Blonde MBADocumenting the life of a blonde MBA student in sunny California. Maybe some blondes DO have brains!

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” I probably didn’t say ‘Blonde MBA’ at the age of 5, but now that I actually AM a Blonde MBA, I have to start planning my career strategy for what I want DO with my MBA when I graduate in 16 short months…

My school’s Career Management Center is an integral part of the life of a full-time MBA. At orientation, they said that that 90% of MBA students say they know what they want to do when they enter the program, and 90% of MBA students are lying. Most of us really don’t know what we plan to do with our MBA degree (or will change our mind in the course of the program :)).

As if it wasn’t enough that I  made the decision to get my MBA, I have now taken 4 personality tests within 1 week of school starting to determine: my strengths, what type of thinker I am, how I best learn, and now, what career paths best suit me. Half of them are right, half of them not…I mean, I’m getting  my MBA to be a bus driver? Are you kidding me?

Obviously kidding…I can’t drive… but hopefully this career assessment (and meetings with the Career Management Center) will give me good insight on the various career paths that I might enjoy and help me come up with a good strategy for getting the job I want upon graduation!

Today’s economics class: “What are the microeconomic causes of the sub-prime crisis?” This is probably the first of many questions are going to go over my head as I’m going through my MBA program, but I’m alright with that! Today was the first day of class, and I can always attribute these to being a Blonde MBA…

Just kidding, but I do not pretend to have a clue about things that I really, actually have no clue about. One of the key parts about going through the MBA program is being prepared, staying on top of the times and current events, and being able to defend all sides of a case study (which I think I am better at, given a little information)…

Of course, in staying on top of the current events and pursuing the studies that interest me for a career, it’s much easier for me to pay attention to topics that interest me in the fields of my choice…finance and banking are obviously NOT my field of choice!

Anyway, meet one of my new best friends…

Staying on top of the times...

So, one of my recent hobbies, which in large part has led to me now writing my OWN blog, has been reading blogs on a variety of topics.  I have completely stumbled onto these blogs, starting with my searches to find good fashion deals (P.S. tip: blogs put more text onto a website to make it more searchable, thus probably how I found them), then going from link to link between blogs on random topics.

I find this whole blog process fascinating, and it has today tied right in with my studies, namely my first MBA class on the topics of strategy and competitive advantage…

Print media (namely magazines and newspapers) has been in decline in recent months, likely due in part to the recession, and even more so to the ease of access and low cost of information for consumers via the internet. That being said, magazines have had to emphasize their website content, in addition to their print subscriptions,  to reach viewers that have easier access to a computer than a newsstand.

Glamour.com is currently the source of 3-4 blogs I check on a regular basis (what with catchy titles like “Slaves to Fashion”, “Storked!”, and “Margarita Shapes Up”, it’s hard to resist :)). Its print version, Glamour magazine has had declining subscription sales of last few months and has reinvented its strategy around it’s blogs, which have increased its online readership and thus driven up site traffic as cited in this article. Glamour.com is rewriting its entire site around original site content not found in its print subscription that will be updated daily as well as adding 5-6 new blogs on different topics and linked to other Condé Nast titles.

I  know I check out the blogs every day, as I don’t like to shell out the dough I’m now having to use on textbooks! For the rest of the article, go here…

I just saw the new Woody Allen movie, Vicky Christina Barcelona, a couple of nights ago. I love Woody Allen movies for two reasons: 1) the ongoing dialogue reminiscent of Woody himself (if he’s not in the film already), and 2) with his recent films in London and now Barcelona, and before that New York City, he really gives you an authentic and local sense of the place through the characters that live there in the films. (Of course I haven’t been to Barcelona, but hope it’s just like that when I visit!)

The best line in the movie came from man who played Javier Bardem’s character’s dad…he portrayed an old, Spanish-speaking only poet who had never published his poems. When Vicky asks Juan Antonio (Bardem) why, he says it’s because the old man “hates the world” and doesn’t think it deserves his poetry.

This is true I suppose with any joy or wisdom you might gain in the world…if you hate the world and those in it, don’t share it and ‘let them suffer’ (or just not know what they’re missing out on :)). If you love the world and seek to make it a better place though, feel free to share…just don’t expect everyone to understand or learn from it.

In getting ready for that first day of school, one of my favorite parts (at least when I was younger), was school shopping - getting everything new and figuring out what kind of style you wanted to have. Of course, back THEN, it usually fit into the fads in some way, i.e. trapper keeper vs. photo collage binder, slap bracelet vs. friendship bracelet, nikes vs. doc martens…the list changed every year.

In going back for my MBA, now I am need of a laptop bag…not the most EXCITING accessory, but this has been the first MBA style decision I get to make (unfortunately, it still has to be pretty practical for the laptop & oversize textbooks).

I bought 2 bags the other day because I couldn’t decide, as I found both at a pretty good deal, then still couldn’t decide so bought another bag online. I figured I’d post them all to see if anyone wanted to comment and help me decide! Here they are:

Nine West bowler bag

Latico shoulder bag

Timbuk2 Marina Laptop Handbag

Which one would you pick?
~ Blonde MBA

I just completed my first day of MBA orientation…mixing and mingling with my soon-to-be fellow MBA classmates, going through the dreaded icebreakers (which weren’t too bad considering what they could have been), and going over the numerous opportunities that we would have even just starting out this first semester, from MBA mixers to our personal career campaigns to leadership opportunities.

I’m definitely excited to jump in and get back to school…in the case of the MBA, I think what you put into it is really what you get out of it. Coursework is just a small part of the program, as the networks you build and people you meet will most likely lead to your greatest success. 

That being said, some of my first priorities in getting started are

• to meet as many of my fellow classmates as I can so when it comes time to dividing into teams, a good effective team can form (as unfortunately learned in my undergrad, when I followed my friend into a group I didn’t know, and simply, we sucked); and
• to figure out what activities I want to get involved in that will be most beneficial to my overall experience and growth.

Example of a good team...my BFF's helping to put together my wedding flowers!

These sound easy enough, right? Here we go!

A couple of days ago, I mentioned the personality test I had to take by Gallup’s Strengths Quest. Usually the tests put you as simply introvert or extrovert (i.e. thanks for nothing, what do I do with that?), but this one shoots out your top 5 personality themes and gives you action items both as a student and a professional to best use your characteristics to your advantage.

Much as a horoscope that tells you what other signs you are best aligned with, this tells you what other “personalities” work best with you, especially for the multitude of team projects inherent in the MBA program. Plus, only 1 in 33 million should have your same 5 top personality themes, so I guess you are unique in this one!

Here’s a sampling of who I am, according to the Gallup Strengths Quest personality test: 

1. Futuristic - I’m enthusiastic about the future and what I could be, in addition to inspiring others towards their own vision. I accomplish more when I set goals for myself and like to question/challenge the status quo. By applying my logical MBA skills to these visions of the future, I can set the groundwork for accomplishing these goals. 
2. Input - I have a craving to know more, and like to hold onto items and information in case I might need them later on and like to know everything that is going on. While I should be good at jobs that include aquiring new information, I need to find ways to leverage this information into viable actions.
3. Individualization - I am able to see the unique qualities of individuals, and sense their moods or feelings to know how best to respond or listen to them. I can use this talent to build and encourage effective teams where each individual can do what they do best.
4. Responsibility - I take ownership of what I say I will do and value honesty and loyalty, no matter how painstaking it may be. I should align myself with others characterized by responsibility, as I know they will share this commitment to get things done. I should, however, be selective in what duties I take on, and perhaps partner with someone with more discipline to help keep me narrow my focus.
5. Includer - Pretty obvious, but I like to include and accept others into the group so no one is left out. This goes along with the individualization characteristic, I think, as I would be more able to bring together a diverse group of people. 

I think these traits describe me fairly well, but don’t necessarily agree with every part of each of them…as I team up with my classmates, maybe I’ll have more insight as to how these traits (34 of them altogether) come into play.

In the meantime, what personality tests have you taken? Do you find them to be helpful/useful, or simply a way to put you into a set box with other personalities?

While the term ‘dumb blonde’ is, in most cases, a misnomer (except that my actual initials growing up were DMB), as my blog does have part of the term in its title, I figured I could address the concept of dumb blonde jokes.

Simply…I can’t get enough of them. I don’t care if the term ‘dumb blonde’ is not PC, or at least hopefully not, seeing as I’m getting my MBA and all, but I love dumb blonde jokes.

As a non-dumb blonde, I only wear my helmet when biking.

So if you’re reading, feel free to comment with with a dumb blonde joke…maybe it will provide fodder for one of my posts!

~Blonde-but not dumb-MBA
(P.S. When I got married, my initials went from DMB to DMA)

This has been my second week of being officially out of work, and I have been ‘practicing’ working from home these last couple of days. I wish I could say I’ve been lying around on the beach, one of my absolute favorite things to do, but alas, no Wi-Fi *sigh*!

I’m trying to get a schedule down of just the basic everyday things I have to keep up with, i.e. cooking, cleaning (yes I’m technically a housewife), blogging, exercising, before I add in the extra (and primary) MBA responsibilities of studying, networking, team projects, and interviewing! Plus, while my full-time working husband has been gracious enough to allow me to go back to school full-time, I’m hoping to still pull some weight building up our freelance web services, so am also taking external training right now before the start of a rigorous MBA program.

Oy, I’m unfortunately busy during my supposed ‘break’ before school starts, but it’s all for the bigger picture! An investment in myself is far greater than an investment in something else…

In watching the Beijing Olympic games these last few days, most individuals are there in pursuit of their own medal, but also have to work with the rest of the team within their sport for preliminaries, relays, and overall country dominance in the games. Most often there is a leader, someone who has most likely been through the games before and has some senior experience or word of advice, but in the case of the men’s USA gymnastics team, there were many rookies and just as many leaders. As they showed the team in a huddle, each proclaiming their own words of motivation, I wondered who could actually listen as they all seemed to be talking at once?

I’ve often been party to this in the boardroom, when there are too many ‘cooks in the kitchen,’ all trying to lead and effectively not accomplishing anything. In pursuing a MBA in a competitive program, you must assume that everyone is as accomplished, ambitious, competitive, and smart as you, and is working to hone their leadership skills…why else would they be there? I’m about to take a personality test as required for my first day of orientation and I wonder what I will find out about myself, my strengths and weaknesses? I’m obviously there to work on my leadership skills, but there must be a balance between leading and listening to others on your team.

I’ll let you know my personality test results when I’m done and I’m sure my observations on the team environment in the MBA program. In the meantime, check out the blog of Steve Churm, President of Churm Media here in Orange County, on ocmetrobusiness.com…he’s at the Beijing Olympic games right now and blogging about the awesome experience!

Enjoy! ~ Blonde MBA leader
(P.S. below are some pics of my first trip to Beijing, about 9 years ago…the Beijing Olympic games are bringing back some of the memories, but not the skinny high school body *sigh*!)

Great Wall of China, circa 1999

Temple of Heaven, Beijing