This post was written by Michael Krulin ’18. Students will be enjoying the rest and renewal of Spring Break from March 12 to March 16.
As the Class of 2018 is in the homestretch of The Sustainable Innovation MBA experience and most of us are eyeing the start of our welcome spring break, I can’t help but reflect on the program thus far and try to leave some insights for next year’s cohort.
Let it Settle
The opportunity that comes with a one-year program is that there is going to be more information coming at you then you can take in. There is a purposeful design to push the limits of the students in both materials covered and mental strain that comes with trying to fit more into a day than seems possible. Allow yourself the space to be ok with not getting it all the first time through. You will be amazed at how it will tend to bubble back up and come back to you when you are ready.
Holding Space
To say that you will have emotions about the program is an understatement. What I have come to realize is that allowing myself to feel overwhelmed, frustrated, enlightened, or confused was part of my process figuring out my way of dealing with all the highs and lows of the program. You or one of you teammates is going to have an off day or two. My recommendation is to recognize where you are on that day, allow yourself the space to be with that emotion or feeling, and in doing so, you give validity to that emotion. Taking time at the beginning of the day to check in with yourself and go over the head, heart, and hands that represent your mental state, emotional state, and physical state will at the very least inform you of where you are starting the day.
Be Active
This one seems so obvious but when you start to have those long weeks and it never feels like there is enough time to do everything, make sure that you are getting into whatever activity you need. Move your body to allow your mind some time to absorb the information you have received that day.
I’ll leave you with a quote from Walter Isaacson’s biography about Albert Einstein:
“A new idea comes suddenly and in a rather intuitive way,” Einstein once said, “but intuition is nothing but the outcome of earlier intellectual experience.”
Allow yourself the time and space to have the new information mix with what you are bringing to the program and allow the creative process to happen.
Good luck, it’s going to be great!