When I first started here at MIT Sloan, I wrote a blog about some goals I had for the experience. Since I am almost done here, I think it is fitting to grade my progress towards those goals. So here goes:
- Become a better salesman. Grade: B. I have made a lot of progress towards this one, and am really happy with how much I have learned and grown. I think MIT Sloan focuses a good deal on this. That said, I feel that I have a ways to go, and most importantly look forward to the experience of actually carrying a sales quota sometime soon.
- Learn to truly trust my teammates and colleagues on important projects. Grade: A. If I have learned one thing here at MIT Sloan it is that when there is a lot to do, it is absolutely impossible to do it alone. And in fact, the output of teamwork is much better than solo work, just about all of the time. I have also learned more from my classmates here than I ever expected I would. This one was accomplished.
- Become a more confident, natural networker. Grade: C. Still not the best at this one, to be honest. I still feel that accomplishments speak for themselves, and "forced" networking just doesn't accomplish much. Throughout the course of my career, if I work hard and produce results, the network will come naturally. However, I do realize you cannot rely on this. Networks can be a huge determinant of success, and must be sought out. Still have some work to do here.
- Balance, balance, balance. Grade: B. I have actually been pretty good at this lately. But going forward this will continue to be a challenge. However, I have certainly learned a lot about myself and about tools for achieving balance while here at MIT Sloan.
