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Ten Life Lessons I Adopted At Business School

Many times, when people enroll in an MBA program, they are so focused on the outcome that they forget about the journey. Sure, you can dream about a job at Evercore with a six-figure salary. If you do that, you might miss valuable nuggets along the way. They may include peers who’ll challenge your worldview and give you inspiration. By stepping outside your comfort zone, you can develop habits and confidence needed when adversity strikes. Or, you may just absorb some life lessons – the ones that equip you with the insights and empathy to truly understand, motivate, and connect with others.

In the end, that’s often what MBA grads truly take away from their experience. And it’s no different with Imad Atwi, a strategy consultant at Strategy&. Recently, he completed what he calls an “intense” one-year MBA program at INSEAD. In a recent column in Entrepreneur, Atwi shared some of the lessons that “resonated with every conversation, event, and discussion that took place over the course of a very eventful year.”

Here are a few of the big insights he gained:

  • INVEST IN HUMAN CAPITAL: The biggest investment you’ll ever make is people. You’ve probably heard that before, but there’s no richer investment than that of maintaining and cultivating relationships. I’ve seen great ideas fail because of the team executing them, and on the flipside, simple ideas disrupt because of the people working the concept. Decision making is solely a human element and will continue to be; partnerships, pivots, successes, and failures revolve around people. Have a good team, a good partner, and the rest will hopefully flow.”
  • HELLO, SHALL WE HEAD TO IBIZA AND TALK?: Getting to know people on a personal and professional level is no longer only happening in the classroom or in professional workshops. It’s happening on those weekend excursions, in that little coffee shop in Cartagena, or on that private island. So invest in those treks with likeminded people. It might seem ludicrous, but never underestimate the power of people thrown together to bring out their essence– the good, the great, and the awesome.”
  • SEEK FAILURE. PLENTY OF IT: Failure is seen quite differently in different parts of the world. Wherever you are, embrace failure and even seek it out. There’s something about the safe environment of trial and error inside a MBA program, and that is found in very few places outside of business school. No one will judge, they will probably celebrate your failure with a toast. A dear friend of mine had a comfortable dragging job for more than five years, and then overnight he was made redundant. There is a chance that you’ll fail doing what you don’t like doing, so why not take a chance on failing at what you truly love?”
  • FROM THOSE TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN, MUCH IS EXPECTED: Being privileged to be able to attend such a program (and probably more than 50-75% lucky) gives us the huge responsibility of high expectations- not only of ourselves, but to our communities and the world at large. We owe it to the less privileged to alleviate their situations- be it societal or environmental. Live. Dream big. And make an impact.”
  • THE ROAD TO INCONVENIENCE: “Ever heard of no pain, no gain? If you’re ever trying to decide whether to make that next step or not, ask yourself if you’re going to be inconvenienced. If the answer is yes, jump in with both feet. Prepare to take a hit on several parts of your life. Nothing worthwhile ever came from sitting around and doing a cozy, comfortable job.”

For additional wisdom, click on the Entrepreneur link below.

DON’T MISS: BUSINESS LESSONS FROM A PROFESSOR’S EVEREST CLIMB

Source: Entrepreneur

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