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In business school, we all learn a lot about how to go through the recruiting process. How to create a resume. How to position ourselves in an interview. And how to do case studies. All relevant stuff.  But the standard process isn’t all that important when you’re talking about the start-up space; or at any non-traditional employer. So one question a lot of people at Kellogg have is how they can get a job at companies like these?

In recent blog posts, I’ve written a lot of articles about the campus visits of consulting firms, like BCG and McKinsey, banks like Morgan Stanley, marketing firms like P&G and Pepsi, and a host of other companies that people at Kellogg are interested in. And as the semester continues, more and more people seem to be attending these events and applying to these firms.

But in today’s age, an increasing number of smart people are also going to the tech and media industries. And today technology companies are coming to MBA campuses in hordes. In particular big firms like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and other big names you’ve probably heard of.  Like the consulting firms and marketing shops, these companies come to campus not only for information sessions but also to host receptions, have atrium hours, provide free open bars, and do their best to lure students in. As such, the school and career center make sure that people have resources to recruit there. But that’s not necessarily the case for startups.

There world of start-ups is unlike most industries in business school. In terms of recruiting, there’s no database of companies. There are no lists of alumni. No formal list of questions to ask in interviews, or skills that you should emphasize when talking.  Instead, you have to figure out a lot of it on your own. Ironically, in the same way that you might if you were working at the small firm, you’d have to figure out what you need to be working on to stay competitive.

Given that process, the question that many people will have over the next few months then is, what do I have to do to get a job at a startup? And can I get one of those job from Kellogg? Or from another top MBA program?

While the answer to that question is yes; the caveat is that getting one of those jobs won’t be easy. Especially at a cool start-up. In some cases, getting the job might be harder than getting a job at a prestigious traditional employer.  So the questions is, what does it take to successfully navigate the start up recruiting process?

In general, it’s not a question I’m necessarily qualified to answer, but a few simple things come to mind right away. Learning to sell. Understanding the business models for small companies. Understanding technology, and specifically the technology that specific companies use. Knowing how to leverage video and multimedia. Understanding who the customer is. Understanding the added value of a product or service. And then, figuring out how to show a startup, who doesn’t have as much time to spend on recruiting, that you can actually do these things well.

But perhaps more important than all of this is that you also need to understand the process of recruiting for a start-up. After all, many startups and other small business aren’t really hiring or looking to fill an open job post.  They don’t have a job board, don’t have a required number of people, and don’t have slotted pay grades. As such, you have to learn to navigate the job process. So doing things like going to the right conferences, going to networking events, meeting people in the industry and staying informed on what’s happening.

And finally, you also have to learn how to wait patiently. Startups and smaller companies tend to recruit at the tail end of the year. So while all your friends are getting jobs at big companies, prestigious firms, and high paying industries, you’ll have to sit back, watch them enjoy the ride, lay the groundwork, and get ready to start hitting the ground harder midway through the year. In fact, many of my classmates and friends didn’t get jobs until the final weeks and days before the school year ended. So you have to be ready for that too.

In sum, getting a job at a startup is different. The timing, the process, and the skills needed. I’m no expert on the topic, but I do know that it’s something you should not take for granted.

Good luck!

And the award for Net Impact Graduate Chapter of the Year goes to… The Kellogg School of Management! Congratulations Kellogg Net Impact team!  Many of the students at Kellogg realize the hard work you’ve been putting in. And congratulations to everybody on the board that worked hard to make that possible. People like Jessica Porter, Mark Dibble, Marilyn Chen, and Chelsea Katz, all from my Global Immersion in Management Trip to Kenya last spring. Not to mention many others on the leadership team (see link above). Not only does this help your careers as social enterprise professionals, but it also continue to extends Kellogg’s brand in the not for profit space.

Hi Everyone, Just a quick note to send a quick congratulations to everyone on the Kellogg Net Impact Team, who recently brought home the Chapter of the Year award at Kellogg.  What a great accomplishment!!! Net Impact is basically a not for profit organization aimed at taking social impact to the next level. More formally, Net Impact is a new generation of leaders who use careers to tackle the world’s toughest problems. THEY put our business skills to work for good throughout every sector. By doing so, THEY show the world that it’s possible to make a net impact that benefits not just the bottom line, but people and planet too.

Just last weekend, some of the students went to the Net Impact Conference was held. I don’t know how many people went this year but here is the breakdown from 2010 – 2,500 people attended, 129 schools were represented, and 14 Countries and 39 States were there.  Likewise there were also 73 Exhibiting Organizations 395  Speakers and 131 Sessions. This year’s conference tackled issues such as (1) creative problem solving and playful approaches lead to serious solutions, (2) where sustainable innovations are championed by those you least expect, and (3) where unlikely partnerships accelerate change, among other things.

Over the past decade, the number of businesses interested in social change has taken off. Net Impact is playing a large part in that trend. People from Net Impact attend many of the top business schools. They influence the activities from the social impact clubs. And they help provide support for getting into the industry.

I’m glad Kellogg and other ones continue to focus on improving their programs. In today’s economic times, it’s imperative that business school students not only focus on getting a job, but also working for larger scale social good. That they also remember to give back and make the world a better place.

Congrats again Kellogg. See below for a blurb sent out to the Kellogg net Impact Club today.

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The Kellogg School of Management was awarded the 2011 Graduate Chapter of the Year Award at the National Net Impact Conference in Portland, OR on October 29th.  This prestigious award is given annually to a graduate chapter who exemplifies the mission of Net Impact: to mobilize a new generation to use their careers to drive transformational change in their workplaces and the world.  Net Impact is a global network of MBA students and professionals with more than 280 chapters across six continents.   Kellogg would like to congratulate the other two finalists for this award, the Ross School of Business and the Yale School of Management.  Thanks to all the Net Impact Community club leaders for their collaboration and support –we couldn’t have won without them!  Also, thanks to the Digital Shorts Team, who helped develop a video to showcase our Chapter. It’s time to pop the bubbly!

It’s true. Most of my second year classmates at Kellogg don’t spend as much time in Jacobs these days. You don’t see them in the LSR or atrium as much. They don’t have as many group meetings. And sometimes, they don’t even show up for Kellogg events. And it isn’t just because people are busy but also because the MBA version of senior-itis is kicking in. That students are spending more time outside of Kellogg during other things. And this all came to mind because a few weeks ago, I realized the other day that I have not seen a fair number of my good friends at Kellogg so far.

This quarter, I’ve seen a bit less of some friends than I did last year. Even some of my really good friends that I spent a lot of time with last year.  One reason is because some people are spending a lot more time recruiting now, since second year recruiting happens in the fall. Others are spending more time with small groups of friends, so they do things outside of the Kellogg circle. And others are trying their hand at going to the city more often, especially now before it gets too cold.

In addition to Kellogg, I also realized the other day that this quarter I’ve met a lot of new people over the past few week. People from different places. Students from different sections. And people who I’ve never seen before. Some of them are 1Ys. Others PTers. And others, new 2Ys thathave only been at Kellogg for a couple of weeks.

Over time I’ve come to realize that there is a trend that happens every year at Kellogg. That the things you do at any given time are a reflection of your stage in the business school cycle. That first years have a routine that they get into. Second years have a different routine. And that JD-MBAs and 1Ys have their unique routines. And all of them change at different stages in the program.

One part of everyone’s routine is spending less time at Kellogg as time goes on. Instead, as time progresses, they spend their free time outside of school with friends, in the city and traveling more frequently.

This emphasizes the importance of creating friendships with people from your class earlier in the first year.  Because in the second year it could prove to be a bit harder. You have to spend more time with them to understand their personal stories and learn more about their career goals. You have to work with them on hard assignments since being in the trenches is a good way to make connections. And you have to have longer discussions with them to see who they really are at the core.

Likewise, it also pays off to do the same thing with kids from different classes. Because at Jacobs now, there are more first years than students from my year. So knowing them comes in handy when I’m on campus.

In business school, where things move quickly, where technology disrupts all of our lives, and where hundreds of people in each class and not enough time to make friends with most of them, establishing some of these deeper relationships is more critical than ever before.

Because at some point, you come to find, that with second years “no one goes to campus anymore.”

In the past week or two since the passing of Steve Jobs, there has been a lot of press about Steve, Apple, and many of the products the company made. A lot of it has been about how Jobs thought differently. He he had interesting ideas, took risks, and in the end revolutionized business. Given that, the video below about “Thinking Differently” has recently surfaced again over the past few days. In it, images of transformative people throughout the 20th century are shown as a narrator toasts to them for changing the world.

Many of the articles online suggest that the original videos aired years ago. In the version that aired on TV, the narrator is Richard Dreyfuss. But there’s also a second version, where Jobs himself walks us through the video. The latter is the version that I’ve included here.

In the end, we can learn a lot from Steve and the video. In business schools and law schools today, people flock to all the same careers, benchmark what everyone else is doing, and value convention over risk-taking.  But what if more people “thought differently?” What if they recruited for new industries. And what if more and more people worked on something outside of the traditional scope of the MBA.  Maybe one of them would become the next Steve Jobs. And help make the world a more interesting place.

Well, if you’d like some inspiration on how to do that, below are the words to the video. And below that is the video itself.

“Here’s to the Crazy Ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world – are the ones who DO!” ~ Apple Computers

On Friday, November 4th at 7pm Chicago time, I’ll be attending an event with Friends of Sinai in downtown Chicago. The event will take place at The River East Art Center in downtown Chicago and will benefit Sinai Children’s Hospital. As many of you know, Sinai Children’s Hospital is a children’s hospital on Chicago’s West Side, providing health care to many of Chicago’s under-served children who are at risk for chronic health problems. It will be interesting not only to hear about the things they are working on now but also connect with others that care deeply about the same issues.

Hi Everyone, I just wanted to alert you all to an upcoming event in downtown Chicago. The event is next week, and the organization is the Friends of Sinai organization, that supports the Sinai Children’s Hospital. So you’re probably wondering more about the hospital.  Who are they? What are some of the things its working on?   And what is this event all about? Well here is a bit more information.

The mission of the hospital is Friends of Sinai Children is a non-denominational, volunteer organization dedicated to developing resources and opportunities that enhance the quality of life of children touched by Sinai Children’s Hospital. The hospital was established in 2004, and today is the only children’s hospital on Chicago’s west side, provides health care to under-served children who are at greatest risk for chronic health problems, physical and emotional abuse and neglect.

Friends of Sinai Children is an associate board of young professionals dedicated to supporting Sinai Children’s Hospital.

Friends of Sinai Children has the unique opportunity to support a children’s hospital in an area with extreme need. Volunteers help shape the direction of the Board and make a true difference in the lives of the children treated at the hospital. And events like this help spread the word about the organization, the results that it is making, and help the organization to continue to make a difference.

In terms of the event, as I mentioned, the large event takes place on Friday, November 4th from 7:00-10:00pm at the River East Art Center. Tickets include cocktails, OPEN BAR, heavy appetizers and hors d’oeuvres, dancing, raffle, silent auction, and live entertainment, all of which benefit Sinai Children’s Hospital.  The event will also be hosted by Stanford alumni Melanie Kannokada. I attended the event last year and it was a fantastic event.  Plus, it’s a great excuse to dress up and support a worthy cause.

If interested, you can see more details and sign up for the event here. And should you decide to sign up, let them know that my friend Marquis Parker and I sent you.

Hope to see you there.

There is a worldwide discussion going on today that distinguishes what it means to be a manager and what it means to be a leader. In times past, the words have often been used interchangeably. But today, the characteristics of the roles are more separated than they’ve ever been before. In short, managers as those who direct and help execute for an organization. And leaders are those who guide, inspire and provide vision to the organization.  So the question today is, what does really mean? And which one are you? Manager? Leader? Or both?

There are a lot of resources out there which discuss the topic. A topic that I’m also interested in.

I recently read a blog post by Seth Godin talked about it. His blog post said the following:

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Managers work to get their employees to do what they did yesterday, but a little faster and a little cheaper.

Leaders, on the other hand, know where they’d like to go, but understand that they can’t get there without their tribe, without giving those they lead the tools to make something happen.

Managers want authority. Leaders take responsibility.

We need both. But we have to be careful not to confuse them. And it helps to remember that leaders are scarce and thus more valuable.

** I like Godin’s analysis because it mentions how we need both – not one or the other.

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Another opinion I like is the interview by former Dean of HBS.  I’ve linked to the video here before but in a series of two interviews he talks about what leaders are. In the VIDEO (48:30) the Dean says the following

“Not all of us in the world have the privilege of working in something that itself is inherently passionate.  Some of us work where it`s like work.But everybody can be in a place where their work is valued, where they have opportunities to grow, where they are respected, and where they can see the connection between their work and the larger purposes that they serve. And that has been something I’ve tried to do at this place.

And so I gave a little motto: There are no unimportant jobs at the Harvard Business School. Everybody has an important role to play. And you work in an organization to help people understand that`s not rhetoric. It`s real. ….

And that is what leaders do. Leaders instill in people a sense of purpose and they inspire people. They inspire people if they are god. because they connect people to the larger purpose.

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In the same manner, business schools talk a lot about leadership today.  What you can do to lead an organization. What it takes to be effective. Interestingly enough, one of the main critiques of MBA grads is that they have great technical skills but that they also have less than perfect leadership skills. That they don’t always navigate organizations or manage people as well as they could. But instead that they shine because of their analytical and quantitative skills.

As a first hand viewer today, I wouldn’t say that the statement is incorrect. After all, that’s what many of the so-called “top” employers look for too. Interviewees that can run the numbers. Create spreadsheets. Produce detailed PowerPoint presentations. And do math in front of them in an interview. Not people that can tell a good story. Manage hundreds of people. Convince the masses. Or come up with a new and innovative idea on the spot.

So in many ways there is an interesting disconnect in what leaders do, and what so called “future leaders” are taught. It’ll be interesting to see how this disconnect continues to play out.

This past Saturday Kellogg held its 12th Annual Innovating Social Change Conference.  The Conference is one of the Net Impact Club’s most important events during the year, and it constitutes the largest gathering of game changing social impact thinkers and students here on campus.  Participants from all around campus attended this year’s event. And in my view, as well as the opinion of most of this year’s attendees, the conference didn’t let any of us down.

Just like the conference last year, the quality of the speakers and panel was exceptional.  The topics were varied, the speakers engaging, and discussions interesting. And in part, that was a testament to some of the people that spoke on panels at this year’s conference, including:

• Jason Saul, Faculty, Kellogg School of Management
• Drew Von Glahn, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Third Sector Capital
• Liam Krehbiel ’07, Founder & CEO, A Better Chicago
• Megan Kashner ’03, Founder & CEO, Benevolent.net
• James Shepard ’95, CEO, Achieve Mission
• Dr. Jamie N. Jones ’09, Assistant Director, Social Enterprise Program, Kellogg School
• Amy Chen, Program Director, Food for Good, PepsiCo Global Nutrition Group
• Paul Ellingstad, Director of Global Health, HP
• Baily Blair Kempner, Director of Growth & Sustainability, Endeavor Global
• Pompa Debroy, Program Director – India, Embrace

In addition to great panels, the conference also featured scheduled breaks to interact with other attendees and panelists, a lunch session to eat with panelists and attendees that have similar interests in in the nonprofit space, and a networking event at the end to meet other students and attendees over a glass of wine.

This year’s keynote speakers included Seth Goldman: President and Chief Executive Officer, Honest Tea; Darell Hammond: Chief Executive Officer and Founder, KaBOOM!; and Lisa Hall: President and Chief Executive Officer, Calvert Foundation.

Seth Goldman kicked off the Conference where he talked a bit about his company “Honest Tea” during his opening keynote address. How he  founded the company and sustainability initiative. At the same time, Mr. Goldman was optimistic that all the MBAs in the room had the power to change the world by doing the same thing. And that one of the best ways to have that impact was to make change in business because business has access to a massive set of channels. “If we don’t change the direction we’re headed, we’ll end up where we’re going” he said, quoting an old Chinese proverb. He said that we need to move in a different direction and one thing that won’t work is waiting.

Darell Hammond discussed his personal experience in the industry.  He talked about his work with communities & corporations to build playgrounds and that helps kids.  And he also talked about the importance of getting new blood in the nonprofit industry.  For his company, he said “We are about the cause not the credit” and that’s the reason you go into the nonprofit space” encouraging us to think similarly.  He also said, “You don’t have to start something. But everything you touch, make better.”  The idea was that we don’t have to come us with the next novel nonprofit but that we can find a novel nonprofit to work with.

But perhaps my favorite ideas came from panelist , Megan Kashner who used to work at the Taproot Foundation. Megan shared her experiences saying how she worked in nonprofit from a young age and went straight into the industry after getting an MBA, a stark contrast to the former bankers and consultants on the panel.  Megan acknowledged that nonprofits “need to find more ways to attract and retain high potential employees to nonprofits.”  And unlike the advice of her fellow panelists, she said “You don’t have to wait”. You can go work at a nonprofit right away after Kellogg.”

In the end, some of the main themes from the conference are some that  I write about here on my site. That it’s not just about using your MBA to do well, but it’s also about giving back and to make the world better.  And secondly, that the world is in need of people to enter the industry. And that MBAs are prime candidates to take on leading roles and have real impact. And that you don’t have to wait to do that.

To learn more about Kellogg’s annual Change the World conference, go to the main conference website at http://kellogg.campusgroups.com/isc/schedule/

Many people in business school have interesting ideas. They have companies they want to launch. Projects they want to get started on. Jobs they want to apply to. But often times, they don’t pursue these opportunities right away. Instead, they wait until the the final days before taking action. In some cases, it makes sense because they are good timelines to follow but often times, people only follow them because they are there. So they get busy and don’t take action until the very end. Well, in such cases I propose the simple idea that it might be worth starting sooner. That you don’t have to wait.

One thing I’ve learned from being in graduate school is that things get busy and we have deadlines for everything – homework assignments that are due, job applications that we submit, and agendas for our clubs and other campus groups. So we put a lot of things on our calendars, get dozens of reminders a day or two before these things are due, and we only finish some of them right before the deadlines.

The same is true in the professional world as well. We set up dozens of meetings in a given week and promise multiple deliverables to clients and internal team members.  As a result, we fill our days with other activities to keep us busy while we adhere to these timelines that have been set up.

But what if we all asked ourselves the question: can we speed up the date that these things are due? Why don’t we take action sooner? What if we work on our deliverables before we are expected? Would the results be better? And the product be higher quality? After all, the best companies on the planet do that quite well. Consider Apple.

I see the same thing happen all the time in business school, where we find ourselves using the days before the deadline as an incentive to finally make progress. Especially on things that have a high initial learning curve.  But I’d argue that taking this approach may not always be the best one.  Doing it this way means you have less time to get feedback. Less time to think about your strategy. Less time to make revisions. And in the end, less time to produce a quality work product.

Don’t get me wrong, I respect deadlines, and adhere to many of them myself. Especially the ones that I don’t have control over. And the ones that are well-timed. But in many cases, I don’t know if we always need them.  That instead these artificial dates hold us back.

Today, I face this same challenge as I think about the timing for my new website. I wonder when the site should be fully launched? When should I finish my business plan? And when should I tell more and more people about the project?  As I think about the timing for all these questions, I hope that I can take action faster. But in some ways that remains to be seen.

In sum, don’t wait. Get started now. Ignore bad deadlines. You might be better off in the end.

Hopefully I am too.

To all the current Kellogg students from the classes of 2012, welcome to campus. I hope you’ve enjoyed the first few weeks back. And to the class of 2013 about to embark on your first year, I hope you are off to a good start so far. In general, I can’t enough about how valuable the MBA experience is.  Not only can it be a golden ticket to a new illustrious career, but also an avenue to do some really interesting and high-impact things when you get done. For some, even game-changing things. Given my thoughts on the topic, the Merger (Kellogg Newspaper) recently asked me to write an article, where I talked about just that. It was the only opinion article in the last newspaper.

See below for the article.

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Title: Fortune Favors the Bold

Author: Jeremy C. Wilson

We’ve all heard the theory before. That if you want to do something great, you have to have the courage to pursue your biggest passions. Those game-changing ideas that only come to mind in your bravest moments. But also those ideas that fleet faster than the blink of an eye, when fear takes over. Well, Dean Blount and Kellogg recently agreed with this theory when they released Kellogg’s new school new slogan – Think Bravely.

What does it actually mean to think bravely? A number of things come to mind. Thinking more about your passions. Taking bigger risks. Finding new opportunities for change. And thinking about what you can do to change them.

Well, ever since getting an email from the Dean on July 12^th this summer, Dean Blount has spent a lot of time trying to explain even better. She’s put out multiple press releases, made changes to the website, and updated most of the marketing materials.  And over the last few months, the slogan has really gotten a lot of buzz. And, no, I don’t just mean the alliterative names that people have come up with at the Keg.

During convocation in August, the Dean talked about the need to create leaders with the willingness to “do something different” and “challenge convention,” but that today, society is surrounded by just the opposite. She noted failures by the world’s top companies; scandals from the most well-known CEOs; and ill-judged decision-making in different industries (e.g. BP’s Gulf of Mexico disaster).

She also introduced new staff member, Elisabeth Ziegler, who had been named Associate Dean of MBA Programs (e.g. COO of Kellogg).  “Betsy” comes to Kellogg after graduating from HBS, spending 13 years with McKinsey, and turning down countless stock options to work at the fastest growing company on the planet. And she did this all for the chance to come work in the education space. A decision many consider to be brave.

The idea is that Kellogg got where it is today, because the school and its people started by thinking differently. That they cared deeply about thinking outside box and figuring out how to get people to work in teams to have more impact. And that new staff members and students should embody that same spirit.

But Kellogg isn’t the only one thinking about it.  In a recent talk, Alyssa Rapp, CEO of the internet start-up Bottlenotes, once said the same thing. That “you have to be brave.” That it’s not just about going to a top school and chasing a high-paying job.  But it’s about finding new opportunities. Alyssa followed her own advice when she passed on illustrious opportunities at Stanford GSB and spent her summer at a winery in South Africa to start her business. Well, being brave paid off when her company took off and she was named a “Top 30 Under 30” entrepreneur by Inc. Magazine.

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg agreed during a recent graduation talk. She noted that one thing she learned working with the Founders of Google and Facebook “was that if you want to make a difference, you have to think big right from day one.” She noted the posters around the walls of her firm. One of them said, “Fortune favors the bold.” The other said, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”

Today, these ideas also echo in the halls of Kellogg, as first years think about what to get involved in, and second years are thinking about their careers more than ever before. Will we risk it all to be great and pursue the career we’ve always dreamed of? Will we walk away from a top offer in today’s economy to do something brave? And will we start a new company without the stability of venture funding?

As we embark on the new year with almost endless career options in front of us, the million-dollar question is, what are we going to do with them?  How will we leverage the business education we receive?  Where are there opportunities to use it for change? And will we spend our time thinking about how we can change them?

Personally, I agree with Kellogg that we have to “Think Bravely” about these questions. And I challenge the entire student body (including myself) to not be afraid. But instead, take bigger risks. Go where no one has gone before. And risk it all to do something great.

Welcome back to campus, classes of 2012 and 2013. I look forward to hearing about the brave things you get involved in this year.

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In the meantime:

1.  * CLICK HERE to see the Think Bravely Video that Kellogg put together.

2. Please let me know if you have any comments or feedback.

After months of waiting to start in business school, the Kellogg class of 2013 is finally in full swing here at Kellogg. But before any of the on campus chaos ever began, students had the once in a lifetime opportunity to go to KWEST (Kellogg Worldwide Experiences and Service Trip). As part of KWEST, most of the trips took part in a service activity abroad. Well the point of this article is to tell you a little bit more about how KWEST Ecuador is changing the world.

In general, students could tell by the description which trips were more heavily focused on service than others, and some students used that when helping to decide which tirp to take part in.  Some trips focus heavily on service. For the leaders, it’s a way to give back and so spending a few hours is something they definitely want to do. For other trips, the leaders aren’t necessarily as focused on the service activity. Those trip will put in the service time but often do activities that may not be as high value. And other trips would prefer not to spend as much time on the service component. These trips will often do an activity simply to check the box. And this year, some did their components in Evanston before the trip, or in some cases after the trip.

In terms of Ecuador, our goal was to really have a substantial service portion.  Not only only did we want our KWESTees to meet new students and have a blast in Ecuador but also find a way give back to the community we were visiting.  To show that Kellogg students aren’t just about doing well, but also doing good.

To hear more about the actual activity, see our short article about the experience below.

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KWEST Ecuador – October 06, 2011 -  Tena, Ecuador
WALK! NOT TREK TO SCHOOL

Written by Mansi Agarwal and Giovanni Gallo

Crossing rivers, climbing up and down hills, cutting across thick undergrowth and marshes while braving the heat of the equatorial sun at times and heavy tropical rains at others- sounds like an exotic, adventurous holiday to most of us. But, this is what children in rural Ecuador must overcome to reach school every day. Very obviously, attendance on most days is very low, which has led to dire consequences for the nation’s future and economy.

Poverty in the nation’s coastal and mountain regions has increased by 80 percent over the past decade. A recent UNICEF study indicated that only 67 percent of Ecuadorian children finish elementary school. Though the cost of primary and secondary education is borne by the government, families often face practical challenges of taking children to school because of the lack of basic infrastructure.

With this in mind, on August 24th 2011, the KWEST Ecuador family of 25 helped locals in Kuaupo Macana village nearTena, Ecuador to build a path that children can use to walk to school every day. Escuela al Campo #238 is a school of 30-35 children and attendance has been very low in the past – especially during certain parts of the year when the path leading from their homes to the school is too wet with deep mud to navigate.

A new path was built by KWESTees alongside Ecuadorians as part of their “MINGA” (community work day where at least one parent of children attending the school must be present, send someone in their place or pay a fine). Local village engineers had planned the half day project in two stages.

The first half included cutting back vegetation and carrying rocks up from Inchillaqui River to the end of the muddy trail near the school. A human chain was created and after a few hours of labor the ground had been cleared and rocks ranging from 5-50 lbs. had been collected. After a short break of fruits and a refreshing Yuca drink provided by the school the KWESTees began the second phase.

All rocks were laid in place and rammed to finish a usable path. While one group finished the path, another continued to supply small rocks and logs to construct steps where required. A few more laborious hours later the KWEST family ended up with a largely finished pathway as well as some cuts, bruises and insect bites- battle wounds true to the spirit of a jungle warrior! The group focused on covering the most critical and treacherous parts of the path while the most labor was available. With a strong start and a large, visible improvement, the village will work to fill in the gaps on the easier-to-traverse patches over time.

The project ended with a thank-you speech by the village head on the school grounds. While the community was grateful for our hard work we were appreciative of getting this opportunity to work alongside the indigenous community and contribute to their future growth. The school expects to grow in numbers and the new trail will only help the cause.

On Monday, October 10th at 6pm Chicago time, I’ll be attending an event with Mayor Cory Booker in downtown Chicago. The event is held at Luxbar and is geared specifically at young professionals.  As many of you probably know, Mayor Booker has had tremendous success during his tenure as Mayor. He has worked on issues like educational reform and he has been striving to make Newark a model for successful urban education. It will be interesting to not only hear hear his thoughts about Newark but also about his plans to improve education in the future.

So you’re probably wondering, what are some of his ideas?  What are some of the things he believes in?  And what is his vision for the future? Since being elected into office, Cory has undertaken a few public interviews explaining.   On Morning Joe’s Education Nation on MSNBC, he discussed Education Reform (CLICK HERE to see what he talked about). Similarly, on NBC Nightly News with Brian William’s, he discussed the report on Newark Public Schools and the Mark Zuckerberg $100 million challenge grant  (CLICK HERE for the video). Further, I might also recommend checking out this great speech he gave at Williams recently.

According to Cory’s web page, you can also see some of the issues he believes in most.  He posts a PDF entitled 25 accomplishments in 25 months. Likewise, he also posts collection of videos and articles HERE that discuss the ideas he considers most important.

Because of this thought leadership, this year, Time Magazine named Cory one of the 100 most influential people in the world. One of my former classmates recently said, “I believe he’s leading forward-thinking policy around Urban development, Education, green-space preservation, and more. He’s the mayor of Newark, but he’s become an icon around the world.” And, in the words of one of my friends Suneel Gupta, “It’s been a while since I’ve been truly inspired by a policy maker.”

The buzz today is that Booker represents a new generation of leadership in the US. And that he is transforming Urban America one day at a time. This is why a number of people are going to enjoy going to the event in Chicago next week. So if you feel inspired by reading his background, then perhaps you will join in at one of his events around the country. The one in Chicago is  on 10/10. Let me know if you’ll be there.

You can see more details and sign up for the event here. And should you decide to sign up: you should sign up using the names of my good friends … and change agents Emanuel Pleitez and/or Suneel Gupta.

The ability to negotiate well is one of the most important tools you can have in business. Not only do you negotiate deals with clients and vendors but you also spend time negotiating on your own behalf. For example, we all have to negotiate our own salaries and employment terms. Well, in spite of their importance in business, negotiations is also popular at the law school. And this semester, I’ve been enrolled in a negotiations course where we are learning many of the basics about how to negotiate going forward.

This semester I am taking a negotiations course at the law school. As a JD-MBA, we have the choice to either take the class at the law school or at the business school; and either way, the units count for both schools.  As far as I gather, the two options are pretty similar conceptually. But they do have a couple of tangible differences that can influence which school we decide to take the course at.

The first difference is the principle versus agent distinction. At Kellogg, you negotiate as the principal. This means you take on the role of CEO, or newly hired employee, and think about what your interests are. From there you determine the best strategy and negotiate to come up with the best deal possible.

On the other hand, at the law school, we negotiate as agents (e.g. lawyers). In that role, we think about the best interests of our client, take on the role as representative, and work to structure a deal on the client’s behalf. Unlike our professors at Kellogg, our negotiations professors at the law school are not tenured professors. Instead, they practicing attorneys, who not only negotiate for a living but also get trained to teach negotiations throughout the semester.

Another distinction is the type of students in the class. On the business side, you have people with more experience negotiating. They’ve negotiated deals at banks and consulting firms. They’ve negotiated employment agreements more often since they’ve worked longer. And they have more work experience generally, so that lends itself well to understanding terms of a negotiation. On the other hand, law students tend to be a lot more aggressive. They read more details of the case. Find more loopholes. And are a bit more focused in trying to win.

And finally, another difference is the type of professor that teaches the course. Unlike Kellogg, where negotiations courses are typically taught by tenured faculty, at the law school the class is taught by practicing attorneys. My class is taught by a corporate lawyer at Sidley Austin. He focuses his practice on real estate transactions, where he represents international lenders, real estate funds, investors, public and private companies, and developers.

In general,the course is broken up into a number of negotiations – we usually have one negotiation per week. Before each negotiation, we do a pre-negotiation analysis where we discuss these concepts in the confines of our own positions and interests. This is helpful because it ensures we come to class very prepared.

Likewise, after the negotiations process, we spend the class discussing some of the fundamentals of negotiating. So we talk a lot about things like BATNA, zones of interests, mutual gain, concessions, and reservation points. The terms and tools are good because they help you to remember what things to think about; how to understand your opponents underlying interest; and how to consider the importance of ethics in the process.

In sum, I’d say that the best negotiators create the most value possible, take their fair share, give others value as well, but prevent themselves from being exploited by the other side.

In the end, it pays to know your opponent. Know their strengths and weaknesses. Understand your interests and theirs. And analyze who has the upper hand.

In the words of Sun-tzu (as quoted by Bud Fox in the movie Wall Street) “If your enemy is superior, evade him. If angry, irritate him. If equally matched, fight, and if not split and reevaluate.”

One question on everyone’s mind these days is what are you going to do when you graduate? Have you decided on your summer offer yet? What geography are you going to live in? No matter how hard many of us try to avoid the question, at some point soon many of us are going to have to answer. Especially now. As job postings are starting to expire on the Career Website. And as interviews are just a few weeks away. In the end, this makes many of us wonder how the second year experience will actually end up playing out. Will it be fun? Or will it be a lot more work than expected?

Overall, everyone hears that second year is supposed to be a lot of fun. No more core classes. No more morning classes. Not overwhelmed with extracurricular activities. And hopefully job security at the beginning of the year.

For most, the summer was a bit of a wake up call. That no matter what job we had – even if was our dream job – work was still work. And no matter how bad school might seem in the moment, it’s still usually a lot more enjoyable than work. The bankers and consultants definitely understand the concept after the number of hours they worked this summer. That eventually, the “two year vacation” will come to an end so they have to make the most of it in the second year. Likewise, career changers are also nervous about embarking on a new career and seeing what will be in store for them.

For everyone, in school, we spend two years looking at the world through eyes of the CEO and through the lense of the investor. But after the second year is over, then many of us are back to the trenches. To do the due diligence. Run the analysis. Edit the documents. Create the slides. And travel back and forth between clients.

In that sense, the Kellogg environment, and the Evanston bubble, is pretty nice. We get to be more academic and get to have more fun for a two year period. But soon enough, we’ll have to change again. We’ll have to perform again. We have to get reviews again. As a result, many people are thinking a lot about how they want to spend their second year. How much they want to recruit for the job of their dreams. When to give in and accept an offer. How hard to work in class. And how to take advantage of everything they didn’t get to do before school.

In sum, they wonder how to spend their second year. How would you spend your second year in business school?

Firms with MBA recruiting teams spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on recruiting activities. They put together marketing materials, organize email campaigns, ask current students for recommendations, create new websites, and last but not least they send consultants to campus to interact with students. One way that the consultants interact is by means of atrium hours. Another way is by having large information sessions. Additionally, one final way they do this is also by having Coffee Chats.

Class of 2012 and 2013, welcome to campus. I’m sure all of you are looking forward to recruiting as the year goes on. Dressing up in formal clothes every day. Having questions prepared. Submitting resumes and cover letters. And of course the coffee chats you have with every single firm you’re interested in.

So what are coffee chats you ask? Well, coffee chats are informal discussions with firm employees at a local coffee shop in Evanston. About a week ahead of time, you pick a time slot that works for you, and you meet one of the employees/ campus representatives to chat with them about the firm. Such conversations will enable you to meet the people from different office locations and learn more about the firm and its culture. Everyone that wants to go to a certain industry usually takes part in these chats, even if they know everything possible to know about a firm. It’s protocal.

In general, there’s a lot of advice people tend to give about how to approach the chats. Be prepared. Be likable. Don’t be too aggressive; especially for 2 on 1 coffee chats with classmates. Sell yourself a little but still be subtle. And most of all have good questions. And these tips apply across industries.

In banking, you want to have as many of these as possible and that the person who will be interviewing you should absolutely know who you are before that interview. In consulting, you want to have at least one with each firm. That way you show interest, get the chance to make a good impression, and learn more and more about firm culture to see what firm you fit in the best.

In the end, people often debate the value of these chats. Further, some second years have more or less given up on them. In my view though, the chats are pretty useful. Not just because you learn more about the firm and have a better shot at getting hired, but also because most of these folks at Kellogg alum and will work in many industries you’re interested in over time.

Either way, I suspect you’ll be gong on these chats no matter what industry you go into. So I hope you like coffee.

One thing we’ve all come to find in business school is that most of us are a lot busier than we ever expected. We spend more time looking for jobs. More time writing cover letters. And more time working on our assignments, even though in many cases we don’t have to. Given that, the question that comes to mind then is, how much does it matter if we decide to waste a little bit of time? And is it possible that wasting time might actually be good for us?

On one side of the argument is “Absolutely not.” Things here are busy and opportunities are abound. Wasting time means not pursuing as many things. Not meeting as many people. Not taking advantage of everything the school has to offer.

On the other side of the argument is that wasting time is critical. It allows you to recover when you’re tired. To get away from the chaos and reflect on life. And experience joy in the midst of the ups and downs of business school.

The arguments on both sides are good. In fact, so good that it’s hard for many people to actually take a stand.  Personally, I don’t like to waste much time. I fill as much of my day in as possible. Back to back meetings. Emailing more and more people. Writing blogs posts in advance.  And going to as many events as possible.

But even though I’m like to do that, every now and then, I get a little less productive and I come to realize that I’d be much better off doing nothing for a few hours. In essence, wasting a bit of time. That said, perhaps more important than deciding “whether” to waste time, then is to decide “how” to waste time.

Wasting time ineffectively is useless. Because not only are you missing out on the opportunities to study, meet more people, network with more employers and accomplish more things by working harder, but you’re also missing out on downtime. The time that you need to recover and reflect on things in your life. Likewise, you also miss out on the happiness that you feel by wasting time and indulging in those activities that make you happiest of all. In the end, you miss out on both sides.

In sum, If you’re going to waste time in business school, waste it effectively.

Right now, I’m wasting time by watching college football on the couch with my awesome roommate Greg Sherman. What about you? How are you wasting time?

JD-MBAs are some of the most interesting students on campus. New students in the program go to classes like contracts and torts, and then they start thinking about law firms such as Kirkland & Ellis, Mayer Brown, and my firm Vedder Price.  Second year students are a world apart. They move up to Evanston start taking classes in finance and marketing,and then they spend the next few months looking at firms like McKinsey, Bain, and Blackstone, among others. And then there are the third year students. We  head back and forth between both campuses, split their time with classmates in Chicago and in Evanston, and are trying to decide whether to go into law or business. And because of all these disparate experiences, we often come together in a big group to support each other through the process.

Well just yesterday we formally came together for the very first time.  Most people arrived about twenty minutes after the event started and found their way to the top floor of the building where the event was held. We spent most of the time there trying to meet some of the 1Js (first year JD-MBAs) and also reconnecting with ones that we had already met.

The 1Js had the goal of trying to better understand the student experience. They wondered how their first midterms and finals would be. If law school would be as hard as people say it is. If they’d have to keep working hard for all three years.

The 2Js had the goal of asking about how hard Kellogg would be. Would recruiting be competitive? Should they recruit for one industry or another? And what would be the impact of working in the law for the summer? On the other hand, the 2Js also provided real time practical advice for the 1Js. Given they just finished their first year, they not only remembered vivid details of the experience but they also had strong opinions.  Things like when to move to Evanston. How to schedule your finals. What exams to pass out of. And how to make it through 1L.

3J had the goal of meeting the people they hadn’t met yet. Give some of us are smack dab in the middle of recruiting right now, some of us still haven’t met as many people as we’d like.  We were fielding questions from both the 1Js and 2Js about our experiences so far, and how it was finally splitting our time between two campuses.

But more important than giving tips on how to maximize the JD-MBA experience is that just yesterday we all took a moment to meet everyone in the program. To not only discuss how to fine tune your career strategy at Kellogg or the law school but also think about ways to connect with everyone in the program and hear about all the interesting paths many JD-MBAs had taken.

We heard about Js that are going to Cravath, Cooley, and Kirkland on the legal side. Others who are in a highly competitive Venture Capital program here at Kellogg and starting their own businesses that span a number of industries. Others who spent time at Lehman and Goldman before the program. And some recruiting with McKinsey, Bain and BCG as we speak.

And in the end, no matter how tough the program feels at times, events like this remind us that we indeed have a pretty special group.

Many of us never thought we’d admit it, but it sure is great to be back on campus in Evanston again. Even though me and many of my classmates didn’t actually leave Evanston this summer, we sure did feel like we were miles and miles away.  We spent the majority of our working day in downtown Chicago, we didn’t see classmates nearly as much as we  wanted to. And not only did we have to work straight through most of the day but some of us also had to pull late nighters for work as well.  Fortunately, those days are over, and today we begin our journey at Kellogg once again.

The are a few very obvious reasons why Evanston was very different over the summer.  First, was because of everyone’s return back to the professional world. Even though many of us couldn’t wait to get back to work and make money again, the return was a nice reminder of how good we have it in graduate school and especially business school. No performance reviews. No “hard” deadlines every day.  No chance of getting fired.  And the ability to go to the gym or hang out at any time during the day. On the other hand, at work during the summer, we had to work for ten straight weeks. Most of us had at least two reviews over the summer.  And some people worked more time than they’ve ever worked before. In fact, one classmates told me that he worked all but five days this summer; and that included weekends.

Secondly, many of us also didn’t get a chance to see our classmates as much as we wanted to. Without all of their energy, Chicago felt like an entirely different place.  Park Evanston, for example, had more undergrads than I’d ever seen, many of which were here just for the summer. Likewise, the local Whole Foods had far less students than I was used to. During the school year, at every turn, we run into classmates, but in the summer, that just didn’t happen as much. The same thing is true of the gym.

So coming back to campus feels great. It means there is a lot more people and energy here again. And not just because of my class but also because the class of 2013 is also here, starting last week with their first week of class, first final exam (pre-term), and first TG.  And now, Evanston is jam packed with students, many with nervous excitement because of the first year or because of the upcoming recruiting schedule. And many also nervous about their first class ever today.

Going forward, hopefully I’ll be able to capture some of this excitement. Discuss recruiting and how the environment shapes up.  Describe events, not only on campus but also in Chicago.  And as always answer questions about admissions, careers, and recruiting that are relevant to my readers.   Hopefully you’ll continue reading along the way!

The business school experience is quite the social experience. Especially at Kellogg, which has long been considered one of the most social MBA programs in the world.  From the second you step foot on campus, you constantly meet new classmates, take part in group and section activities, meet faculty members, and network not only with employers trying to find a job but also with alumni who you will see over and over again.  In the process, most of us have come to find that one of the hardest things to do is to actually remember everyone’s name. So at Kellogg, there is one thing the students do to help with the process. We play the “Name Game.”

At Kellogg, the name game is one important part of our culture.  And I suspect that just about everyone here has played it their fare share of times. They played it from the moment they stepped foot on campus as a first year. And they facilitated it for first years when they became second year students.

Here is how it works.  We have everyone line up in a circle. We pick someone to start the game by saying their name and then picking an adjective that starts with the same letter (e.g. example “Jumping Josh). In addition to that, you can also have the person say where they are from, give an interesting fact, or talk about which program they are in at Kellogg. That way, it’s not entirely about the name but also about getting to know people a little better.

Now, after the first person has gone, the next person is up. They have to say the last person’s name and adjective and then give their name and adjective. Next, you go to the next person who has to give the names of both people before them. Ultimately, you keep moving around the circle, and repeating everyone’s names and adjectives until the last person has to say the names and adjectives of everyone in the circle in order.  It’s not always easy to remember names but I’ve come to find that having the adjectives is pretty helpful.

The next question you probably have is when do we play?  Well, we do it on KWEST when we need to learn the names of our KWEST mates, which is important because we spend every minute of the day with them for a full week. We also do it in our sections to help us learn the names of our first classmates in MORS and in Strategy. And finally we do it in many of the clubs we join. Particularly the tight knit clubs, where its important to get to know each other personally rather than just professionally.

I mean just think about it. Over the course of your first few weeks at Kellogg, you are put into a new environment with over 600 complete strangers. And we all go to the same building every day. Take many of the same classes. Go to the same events. And recruit for the same activities.

Given my experience, the name game is a really good way to help break the ice and connect with classmates. In an environment filled with quick interactions and not enough to meet everyone, knowing people’s names is one great way to build rapport faster. Because in the end, the MBA experience is not just about the classes or the jobs but ultimately it’s about the people.

Some of people at business school come with a very precise idea of what they want to do. They know what they want to recruit for. They know what function they want to work in for the long run. And they know exactly what clubs they want to join. On the other hand, when others show up on campus, they do not have such a clear idea of what they are interested in. Well, next week, people are going to have to start making decisions fast. First years will have to sign up for clubs and leadership positions. Second years will have to start talking with firms on campus about full time employment. Let the games begin!

Next week, many firms will finally be coming to campus. Dinners with people at investment banks. Coffee chats with folks from consulting firms. And discussions with club leaders so you can take over the reigns the following year. At management consulting firms like McKinsey or Bain, there will be long lines to chat with the employees. Students that can’t wait to start practicing cases for a shot to interview and work at the firm. They learns the mechanics of what to so. Practice calculating market sizes. And work on delivering the final summary of the case.

Likewise, students will also be lined up for firms like Proctor and Gamble, brand management company that makes products. After all, Kellogg is king when it comes to marketing. These students will be studying their favorite brands, thinking about commercials, and practicing calculating break event points.

This is all understandable, given we’re second years now and that we’re all finally searching for our full time jobs after graduation. But it’s just tricky given it all starts the moment we get back to campus and the first day of classes. It means that you don’t actually get much time to think about what you really want to do.  But instead you have to have a good sense and get ready to take action early.

For those that don’t have a good sense, then they have to take action on multiple industries until they do decide, at which point they can narrow down what they’re working on. The problem here is that time is limited and that it’s impossible to recruit for too many things effectively. Alternatively, another option is to resist taking action until you do figure out what you want to do. But the risk here is that you miss the opportunity to work at certain companies or in certain industries.

In the end, there’s no right way to approach it. Do the best you can to change industries, take the path of least resistance, recruit for the most common industries, or recruit on your ow terms. All valid options depending on who you are.

Either way, as the pre-term class is coming to the end and as the weekend approaches, second year students will be thinking about this a bit more this weekend. It will be interesting to see what everyone here decides

Last week, I had the great privilege of attending my first Board Meeting as a member of the Cristo Rey High School board of directors.  And even though I had to travel from Evanston all the way to the south side of Chicago, it was definitely worth the trip. Not only did I get a chance to see a high-powered charter school in person but I also got the chance to meet a very powerful board team and watch members of the Cristo Rey staff in action. And at the meeting, we learned a number of new things about the school and discussed the school’s plan for success in the future.

At long last, months after figuring out that I’d be sitting on Cristo Rey’s board through the Kellogg Board Fellows program, I finally attending my first meeting with Cristo Rey. And I’m quite thrilled with how everything went. The other new members were not only pretty interesting group but also had very impressive backgrounds. On one side of me was a partner from the Boston Consulting Group. Ironically, I had met him during the MBA recruiting process a year or two back, and he recognized me the moment he walked into the room. To his right was a partner at the prestigious Chicago law firm Winston and Strawn. On my other side sat an entrepreneur. And across the table was none other than Chris Perry. In addition to being on the Executive Committee of Loyola Academy, Chris currently serves as chairman of the Board for Cristo Rey.

ONe takeaway after seeing the diverse set of board members is that social impact can come from many different areas. Not only from high paying roles like consulting and corporate law but also roles in the entrepreneurship and not for profit spaces.  Another takeaway was the ability to have impact from both the law side and business side. That both can play a role in having impact and helping to push great organizations forward to do things that they couldn’t have done themselves.

As I mentioned, this specific meeting was an introduction to the organization for incoming board members. In the meeting we discussed a large number of important topics. First we talked about the mission of the organization and the staff highlighted what it was that the organization stood for. Formally, the school’s mission statement from the website is: “Cristo Rey Jesuit High School offers a Catholic college preparatory education for the immigrant families of Chicago’s near southwest side.”

We also talked about the kids and how the goal was to change their lives and improve their chances of success not only academically but also professionally.  And one way the school does that is by having skill building programs that set them up to do well in their work placements. Next, we talked about the admissions and financial process and what that looked like over the past few years.

Toward the end of the meeting, we discussed a few of the governance issues at play. We learned about the rest of the board members and committees and what those committees will do this year. Personally, I’ll be spending time on either the Governance committee or the Programs Committee, either or which whould be a pretty interesting experience.

Likewise, we talked about the composition of the board, and the goal to have the board be more reflective of the actual student body at Cristo Rey. Over the long run, the school wants more hispanic women for positions on the board but finding them is harder given the demographic of its usual board members.

And finally, we ended the meeting by looking at the financial health of the school. And I must say, the numbers sure did speak for themselves. We learned that the organization has been immensely healthy over the past years.  That not only was the budget well-run but also that donors were continuing to give and employers were continuing to work with Cristo Rey even in the current economic malaise. It was actually pretty impressive.

In the end, it was clear that the organization had the talent and resources to keep having impact. It was also clear that the new members were committed and excited to get started in the new academic year.  I look forward to working with the group and hopefully playing a part in the continued success of the students over the upcoming months.

Thanks Kellogg for the great opportunity to take the role as part of the Kellogg Board Fellows program.