How to Click With MBA Admissions Officers

Millennials who’ve moved into leadership roles are putting their principles into practice, too. For example, Andres Zapatas, a 2005 John Hopkins graduate and executive vice president of idfive, an advertising and design agency, has enforced a “strict policy” of not interrupting vacationing employees. Similarly, Chris Bruszinicki, a 2008 Kellogg grad, has set barriers between his real estate ventures and family life: “No iPhone, no work, no nothing. I used to bring work with me everywhere, and I have stopped that.”

Not a bad idea.

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek

10 Things MBAs Don’t Learn About Startups

Entrepreneurs vs. MBAs

It is a beef worthy of Jefferson vs. Hamilton…or even Kanye West vs. Taylor Swift. In business, experience proponents take one corner, while education advocates warm up in the other. Sure, plenty of leaders have absorbed both. But you still hear entrepreneurs argue that MBAs should drop their models and get their hands dirty. Of course, MBAs counter that too many entrepreneurs fail because they didn’t master the fundamentals…that they would have  learned in business school.

On his latest Linkedin column, Hubspot founder Dharmesh Shah, who holds an MS in management from MIT, has both experience and education.  He says even top B-schools don’t equip students with all they need to know about startups and gives a run-down of key lessons from the field.

Here are a few highlights:

There are always more things to do than there is time to do them. Startups are a continuous exercise in deciding what not to do. You can sometimes win by just not doing things faster than your competition.

Price discrimination (in an economic sense) is a wonderful thing. Except that it often ignores the real costs in terms of organizational complexity. Every time you add a new product or product option a small part of your company dies.

For his full top 10 list, check out the link below.

Source: Linkedin

BLAST FROM THE PAST: 

B-School Deans Who Tweet On and Off the Job

Remember the days before social media? Back then, there was still some mystery about people. We didn’t necessarily know what strangers thought or read, let alone who they all knew. That was especially true of many educators, who carried an intimidating aura of expertise that seemingly required a lifetime to attain.

Now, we know college presidents and deans hate yard work and waiting in line…just like everyone else. And social media has made them more accessible. Twitter is a perfect example. Students can now chat with education leaders who once seemed out of their league.  Similarly, these educators can reach a broader audience who share their interests and vision. As educators use Twitter to tap into new markets and students, they have reached one conclusion: Dialogue, transparency, and authenticity are good business!

Two years ago, editor-in-chief John Byrne examined the growing popularity of Twitter among business school deans. For some, such as Haas School Dean Richard Lyons, Twitter is a way to serve as a role model. For others, like Darden Dean Bob Bruner, Twitter is a means to share ideas and start a conversation.

Click on the link below to see how business schools are harnessing social media – and the lessons they’ve learned from it.

Source: Poets and Quants