Kappa's case competition team took first at Reno PBLI this weekend. Pretty amazing experience. Here's some takeaways from the last month and a half:
Don't just look at a solution to a problem. Look for the underlying systems that affect it.
Cherish the work groups that treat you well and put a full effort in. Thank you so much team!
Whiteboards are awesome. I wish everything was a whiteboard.
A business problem does not need to be dry. You can always shape it into a story and connect emotionally with people.
Addressing interpersonal conflict opens the door to success in work tasks. Be understanding and treat people as human beings.
If you want to do well, rehearse a presentation until you want to kill yourself and everyone else in the room. Everyone take a break and let loose for a little. Then rehearse some more.
Note cards can be acceptable when used properly.
If you prepare enough, you will be proud of the work you did regardless of the outcome.
Winning is the greatest feeling in the world. Let no one tell you otherwise.
That moment of anxiety during the results announcement seems to go on forever.
A Stanford team is not all powerful.
Neither is the other Stanford team.
Prepare for technical disaster. If it happens, you're ready. Handle it calmly and everything will be alright.
Craps is still totally my game on the casino floor.
Engage your audience, even when you're just delivering a proposal. Find memorable ways to do it.
Learning something is great, but applying it is even better.
When you have a special opportunity like this, enjoy the ride. You have to go back to the real world soon enough.
Showing posts with label Alpha Kappa Psi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alpha Kappa Psi. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
23 | Getting Beyond The Suits
As a brother and exec board member of the professional business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi, I'm immersed in a "professional" landscape more than the average Lundquist College of Business student. We're recognized as one of the most conservative student groups in the school. I love looking the part of businessman. I take my work and my career very seriously. But I also take it all with a grain of salt. Structure and rules and professional norms are only helpful to a certain point (and it varies in place to place). After that, it kills creativity and hinders what's needed to fix problems.
I'm the University of Oregon Vice President of Administration. It's hard to find a student role with a stronger description implying the opposite of abstract thinking. We describe our President as the chapter cheerleader, and I'm there to hold him up for the crowd. When there's unpopular work that needs doing, I've been there to do it. And I'm happy to do it, but there's something that's been lacking.
The rest of the exec board and I have recognized in the last few months that we really don't need to stick to our job descriptions word for word. There is room between the lines to incorporate who we are outside of proper dress, resumes, and handshakes and offer something to the membership far more valuable. Business and creativity aren't silos, and we could all benefit from breaking down more walls in the fraternity. One doesn't need to be in a "creative" industry to incorporate creativity into their work.
Outside of AKPsi I choose to immerse myself in the creative thinking world. I read books and magazines on all subjects constantly, I take classes I have no need for except to fulfill my desire to learn and grow, I challenge others to think outside the box and refute the status quo. I made a sculpture out of glass shards because it's beautiful and it's different and it gave me an outlet to create for crying out loud. I get strange looks for it, but it doesn't matter. There is so much I experience that isn't considered "professional" that can be applied to any aspiring professional in any field.
That's why I've vowed to take a leap forward in incorporating the different aspects of my life with each other far more than I have thus far. My business friends and brothers are too often hidden from the inspiration of abstract thought. The friends I've made through the advertising program have their eyes shut from the resources and support business oriented thought can provide. I have four months left atop AKPsi, and I am determined to let my colors shine through and help others get beyond the metaphor of the suit. We will all be better leaders for it and influence countless more in our careers to open their own scopes. I look forward to my finale in the brotherhood still holding true to my responsibilities and playing the roles called for in each situation while bringing in the "others" in my life far more, leading us to be something bold and prosperous. It's through that internal partnership of creativity and business that I hope to open doors for the external partnerships I cherish.
I'm the University of Oregon Vice President of Administration. It's hard to find a student role with a stronger description implying the opposite of abstract thinking. We describe our President as the chapter cheerleader, and I'm there to hold him up for the crowd. When there's unpopular work that needs doing, I've been there to do it. And I'm happy to do it, but there's something that's been lacking.
The rest of the exec board and I have recognized in the last few months that we really don't need to stick to our job descriptions word for word. There is room between the lines to incorporate who we are outside of proper dress, resumes, and handshakes and offer something to the membership far more valuable. Business and creativity aren't silos, and we could all benefit from breaking down more walls in the fraternity. One doesn't need to be in a "creative" industry to incorporate creativity into their work.
Outside of AKPsi I choose to immerse myself in the creative thinking world. I read books and magazines on all subjects constantly, I take classes I have no need for except to fulfill my desire to learn and grow, I challenge others to think outside the box and refute the status quo. I made a sculpture out of glass shards because it's beautiful and it's different and it gave me an outlet to create for crying out loud. I get strange looks for it, but it doesn't matter. There is so much I experience that isn't considered "professional" that can be applied to any aspiring professional in any field.
That's why I've vowed to take a leap forward in incorporating the different aspects of my life with each other far more than I have thus far. My business friends and brothers are too often hidden from the inspiration of abstract thought. The friends I've made through the advertising program have their eyes shut from the resources and support business oriented thought can provide. I have four months left atop AKPsi, and I am determined to let my colors shine through and help others get beyond the metaphor of the suit. We will all be better leaders for it and influence countless more in our careers to open their own scopes. I look forward to my finale in the brotherhood still holding true to my responsibilities and playing the roles called for in each situation while bringing in the "others" in my life far more, leading us to be something bold and prosperous. It's through that internal partnership of creativity and business that I hope to open doors for the external partnerships I cherish.
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