Up Periscope

On Sunday, October the 9th we concluded our opening residency for the KSU Executive MBA Class of 2018. Commonly referred to as “Drinking from a Firehose”, the week started with three days of intense learning (and lots of eating) at the KSU Center and concluded with a retreat at the Ridges Resort in Hiawassee, Georgia. Students begin the week as strangers and end the week knowing each other’s names and other minor details such as their DISC personality profile, strengths and weaknesses, fears and aspirations, dietary restrictions, drink(s) of choice, work history and family life, just to name a few.

One major component of the weekend is the “Income/Outcome” board game simulation (WE BALANCE!) where teams compete to successfully run a fictional manufacturing company. While the objective of the simulation is to enhance everyone’s understanding of business acumen through application, it is also the first true teaming exercise of the program.

With program-long teaming, the opening residency and retreat is an important foundation and an opportunity for the teams to develop personal and professional relationships that will remain in place long after they have graduated.

Initially known by their team numbers, teams form team names and mission statements. One such team went with the name “Periscope” as one of their team members had a naval background. There are many fitting analogies here.

The Opening Residency is the equivalent of a deep dive; you just can’t skim the surface. For those with non-business undergraduate degrees (and those who remember wearing parachute pants in college), it’s an opportunity to refresh their knowledge of business acumen.

For those students that work in silos, an Executive MBA program is a great opportunity to view the world through a different lens as they set their sights on advancing their career.

To get the most out of their Executive MBA journey, students will need to immerse themselves in the process and soak it all in. And, like a Periscope, they’ll need to keep their head above water...