Introduction
Over the past few months, I have been involved in a myriad of activities ranging from attending lectures, spending hours in the library moving from one aisle to the other, or spending hours staring at a blank screen on my computer. All these characterize my MBA journey. I can term my MBA as a marathon or roller coaster. On days when I was attending classes and lectures, I felt happy and relaxed. These were the high points of my journey sharing ideas with the lecturer and fellow students and enjoying learning new ways of looking at things. The experience was slow and smooth until I started working on my capstone essay, and then the speed started, and I felt like I would not make it. The moment of reckoning had come, and I would know if my journey had produced any fruits. Many were the times I had to stay up all night researching to ensure I came up with a stellar capstone essay. While these last few days have not been pleasant, my journey has been enlightening and eye-opening. As a result, I am sure that I am well prepared and equipped to venture into the business world.
Reflection
The Capstone project thrust me into the role of a researcher as I had to gather a lot of information to settle on a business problem and find enough information to support my essay. One of the most helpful things I learned in my research was the need to have a plan on how I was going to teat my resources, especially those that I had discovered that were not relevant to my study. In other words, I learned the importance of filtering. I also found out the importance of looking twice at documents. For instance, when I accessed financial information on the company I was studying, it led me to filings with the Security Exchange Commission. Reading these files not only gave me the financial information I needed, but I also got more details on the history and strategy of the business.
The capstone essay also helped me demonstrate the lea ring outcomes in the course. To begin with, the information I used for the essay was from different sources, including blogs, newspapers, and even journal articles, and yet I was able to synthesize the information. Moreover, I was able to demonstrate foundational knowledge and understanding of business systems through the use of frameworks such as pestle and VRIO in my analysis of the business. Also, I was able to demonstrate critical thinking and use of sustainable approaches by identifying problems facing the company through information from the internet and coming up with solutions for these problems. Finally, I was able to demonstrate leadership and ethics through my use of my leadership strengths to complete the capstone and by the proper acknowledgment of the sources I used.
Applying My Strengths
The Betterup assessment I took during the course helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses while the coaching helped me improve on my weaknesses. I was able to leverage my strengths during the capstone essay by being resilient even when things took a turn for the worst. Moreover, I used cognitive ability to formulate alternatives when my original plans for the capstone failed to work. For instance, when conducting a search and one keyword did not produce the desired results, I formulated as many others as possible until I got the information I needed.
One of the requirements of the capstone is to make recommendations for the business problem. If I worked at Hertz during this challenging time, I would use my skill in strategic planning to find a way through which Hertz can liquidate its assets smoothly as this is the only way out for the company.
Also, I would use mindfulness to give my attention entirely to the current problems facing the company instead of focusing on the future or the past. Should the company ultimately settle on liquidation of assets, I would use my strength in mindfulness to help my fellow employees at the company as well as creditors and investors cope with the tough situation. Moreover, mindfulness would enable me to think calmly even under the pressure of dealing with angry investors and creditors.
However, my assessment revealed that I am weak in communication. Consequently, I would need to improve my communication skills to be able to communicate effectively with stakeholders since information sharing is the only way to solve problems. Moreover, negotiation with investors would require me to have practical communication skills.
Even though the capstone essay was a little tough for me, it also instilled in me a desire to continue developing myself and showed me that anything is possible. Therefore, I came up with three goals that I hope to achieve in the future. The first goal is to go ahead and attain a doctorate in business administration. The second goal is to start a consultancy firm to help other businesses while the final goal is to improve my communication skills within the next six months.
To achieve my goals, I will enroll in a doctorate program in a recognized institution. I will also seek employment in a consultancy firm so that I can get mentorship. Finally, I will enroll in a consultancy firm. The steps described earlier are resource-intensive, especially in terms of money. Therefore, I plan to use my savings to register for the communications course. To get employment in a consultancy firm, I will attend and networking forums and network with professionals in the industry even as I send applications to increase my chances of getting hired. Finally, to go through my doctorate, I plan to work for one year to save some of my earnings so that I can raise some money. Afterward, I will also apply for student aid or sponsorship for the course. The sponsorship, together with my savings, will be enough to cater to my doctorate.
Even though I have life planned out after the MBA, I don’t expect it to be smooth. Nevertheless, having a growth mindset will ensure that I have a permanent drive and will power to keep improving myself and to stay on the course, even amidst challenges. My strengths like cognitive ability will help me formulate alternatives for growth when my plans don’t work. Moreover, since some of my strengths are mindfulness and motivation, I will be able to think and act calmly under pressure and to stay motivated and on the course to achieve my goals.