It’s the middle of winter here in Ireland, there was snow in the Wicklow Mountains last weekend and we are four weeks into the second semester of our MBA. Perfect timing for a class event! Brining a bit of American influence, a class potluck was organized. It was a great break away from the hectic schedule of our core courses, varying electives this semester and ongoing career sessions.
The MBA helps reinforce that you should not make assumptions; when organizing this event I took for granted that everyone would know what a Potluck is (rookie mistake!). For those of you reading that don’t know what it is, a potluck is a common American-style gathering where everyone brining a different type of dish: warm or cold, appetizer main or dessert dish. After a few explanations to fellow classmates, it went off without a hitch.
Having such a diverse group we had an amazing mix of dishes from around the world, dishes included: Indian Egg curry, Mexican Guacamole, Irish Stew, Saudi Kabsa, Vietnamese Spring Rolls and Indian Pav Bhaji to name a few. The pictures don’t do these food justice!
Building on learnings we have surrounding high performance teams, the fundamental building block is climate and tasks will be accomplished more successfully if you have a good team climate. Taking the time to spend together gets us away from the tasks, the assignments and upcoming deadlines. Instead, a small break in the middle of the week brings us back to spending enjoyable time together, sharing our food, our cultures and our stories. As a class and group of friends that often work together in class, on projects, on case studies and in clubs, it’s important to take the time out to enjoy each other’s company every once in a while.
Carley Wasechek ~ Full-Time MBA