I provided an update earlier about how I balanced work, life and family while in the program and how it impacted me and facilitated a major career change after I graduated. Here are some additional reflections…

3 things I’ve learned in WEMBA that I’m applying in my job:

1. Time management. It’s amazing how much you really can get done when it really is needed.
2. Negotiation skills. I took the negotiation elective, and I can hear snippets from the class going through my mind every time I encounter a negotiation.
3. Leadership skills. I learned a lot about leadership, and it has become much more ingrained.

3 things I’ve learned about teamwork during WEMBA:

1. Teamwork during WEMBA is way better than most teams I’ve been on, since people are enthusiastic, and pull their weight.
2. There is so much to learn from my other team members it’s amazing.
3. Teamwork done right can make the job much faster, but done wrong it can make the task take forever… Figuring out how to achieve the former rather than the latter is an art-form, but do-able.

3 things I’ve learned about leadership during WEMBA:

1. Leadership isn’t just a word, or a thing. It’s a state of mind, and of being.
2. Management is not leadership.
3. Leadership can take many forms, and some of the best are subtle, rather than in your face.

Favorite WEMBA class, and why:

1. Leadership in the 5th Term: Getting to meet Gen. Martin Dempsey, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, was a highlight. I also liked seeing the before/after surveys. So much changed from the first leadership class in the first term.
2. Negotiation: I learned a lot of great skills from this class, and have been continuously applying skills from it since.
3. My Entrepreneurship and Innovation Concentration work with Jon Fjeld: I learned a lot, and put together the plan and idea for my concentration project with his guidance. It has turned into a successful business venture. So, I guess you can say I learned a lot.