Life after my MBA in Madrid

The capacity to listen to yourself and to others is, in my opinion, an undervalued but important trait that is intrinsic to learning. The MBA course helped me learn these lessons and find my way. The most fulfilling moment, at the end of the day, is realizing that you have made the right choice, and I believe I did.

It is crucial to understand that your perception and attitude are lenses with which you look into your own world and towards your own truth. Your norms and values, your beliefs and opinions result in specific behavior. As you are part of an MBA group of around 30 different nationalities it is expected that there are many differences. I had an entrepreneur from Iran, an architect from Spain, a biochemist from the USA, a doctor from Sudan, and a film producer from Colombia in my class. Being among such diversity makes it necessary to be respectful, while having dignity and convictions are also extremely important. Intrinsic motivation is obviously needed if you want to perform well and enjoy an MBA. I'd like to refer you to two inspiring short films. One is from Dan Pink (´RSA Animate´ on Youtube) and the other is of Simon Sinek (´Inspire Action´ on www.ted.com). Both show surprising sides of motivation.

I think that you need to be capable of finding the right balance between your books and your social network. Through events, lectures, company visits etc, you can profit as an MBA alumni from newly acquired contacts. Last but not least, I would like to share a quote from Anil Joshi (www.Itida.nl) which I find quite applicable if you are thinking of conducting an MBA or are currently studying: “Even when you do nothing, do it with intensity”.

I believe the combination of interesting people with different backgrounds and business experience leads to creative and new ideas. During the second half of the year a lot of time was dedicated to setting up our own business. My team and I came up with RED de GANADO, which utilized our entrepreneurial skills This was an integral solution for the livestock sector of Spain, which is in need of modernization in order to achieve more cost effective ways to conduct business, and to align itself with the internet economics of the 21th century.

If you want to find out more, check out the video we made for the final investor pitch for the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid Business panel: https://vimeo.com/45622326.

Brilliant! The people, the food and the weather amazed me. The daily mix of culture and vibrant night life has been far above expectations and made studying an MBA here very enjoyable.

In 2010 I climbed the 6,150m high Stok Kangri for charity (www.atmachallenge.org). It was a beautiful experience which I highly recommend. My goal is to climb at least two more mountains, on two different continents, both preferably higher than the last. Running a marathon is also on the bucket list! If I hadn’t done an MBA I would probably be traveling and trying to accomplish these endeavors. 

Marketing guru Philip Kotler once said: “Today you have to run faster to stay in the same place”. Nowadays this applies even more. In a very rapidly changing world, it is essential to know what you want in the future without forgetting to live in the present. Goals are important, but to hold too rigidly to them will only bring you frustration. Future managers need to be the ‘trend trackers’ and ‘opportunity seekers’ of the company in their life after an MBA. Keep looking around you, otherwise you miss chances.

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid is a great institute full of people who make the MBA experience very special. After graduation, the small but fast growing MBA alumni network is a useful platform where you can share contacts, knowledge and stories. That’s added value; use it to your advantage.

This article is sponsored by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.