Mellie Chow’s Incredible EMBA Journey Continues…
Toronto International Week and Global Network Friends
School’s back in session after a brief summer hiatus! And returning from the Kellogg Live-in week high point we were re-energized and ready to dive back into Module 3 of our demanding EMBA journey.
Our journey thus far (also outlined below) started with completing Module 1. There we came face-to-face with our own crash of ineptitude. Then we salvaged the pieces of our broken ego through small wiggles of hope only to plummet directly into the valley of tears, based on the intense concurrent course-load and the constant work-life balance juggling act. There was a bright spot towards the end of Module 2 as we got lifted right back up to the highest point in the program so far – the Kellogg Live-In Week.
Now though, we enter the third quarter syndrome. NASA studies the effects on the human body and psychological state for space travel, as well as the effects on teams in confined spaces. NASA defined third-quarter syndrome as the point where morale and motivation decline three-quarters of the way into a mission, regardless of how long the mission. Sure enough, the effects of third-quarter syndrome and growth fatigue started to take its toll during module 3. Having said that, I was particularly pleased with the opportunities in Module 3 to really apply the core EMBA learnings to ventures that I have always wanted to explore, like an actionable growth strategy for our family-owned business.
We also had the opportunity to host the global network during Toronto International Week at the end of October. The courses were an IT Strategy and Digital Transformation as well as a Mergers and Acquisitions course. International week couldn’t have come at a better time as it was a welcomed break that enabled us to rekindle old friends from the global network and foster new friendships as well. It really reinvigorated us!
We are now en route and gearing up for our Global Electives to round out our Kellogg-Schulich EMBA experience and thrilled to see the light at the end of the tunnel!