Outside of the box

As an effective leader it is important to think outside of the box but how can you do so if you have always lived within the constraints of the box? Business school is the perfect opportunity to challenge yourself due to the access to resources, opportunities, diverse people and new experiences. Going into business school, it is critical to maintain an open mind to get the most out of this unique experience. Your perspective on the world and yourself will be altered. You never know who will be your next best friend or which career opportunity you may come across that may potential change your life.

One of the most important aspects of business school is creating your personal and professional network. A good friend of mine who is also starting her first year of business school and I had a candid conversation about building new relationships with classmates. One thing we discussed was making your own judgment about people rather than relying on external sources. It is very easy to use others' opinions on people when you have hundreds of classmates to meet in a short period of time but if you give people a chance, you may be pleasantly surprised. Before starting school, many friends warned me that students at my school may not be friendly but I still have not started school and have already met people, who have extended their generosity beyond my expectations. When I was ready to sleep on the floor because my bed had not yet arrived, my classmates gave me an air mattress, sheets, pillows and helped me move in all of my boxes. Small acts of kindness like this are not unique. As a matter of fact, when traveling abroad with classmates, I witnessed the same level of commitment to helping others.

In business school, it is very easy to pursue traditional "business" careers. As I recruit for jobs, I plan to keep a similar mindset of being open to new possibilities. I imagine I will be exposed to some jobs and careers, I may have never thought to pursue before. I will spend as much time as possible with companies to form my own opinions on whether or not the company, industry or function works for me rather than rely on what others say or think is a good fit for me.

Business school is a time to challenge yourself. Take that interesting class, spend time with the international student, travel on that school trip, join a study group with people you don't know well, try a new sport, visit the country you never heard much about and attend the networking reception of the boutique firm. Push yourself beyond your boundaries and your life will be enriched by all of these new things. I am excited to feel uncomfortable, nervous and overwhelmed but in the meantime, I will be learning so much about others and myself. Life outside of the box is much more rewarding so take the first step today and peer over the box flap.

American Dreams Bridge

As an American studies graduate, I am obsessed with culture and assimilation. Perhaps it is due to the fact that as a Dominican American, I have always found it difficult to define my cultural identity. I feel strong ties to my roots in Dominican Republic. Eating arroz, habichuela, tostones, sancocho, johnnycake. Speaking a crazy tongue-tied Spanish. Hugging and kissing everyone on the cheek. Dancing merengue and bachata. However, I also felt a strong American presence that I acquired from being in a New England boarding school for 4 years away from my Dominican parents and attending a liberal arts Ivy league university with a strong American history.

I have always felt stuck between two cultures. I think the best description of this feeling is in Gloria Anzaldua's Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. Anzaldua says, "Deep in our hearts we believe that being Mexican has nothing to do with which country one lives in. Being Mexican is a state of soul-not one of mind, not one of citizenship. Neither eagle nor serpent, but both. And like the ocean, neither animal respects borders." This feeling of cultural ambiguity is shared among many first generation Americans. I understand how one although having been Americanized is still deeply entrenched in the culture of one's home count. There is in fact a benefit to belonging to two cultures, which is the ability to fluidly move between both and feel like you belong yet also not completely be a part of either group. You become a bridge that connects two very different worlds and as the bridge, you have no borders because you can pass through both cultures easily.

As I prepare to enter business school, a lot of my mentors have repeatedly said "Stay humble." It is hard for me to imagine not being humble but I can see how one can lose touch with his or her true self. That is why I chose to spend 2 weeks with my family in Atlanta and it has been a humbling experience from hearing my mom's stories of growing up in her small Dominican village to observing the illegal immigrant workers standing on the side of the road waiting to be picked up my vans to work hard labor and earn minimal pay. I feel very connected to these people who have lived or are trying to fulfill their American dream while also knowing that I have the opportunity to live beyond any American dream my predecessors ever had. As the bridge between American scholarly study and third world countries, in business school, I will challenge myself while remaining humble.

MBA student using 6th Grade English Pre-reading strategies

When I was an English teacher, before reading any book as a class, my students and I would use pre-reading strategies which are as follows: activate prior knowledge, preview the passage, make predictions, establish a purpose and generate questions. My good friend Albert Ntiri recommended a book called, Integrity, the courage to meet the demands of reality. He spoke so highly of the book, I decided to purchase it. Before I start reading this book, using these pre-reading strategies will be beneficial.

Activate prior knowledge
What do I know about integrity? To me, integrity is about making decisions for the overall good and always being honest with everyone. According to the dictionary, integrity means 3 things: 1) adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. 2) the state of being whole, entire or undiminished. 3) a sound, unimpaired or perfect condition. Writer, Stephen Carter writes that integrity requires three steps: "discerning what is right and what is wrong; acting on what you have discerned, even at personal cost; and saying openly that you are acting on your understanding of right from wrong."

When I think of integrity, I rarely think of the meaning but actual actions in which I have shown integrity or seen others doing so. For example, I have a friend who was making a great deal of money as a consultant for the public sector. However, after realizing that his job was in fact hurting the people he wanted to impact, he decided to leave and take a much lower paying job working for a nonprofit organization. He admits that graduate school loans are much harder to pay off but he has already been very successful in using his talents and graduate training to help this nonprofit accomplish its mission.

As a leader, I have made mistakes as well but after realizing what I did wrong, I admitted my mistake to my colleagues even if it meant making myself uncomfortable. One thing I will say is that it takes a lot of courage to own up to your shortcomings. You are out of breath, your hands are clammy and you can’t find the words to express your sincere concerns. The greatest fear is that your team will no longer admire you but once you start speaking the truth, the people around you embrace your humanity. They do admire you even more for acting with integrity rather than hiding behind walls of deceit.

Preview the Passage/Make Predictions
Most people do this in the bookstore when they want to decide whether or not they should read a book. The best way to preview is to read the back cover and to read the different unit and chapter titles. One unit in this book that draws my attention is Character Dimension One: Establishing Trust. The author addresses building trust through connection, extending favor and vulnerability. I have read many books about networking and they mention these 3 ideas when building relationships with people, which makes me think about how critical integrity is when networking. When you meet a new contact whether it is a potential friend or employer, it is important to connect with them on genuine terms and be your true self. It is also important to think what you can for others before what they can do for you and it is true that you must be vulnerable because whenever you have a true connection with someone, you expose some of your weaknesses.
After previewing the text, my students would make predictions on what they think the book will be about. Based on my preview of this book, I assume that I will learn about different qualities that make up integrity in business.

Establish a purpose
Some books are read for pleasure or to acquire information. Two people can read the same book for very different purposes. I have re-read a lot of my books from college after graduation. The reading experience is much different when reading for fun and not to write a paper or prepare for a class discussion.

My purpose for reading this particular book is to grow professionally and personally. Perhaps, I will discover some critical piece of information that will help me discover something about leadership

Generate questions
Lastly, I had students make a list of questions that they would most likely get answered by reading the book. Below are some of the questions I have compiled for this book.
What are some examples of tough situations that leaders face and how did others deal with these situations?
What does integrity mean to the author?
How does one maintain integrity in the business world?

My students would be so proud of Ms. Guzman for going through this pre-reading exercise. I hope this book lives up to my expectations and I look forward to using more reading strategies as I read this book.