More than just lipstick and make up …

Friday April 4th saw the second session in the Dean’s Speaker Series presented by the MBA Thought Leadership Club. Our speaker on the day was Alan Ennis, a member of the School’s North America Advisory Board and former CEO of Revlon. During his presentation, Alan reflected on lessons learned on his journey from trainee accountant in Dublin to the CEO of a multi-billion dollar turnover business in 2009. Alan spoke candidly about his role as CEO, a role which he held until recently, and passed on some inspirational messages to those in attendance. He advised all students to fully immerse themselves in any career that they pursue. In his own case he told us that while at Revlon this included physically testing nail varnish to see if it really did dry in 60 seconds or lipstick to see how hydrating it really was! He also advised us that as a leader you have to create a culture in the workplace where others want you to win, it is okay to be wrong and that life does not owe you a living – you need to work hard in order to achieve your goals.

Impressively, for someone who has managed a company as large as Revlon, Alan came across as an approachable, normal person. At lunch after the presentation we shared a few laughs about life and work. Alan seemed to be fun, outgoing and engaging just like any member of our class. Talking through his rise to responsibility it could be seen how anyone on the MBA could be progress to the levels that Alan has. He admitted that achieving in one’s career took preparation, hard work and a pinch of luck to spot and access opportunities to progress. Let’s hope that the hard work we’ve been putting in over the last year will meet some good luck on the road and this time next year we’ll be well on our ways to career success.

Liam Doyle

UCD Smurfit MBA 2014








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The Journey Continues on the UCD Smurfit MBA…bringing “an improved ability to affect and lead others”.

Week 8! It is remarkable to think that we have only had 8 weeks of the course so far, it seems like I have far too many memories to fit into only 8 weeks. Flipping that around however, it’s also amazing to think that we are already approaching the end of SEM1. Time flies when you’re having fun, and, apparently, when you’re rampaging through a labyrinth of modules, workshops, projects and deadlines.

Since my last blog, I have experienced some significant highs and lows on the course. The highs are easier to succinctly describe but perhaps provide less meaty and real content for reflection. They have come in the form of positive feedback from respected professors on work I have produced and the development of social ties within the group. The lows, on the other hand, provide for, perhaps, more interesting discussion and for better learning. My lows relate to realizations that have forced me to re-frame my view of the MBA and what I will take from it.

When I decided to come on the UCD Smurfit MBA programme, I assumed that the majority of candidates would be fiery go-getters, all driven to compete healthily and push the envelope of what can be achieved. I also assumed that we would work in teams where everyone would want to get the best results possible. In short, I assumed that people on the course would be just like me. Well, we know what they say about assumptions… The reality of an MBA is far from my mental image of academic and project jousting. The reality incorporates a variety of candidates with a multitude of different personalities and goals for the course.

I have always worked in environments which rewarded and promoted those who rolled up their sleeves and got things done and this has reinforced that mode of behaviour to the extent that it is has been my default mode of engagement. While that behaviour can drive great progress, it isn’t applicable to every environment and every group of people. In many situations, it may be more important to bring the team with you or to analyse the environment exhaustively before acting. By challenging us to work with various people and on various projects the MBA teaches us, in a very real way, how to engage with different personality types and how to step outside our standard mode of engagement. This provides an enormous, if uncomfortable, learning opportunity.

The day I found out that the rest of my team did not want to achieve first class honours in the course was a day I will never forget. It was profoundly baffling how people could not aim for the best possible result. I became dizzy trying to understand it. It took quite a bit of re-framing to accept that the grade of result from an MBA is not the most important measurement of the quality of the experience gained on the course. The breadth of experience and the skills developed that round out the individual are more important.

All of the candidates on the course are high-calibre but their primary strengths lie in various different areas. By exposure to each other’s strengths and weaknesses and through honest feedback from self and others in Leadership Development (LDP) sessions, a mirror is held up showing us how we engage and the benefits and risks of our styles. Through this challenging process the quiet analyst learns to step up, the conciliatory player learns to focus on task and the dominant go-getter learns to move with the team. Interestingly, this learning is not explicitly targeted at developing better influencing skills but that is the effect. The LDP objectives pursued relate to team development and team dynamic enhancement but will translate to an improved ability to affect and lead others.

As the Christmas exams begin to loom on the horizon it is useful to note that the pressure we experience as part of the MBA is essential to keep the personal learning real. Working on our behaviours and interactions is kept relevant and effective as we do so under pressure. The pressure calls out the true selves we will call on under fire when we are back out leading industry. Sharpening our tools for those situations is the greatest benefit the UCD Smurfit MBA can offer. So, here’s to pressure, development, the challenges behind us and the challenges to come.

Liam Doyle,

FT MBA 2014.

Work on sharpening up the softer skill set! (aka the UCD Smurfit MBA Leadership Development Programme).

They say time flies when you’re having fun. It also seems to fly when you’re up to your neck in project work. Well, perhaps more accurately, when you feel like you’re up to your neck in project work. In fairness we’ve had a relatively balanced distribution of fun and hard work to date. A bit of hard work is good for us.

Everyone in the class had something of a shock when we each listed out all of our assignment deadlines, put dates against them and sorted them into date order. In reality the work load, while heavy, is very manageable with a group. It actually feels good to be dealing with a heavy workload again. Yesterday I found myself booking rooms and sending mails that related to meetings and work that will be done two to three weeks down the line, knowing that I needed to get those tasks done now to facilitate the future work. Of course that’s the normal way of things when you’re busy in a job and it was good to feel back to having that sense of purpose and drive.

Given the workload, some people in the class have been challenged and frustrated by the amount of time that is scheduled for personal and team development (Leadership Development Programme) but I feel this is one of the best elements of what we are experiencing. Having come from large, tiered and management driven organisations I’ve seen how important it is for teams to work well. Without the teams functioning, an organisation doesn’t function. The teamwork development aspects of the MBA will certainly stand to candidates when they get back out into the real world. The course is a great opportunity to take time to develop and reflect on team and interpersonal skills in a supportive environment where you can get feedback from peers and experts. Don’t get me wrong, when there are grades on the line in a class of achievers, temperatures rise and tempers fray but that is exactly the emotional live-fire environment needed to work on sharpening up the softer skill set.

I’m looking forward to getting involved with the Thought Leaders and Entrepreneurs Clubs and putting together some interesting events. While club activity will keep me busy, my other project commitments outside of the course are reducing so I’ll even have a little time for sports in the coming weeks. I’m going to do my best not to pack on the MBA pounds that we’ve been warned about. Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself!

The Team 5 Massive has survived our first few projects and has grown as a team from the experiences. Our first presentation is coming up next week so it will be fun to get the team up and present to the class. Fun, tough, exhilarating and nerve-racking no doubt. Of course, that’s what this experience is all about; getting stuck in and doing our best. Speaking of which, my 8.30 lecture is about to begin…

Liam Doyle.

FT MBA 2014