It is 23.00 here in Genoa, but I feel like it is much later.... or earlier in the morning. Perhaps I still have a bit of Singapore time left in me. Out there it is 5.00AM now.
Yesterday morning my parents picked me up in Frankfurt airport. They left Denmark on Monday and had via Bremen taken the trip through part of the Rhine valley. From Frankfurt we drove west towards Strassbourg, where we caught the so-called Alsace Whine Route. The route goes through 170km of vineyards at the foot of the Vosgian mountains, small picturesque villages with colorful houses and flowers everywhere. It looks like it is straight out of a fairytale. We had apparently hit the peak of the harvesting season, so everywhere we met these tall funny looking grape-picking-machines and tractors with trailers full of grapes. We went into a small place to buy some wine, but they were so busy harvesting that they barely had time to serve us. We got our wine, though, and we also found small places where we could get bread, cheese and sausage, so finally dinner was secured. French dinner that is. Awesome!
Alsace has throughout history been thrown back and forth between Germany and France, but since 1919 it has been in French hands. The German influence is still significant and everywhere you see names that are a mix of German and French. Just take the small town of Dambach La Ville as an example, or Haut-Koeningensburg – and old castle on mountaintop where we stopped by. In the late afternoon we found the highway back to Lausanne, had our awesome French purchases for dinner and went straight to bed.
This morning I had the pleasure to show my parents around the school. They saw the dungeons, the powernap room, the auditorium, the canteen and all the other places that have been the center of our lives for the past nine months. Most of all they met the people I have been working so closely with. I have been gone for three weeks, which is an eternity at IMD. Trying to catch up with everyone on what had happened during those three weeks proved impossible. I will have to spend all of next week doing that.
In the afternoon I got on my motorbike and headed off towards Genoa with my parents in the car behind me. My girlfriend now lives in Genoa in Northern Italy and I will be moving here when done in Lausanne in December. This was a good time to bring the motorbike here for good. I am out for a big part of October and if we get into November it gets too cold and too risky to move it. The six hour drive was quite an experience. Particularly the winding road on the way up to the St Bernard mountain pass reminded me of the motorbike trip in France only a month ago. We started with sun and 22C in Lausanne, were hit by 12C and rain on the Italian side of the St Bernard tunnel and ended up with 26C upon arrival here in Genoa.
Now I have a day and a half to catch up on things with my girlfriend, my parents, my email, my homework for next week and all the other things I have neglected for the past three weeks. There is no such thing as a full-off weekend just yet.
Showing posts with label lausanne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lausanne. Show all posts
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
EQ and Karaoke
It is early evening in the dungeons and it is buzzing with activity everywhere. The work on the assignment for Operations is mixed with preparations for the Karaoke party that is just about to start. Teams are getting together either in study groups or in groups of nationalities. I can hear the Spanish speaking group practicing. Sounds like they are having fun. I know that both the Germans and the Dutch also have prepared something. The Karaoke party is hosted by the 5 Japanese in the class, Misayo Matsumoto, Ryo Abe, Sato Konagai, Naoto Tsushima and Tatsuo Sato and is held in the IMD restaurant. This will be the first time we will have a real party together. I am sure it will be loads of fun!
It has been another intense day today. In the morning we were working on our Economics projects. After lunch we were all loaded into a bus and taken to central Lausanne. This was part of the 'Leading People for Performance' class with Martha Maznevski and the object was to learn how to observe and evaluate the level of Emotionel Intelligence (EQ) in both other people and ourselves. Based on some pre-reading we had prepared different ways of observing and interacting with people on the street. My group was asking people for directions or help with something and measured them across a number of parameters in order to gauge the EQ.
Back home in class we discussed the outcome of the exercise and we took an EQ test ourselves. The results gave some good food for thought.
It was amazing to register how sunlight, movement and interaction with other people could completely re-energize the class although we were only in downtown for an hour. A good warmup for the party tonight.
I am already late for the Karaoke.
Waiting for the bus - Left to right:
Stefano Giussani [Italian], John Callaghan [British], Juan Benitez [Columbian], José Luiz Mesquita [Brazilian], Arturas Bumblys [Lithuanian], Fill Niu [Chinese], Carsten Bremer [German]
It has been another intense day today. In the morning we were working on our Economics projects. After lunch we were all loaded into a bus and taken to central Lausanne. This was part of the 'Leading People for Performance' class with Martha Maznevski and the object was to learn how to observe and evaluate the level of Emotionel Intelligence (EQ) in both other people and ourselves. Based on some pre-reading we had prepared different ways of observing and interacting with people on the street. My group was asking people for directions or help with something and measured them across a number of parameters in order to gauge the EQ.
Back home in class we discussed the outcome of the exercise and we took an EQ test ourselves. The results gave some good food for thought.
It was amazing to register how sunlight, movement and interaction with other people could completely re-energize the class although we were only in downtown for an hour. A good warmup for the party tonight.
I am already late for the Karaoke.
Waiting for the bus - Left to right:
Stefano Giussani [Italian], John Callaghan [British], Juan Benitez [Columbian], José Luiz Mesquita [Brazilian], Arturas Bumblys [Lithuanian], Fill Niu [Chinese], Carsten Bremer [German]
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Fish and Feedback
What a day! Actually, what a couple of days! This week has been held almost entirely in the name of leadership starting with classes on what drives human behaviour and interaction; the conscious versus the unconscious, the rational versus the irrational, group dynamics, authority, projections, etc.
Yesterday, we were all taken to by bus to a spot some 30 minutes from Lausanne, where we spent the whole day outdoors doing different group exercises. Each group had their own coach, who would facilitate the exercises and record everything on video. No formal leadership was appointed in the groups, so it was up to the groups themselves to work these things out. The exercises were designed to bring out the dynamics within the groups and they definitely did. After each exercise was a de-briefing where all members could air their concerns with regards to the way the group handled the given task.
After a long day in the Swiss mountains we returned to the school to watch the videos that had been shot during the day. Scary stuff! It is amazing what it does to watch yourself on video. I think many of us realized last night that we are not quite acting the way we think we are. It is not a very nice feeling, but it is better to know. Then you can at least do something about it.
Watching the videos also gave us the opportunity to get the ‘fish’ on the table. ‘Fish’ is IMD language for the things that we as individuals normally suppress in order to keep up our façade and avoid conflict. Fish that are left under the table starts to stink and can eventually spoil the air in the room to an extent where it is impossible to get any proper work done. It is incredible how much fish that can build up in a little more than a week. It is tough to get it on the table, but it needs to be done. And it was being done, was my impression. When my group went home at 01.30 the light was still on in half of the other rooms in the dungeons.
This morning the focus was on giving feedback between the groups and the afternoon was spent giving one-on-one feedback between the individual group members. The last exercise was the toughest of them all. You basically just sit quiet and still, while your seven team members one-by-one in a direct and very honest way say what they like and don’t like about you. Ouch. It is scary, how precise they are after only a week. It was my impression that everyone went home with something to think about. I am definitely one of them.
As I was preparing what I would should say about my team members, there was one line from the assignment instructions that kept ringing in my head: ‘Remember, feedback says as much about the giver as it does about the receiver’. Ouch again.
Tomorrow is even more feedback. This time in the shape of a personal session with the coach that has been facilitating and observing for the past two days.
Staying so far out of your comfort zone for such an extended period of time just drains your energy at an incredible rate. I think many of us are left with a mixed feeling of relief and emotional exhaustion. I look so much forward to a full night's sleep and a weekend that actually does leave some room for other things than homework.
For the first time since we got here the sun finally broke through the fog covering Lake Geneva and cleared the view to the mountains on the other side. It is incredibly beautiful on a clear day in Lausanne!
Yesterday, we were all taken to by bus to a spot some 30 minutes from Lausanne, where we spent the whole day outdoors doing different group exercises. Each group had their own coach, who would facilitate the exercises and record everything on video. No formal leadership was appointed in the groups, so it was up to the groups themselves to work these things out. The exercises were designed to bring out the dynamics within the groups and they definitely did. After each exercise was a de-briefing where all members could air their concerns with regards to the way the group handled the given task.
After a long day in the Swiss mountains we returned to the school to watch the videos that had been shot during the day. Scary stuff! It is amazing what it does to watch yourself on video. I think many of us realized last night that we are not quite acting the way we think we are. It is not a very nice feeling, but it is better to know. Then you can at least do something about it.
Watching the videos also gave us the opportunity to get the ‘fish’ on the table. ‘Fish’ is IMD language for the things that we as individuals normally suppress in order to keep up our façade and avoid conflict. Fish that are left under the table starts to stink and can eventually spoil the air in the room to an extent where it is impossible to get any proper work done. It is incredible how much fish that can build up in a little more than a week. It is tough to get it on the table, but it needs to be done. And it was being done, was my impression. When my group went home at 01.30 the light was still on in half of the other rooms in the dungeons.
This morning the focus was on giving feedback between the groups and the afternoon was spent giving one-on-one feedback between the individual group members. The last exercise was the toughest of them all. You basically just sit quiet and still, while your seven team members one-by-one in a direct and very honest way say what they like and don’t like about you. Ouch. It is scary, how precise they are after only a week. It was my impression that everyone went home with something to think about. I am definitely one of them.
As I was preparing what I would should say about my team members, there was one line from the assignment instructions that kept ringing in my head: ‘Remember, feedback says as much about the giver as it does about the receiver’. Ouch again.
Tomorrow is even more feedback. This time in the shape of a personal session with the coach that has been facilitating and observing for the past two days.
Staying so far out of your comfort zone for such an extended period of time just drains your energy at an incredible rate. I think many of us are left with a mixed feeling of relief and emotional exhaustion. I look so much forward to a full night's sleep and a weekend that actually does leave some room for other things than homework.
For the first time since we got here the sun finally broke through the fog covering Lake Geneva and cleared the view to the mountains on the other side. It is incredibly beautiful on a clear day in Lausanne!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Getting the balance right
The great thing about Switzerland is that the sun gets up a bit earlier and sets a bit later than in Denmark. The bad thing is that it doesn't matter because you are anyway in a classroom from 8 to 17.30 every day. Today was a bit different as we were released an hour early. I used the opportunity to dig out my running shoes and go for a jog for the first time since I arrived two weeks ago. The mountains around Lausanne are absolutely no fun for a Dane, so I ran the only flat stretch in the city, which is along the lake. I am by no means a natural runner, but I have been running for many years now as I always have found it the easiest sport to fit in with a busy schedule. You are to a large degree independent of time, space and other people. All you need is a pair of running shoes and you are good to go. As a bonus you get to know the area that you are in. Today I discovered that I live 300m from the Olympic Museum. The museum is in Lausanne as the International Olympic Committee has its headquarters here.
It was so rejuvenating to get some fresh air in the lungs and let the body work, while the head for once could take a rest. It is amazing what a difference it does to your mental health. The time spent getting some regular exercise come back plentiful in terms of increased motivation and efficiency. The same goes for sleep, if you ask me. The more we cut back on sleep to get things done the more inefficient we come, and the less we sleep..... and so goes the vicious circle. I don't think I am giving away any secrets when I say that most major MBA programs are built around the notion that the students must be loaded up with more material and tasks than they ever can handle unless they develop smart and efficient ways of getting things done. The IMD MBA is no different. So why is exercise and sleep the first two things we cut away when we get busy. It is definitely not efficient. The funny thing with time is that when we have it, we use it, but when we don't have it we get things done anyway. With that in mind I have promised myself to keep a proper balance this year and to keep exercise and sleep in the equation, when I do my priorities. It is much easier said than done, though, and so far I haven't done very good on this point. I guess this is one (of many) reasons that an MBA is something you need to LIVE and not just read about.
It was so rejuvenating to get some fresh air in the lungs and let the body work, while the head for once could take a rest. It is amazing what a difference it does to your mental health. The time spent getting some regular exercise come back plentiful in terms of increased motivation and efficiency. The same goes for sleep, if you ask me. The more we cut back on sleep to get things done the more inefficient we come, and the less we sleep..... and so goes the vicious circle. I don't think I am giving away any secrets when I say that most major MBA programs are built around the notion that the students must be loaded up with more material and tasks than they ever can handle unless they develop smart and efficient ways of getting things done. The IMD MBA is no different. So why is exercise and sleep the first two things we cut away when we get busy. It is definitely not efficient. The funny thing with time is that when we have it, we use it, but when we don't have it we get things done anyway. With that in mind I have promised myself to keep a proper balance this year and to keep exercise and sleep in the equation, when I do my priorities. It is much easier said than done, though, and so far I haven't done very good on this point. I guess this is one (of many) reasons that an MBA is something you need to LIVE and not just read about.
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