message loud and clear---"Please mind your own business." And that my friends I shall definitely  do.