In the company of the Cool
Phew! Done with Macro, Corporate Finance, Accounting, Marketing, and Technology and just returned from the 3rd residency in Latin America. It was such a great experience. Mexico delivered far more than Brasil for me. In part it has to do with the fact that I had set my expectations lower for Mexico and higher for Brasil and it turned out to be the reverse. I guess all the stories you hear builds an image in your head that is frequently inconsistent with the reality on the ground. Lesson #1: World is a web of misinformation. One must experience things first-hand to appreciate the intricacy of the situation.
We had two very senior officials from the Mexican govt address us. Mr. Alejandro Dieck, the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Economy and Mr. Luis Ernesto Derbez Bautista, the Minster of Foreign Affairs of Mexico. Both of these gentlemen are US educated Economists.
Two key takeaways:
Alejandro Dieck: Mexicans are more worried about who the next Minster of Treasury will be than the next president of Mexico. Apparently there are only 5 people in the country of 104 million that are qualified for that job. Scary!
Luis Derbez: He would advise the Mexican entrepreneurs to seek fortunes wherever they find even if its not in Mexico. He would prefer that their skills and talents continue to develop further so he can invite them back when Mexico is ready to offer them opportunities. Now ain't that interesting.....
Additionally, we had the opportunity to hear Mr. Hector Medina Aguiar, Executive VP Planning and Finance of Cemex, the 3rd largest cement company in the world. It was very interesting to hear how Cemex used (and continues to use) IT strategically to grow and drive performance.
This experience was as cool as having Nobel Laureate Lech Walesa, ex-President of Poland, address us during the European Residency. The experience of listening to the US mission chief to Iraq, Mr. Lorenzo Perez, during the opening residency in DC pales in comparison in my humble opinion.
Okay. Enough of this bigwig stuff....
Monterrey is a very industrial town. The hotel Qunita Real was awesome and service a la grand. It can be easily mistaken for a dusty south Texan city. The Grand Hyatt hotel in Sao Paulo is very contemporary and had a great service too! But I feel I was cheated by the staff at the front desk. I bought a 300 min/R$30 calling card that I was told would cost me additional R$5 per call from the hotel room. The 800 number didn't work so I was advised by the staff at front desk to use 880 instead but no additional information provided on what it would cost me. I got a huge bill (approximately R$450) during the checkout for calling overseas in addition to using the calling card minutes. The manager would not budge. I told them that I wouldn't sign the credit card receipt and authorize the charges so I can dispute the charges on my Diners Club. I did pay for the bar bill separately. A buddy of mine got dinged for around R$850 for the same reason. He too had the calling card.
Anyway, it was great to see everybody again. This time I tried to hang out with my Asian and European colleagues and get to know them a little better. We have a new member join the OneMBA team but let me introduce you to some of the incredible participants from my global class. I will attempt to introduce others in postings later...
Joyce, from the China class, had enrolled in the 04 program but took a leave of absence to work in Japan for 2 years. She plans to finish her MBA with us now. She got her CPA certification from Illinois and has extensive experience with auditing and Financial management in very senior positions in Asia. Now she works for equivalent of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of US in Hong Kong. She sounded so excited to be back on the wagon, so to speak.
From RSM I was able to spend some time with Iryna (Ukraine) and Marina (Russia). I was amazed at how driven and confident they are. Iryna is the COO of Ukrproduct Group (UPG), found on the web at http://www.ukrproduct.com/index.php?lang=3 and listed on the London Stock Exchange this year with much fanfare. Marina is a Financial Controller in Moscow. She represents the young ambitious generation that is increasingly mobile and dedicated to professional growth. Her family lives in Siberia.
Dawn Crosby-Maqueda (UNC) is a Contracts Negotiator for the Federal Civilian Sector at IBM. She has traveled extensively and was in peace corp. She is married and has a very cute daughter. Apparently she is among the select few at IBM who know how to bid for a federal contract. Raquel Baez (UNC) is the Sourcing Manager at the Fruit of the Loom and travels all around the world. She is from Dominican Republic. These two women though very different in personality, and may be quite opposite, personify the potent combination of trustworthiness, openness, smarts, passion, drive, and plain old fashioned hardwork. And both of them have a great personality. Dawn is such a hoot. I love her.
Among some of the interesting guys Terry Deas (UNC) and Tim O'Brien (UNC) are pretty cool. Terry was a Diversity Manager at HP and Tim a Manager of the New Business Development in emerging markets works for the Pragma corporation. He has quite a bit of experience working in Ukraine. Terry, a very polite, gentle, and ethically driven, is the kind of person you always enjoy talking with. He can very calmly make a point and debate without getting worked up. World is rather black and white place for him. There are things you do and things you don't. No dillydallying. Tim, a well traveled and highly experienced professional, is very modest about his achievements and endeavors. Both of them are friendly, trustworthy, open, intelligent, and well spoken.
On a personal note, I have been kinda experimenting with tasks versus relationship dimension that Mabel Miguel, professor of Organizational Behavior and Strategy talked about in her Leading and Managing Global Organizations class. Task focused individuals want to get things done and human relations are not that important in a context of an objective that must be accomplished. Relationship oriented individuals are emotionally driven and friendship and family members come first. Work is not the most important thing in their life. Every society have both types of people but generally, US and other western countries are considered to be task focused whereas Asia and Latin America tend to slide towards the relationship dimension.
I tend to emphasize on the human element but having lived in the US for 12 years have become increasingly task oriented. I am regarded as a Type A personality. Or was I always one? I am attempting to determine what is the limit to which one can be either and still perform at high-level. At work I have adopted a task oriented outlook. Work comes first. I don't mind chit-chatting but don't come to work to make friends. It doesn't mean I don't respect my coworkers however. At least I hope my coworkers don't find my aggressive approach to getting things done within a tight schedule disrespectful. I have kind of created a space between myself and others. On the other hand, in class I have adopted a relationship oriented outlook. Try to make sure everyone is doing okay, inject humor every so often (some get it, others don't - this is a story for some other day) and really try to get to know my classmates personally. Completing the assignments are important but I am relaxed about hitting all intermediate internal deadlines. And the work does get done. Assignments are submitted on time. It is an interesting learning experience. I would be lying if I said I could switch back and forth with ease. There is always a potential for a snafu. How much can you push people before you become a jerk? How much of friendship is okay without risking being taken lightly or exposed to "familiarity breeds contempt"? One spends 1/3 of their professional life at work. Isn't it important that that portion of life is meaningful as well? Idealistically speaking can anyone hit the midpoint and be the "cool guy whom everyone likes and gets things done"? If you believe you are truly in the midpoint, contact me.
Mabel and other global executives tell us that the ability to relate to people from diverse cultures, putting them at ease while working with you, and motivating them towards accomplishment of the objective is the key to success in this globalized world.
Anyway...on to Micro, Strategy, M&A, Negotiations, and Leadership. Next 7 months should be fun. The last residency will be in Asia (Shanghai and Hong Kong). More later....
We had two very senior officials from the Mexican govt address us. Mr. Alejandro Dieck, the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Economy and Mr. Luis Ernesto Derbez Bautista, the Minster of Foreign Affairs of Mexico. Both of these gentlemen are US educated Economists.
Two key takeaways:
Alejandro Dieck: Mexicans are more worried about who the next Minster of Treasury will be than the next president of Mexico. Apparently there are only 5 people in the country of 104 million that are qualified for that job. Scary!
Luis Derbez: He would advise the Mexican entrepreneurs to seek fortunes wherever they find even if its not in Mexico. He would prefer that their skills and talents continue to develop further so he can invite them back when Mexico is ready to offer them opportunities. Now ain't that interesting.....
Additionally, we had the opportunity to hear Mr. Hector Medina Aguiar, Executive VP Planning and Finance of Cemex, the 3rd largest cement company in the world. It was very interesting to hear how Cemex used (and continues to use) IT strategically to grow and drive performance.
This experience was as cool as having Nobel Laureate Lech Walesa, ex-President of Poland, address us during the European Residency. The experience of listening to the US mission chief to Iraq, Mr. Lorenzo Perez, during the opening residency in DC pales in comparison in my humble opinion.
Okay. Enough of this bigwig stuff....
Monterrey is a very industrial town. The hotel Qunita Real was awesome and service a la grand. It can be easily mistaken for a dusty south Texan city. The Grand Hyatt hotel in Sao Paulo is very contemporary and had a great service too! But I feel I was cheated by the staff at the front desk. I bought a 300 min/R$30 calling card that I was told would cost me additional R$5 per call from the hotel room. The 800 number didn't work so I was advised by the staff at front desk to use 880 instead but no additional information provided on what it would cost me. I got a huge bill (approximately R$450) during the checkout for calling overseas in addition to using the calling card minutes. The manager would not budge. I told them that I wouldn't sign the credit card receipt and authorize the charges so I can dispute the charges on my Diners Club. I did pay for the bar bill separately. A buddy of mine got dinged for around R$850 for the same reason. He too had the calling card.
Anyway, it was great to see everybody again. This time I tried to hang out with my Asian and European colleagues and get to know them a little better. We have a new member join the OneMBA team but let me introduce you to some of the incredible participants from my global class. I will attempt to introduce others in postings later...
Joyce, from the China class, had enrolled in the 04 program but took a leave of absence to work in Japan for 2 years. She plans to finish her MBA with us now. She got her CPA certification from Illinois and has extensive experience with auditing and Financial management in very senior positions in Asia. Now she works for equivalent of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of US in Hong Kong. She sounded so excited to be back on the wagon, so to speak.
From RSM I was able to spend some time with Iryna (Ukraine) and Marina (Russia). I was amazed at how driven and confident they are. Iryna is the COO of Ukrproduct Group (UPG), found on the web at http://www.ukrproduct.com/index.php?lang=3 and listed on the London Stock Exchange this year with much fanfare. Marina is a Financial Controller in Moscow. She represents the young ambitious generation that is increasingly mobile and dedicated to professional growth. Her family lives in Siberia.
Dawn Crosby-Maqueda (UNC) is a Contracts Negotiator for the Federal Civilian Sector at IBM. She has traveled extensively and was in peace corp. She is married and has a very cute daughter. Apparently she is among the select few at IBM who know how to bid for a federal contract. Raquel Baez (UNC) is the Sourcing Manager at the Fruit of the Loom and travels all around the world. She is from Dominican Republic. These two women though very different in personality, and may be quite opposite, personify the potent combination of trustworthiness, openness, smarts, passion, drive, and plain old fashioned hardwork. And both of them have a great personality. Dawn is such a hoot. I love her.
Among some of the interesting guys Terry Deas (UNC) and Tim O'Brien (UNC) are pretty cool. Terry was a Diversity Manager at HP and Tim a Manager of the New Business Development in emerging markets works for the Pragma corporation. He has quite a bit of experience working in Ukraine. Terry, a very polite, gentle, and ethically driven, is the kind of person you always enjoy talking with. He can very calmly make a point and debate without getting worked up. World is rather black and white place for him. There are things you do and things you don't. No dillydallying. Tim, a well traveled and highly experienced professional, is very modest about his achievements and endeavors. Both of them are friendly, trustworthy, open, intelligent, and well spoken.
On a personal note, I have been kinda experimenting with tasks versus relationship dimension that Mabel Miguel, professor of Organizational Behavior and Strategy talked about in her Leading and Managing Global Organizations class. Task focused individuals want to get things done and human relations are not that important in a context of an objective that must be accomplished. Relationship oriented individuals are emotionally driven and friendship and family members come first. Work is not the most important thing in their life. Every society have both types of people but generally, US and other western countries are considered to be task focused whereas Asia and Latin America tend to slide towards the relationship dimension.
I tend to emphasize on the human element but having lived in the US for 12 years have become increasingly task oriented. I am regarded as a Type A personality. Or was I always one? I am attempting to determine what is the limit to which one can be either and still perform at high-level. At work I have adopted a task oriented outlook. Work comes first. I don't mind chit-chatting but don't come to work to make friends. It doesn't mean I don't respect my coworkers however. At least I hope my coworkers don't find my aggressive approach to getting things done within a tight schedule disrespectful. I have kind of created a space between myself and others. On the other hand, in class I have adopted a relationship oriented outlook. Try to make sure everyone is doing okay, inject humor every so often (some get it, others don't - this is a story for some other day) and really try to get to know my classmates personally. Completing the assignments are important but I am relaxed about hitting all intermediate internal deadlines. And the work does get done. Assignments are submitted on time. It is an interesting learning experience. I would be lying if I said I could switch back and forth with ease. There is always a potential for a snafu. How much can you push people before you become a jerk? How much of friendship is okay without risking being taken lightly or exposed to "familiarity breeds contempt"? One spends 1/3 of their professional life at work. Isn't it important that that portion of life is meaningful as well? Idealistically speaking can anyone hit the midpoint and be the "cool guy whom everyone likes and gets things done"? If you believe you are truly in the midpoint, contact me.
Mabel and other global executives tell us that the ability to relate to people from diverse cultures, putting them at ease while working with you, and motivating them towards accomplishment of the objective is the key to success in this globalized world.
Anyway...on to Micro, Strategy, M&A, Negotiations, and Leadership. Next 7 months should be fun. The last residency will be in Asia (Shanghai and Hong Kong). More later....
posted by OneMBA Poster at 9:10 PM
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