Remembering to slow down and find gratitude

• November 27th, 2013
• in Helpful Tips and Advice

Written by EMBA Director Donna Blackburn 

If you are like me, your days are filled with activity and your mind with an ever growing list of “to do’s” and “things to be done right NOW.”
Every morning as I back out of my garage, I am thinking of the first meeting or project I need to work on, so by the time I get to the end of my street, I wonder, “did I close the garage door?”  I say, “every morning”, because this happens a lot with me backing the car up my street to my driveway to ultimately face a closed garage door.  And no, it is not creeping dementia.  It is, as I like to put it, so much mundane in the brain clouding the wisdom.  In other words, simply too much to do in a small window of time.

So, how to overcome the clouding of the brain?  For me, it was remembering something I read by Arvind Devalia.  Devalia said, “Gratitude is a way of reaching back to your natural state of happiness. Notice what’s right instead of what’s wrong and begin to see every “problem” as an opportunity for growth and development.”

We often find ourselves overworked and second guessing ourselves.  Did we do this? Did we forget something?  Usually because we are looking ahead instead of focusing on the now.  We can fall apart or get frustrated when we miss a step or make a mess along the way, or we can take a breath and take a moment to give thanks for the opportunity to learn and make it right.

The garage door has now for me become a moment of reflection.  No matter what may be racing through my head as I leave in the morning, as I back up my car, I stop. I take several deep breathes thinking of nothing but breathing in and out as the garage door closes. One benefit has been that the mind stops racing, even if it is only for a few minutes.

What is your garage door? What is your problem that will lead to a growth opportunity?

The University of Alabama will be closed the rest of this week for the holiday.  From all of us in the Executive MBA office, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Current EMBA Class Set to Tour South America

• November 15th, 2013
• in UA EMBA Latest News/Events

On Nov. 8, The University of Alabama EMBA class of 2014 met in Birmingham for an international prep session for their February trip to Santiago, Chile and Lima, Peru. Students in the Tuscaloosa and Huntsville groups formed international teams for their global strategy projects.

This class will visit and meet with executives from the following companies:

• Banco Estado
• Frito-Lay Chile
• Viña Veramonte (Winery)
• Garden House Lab (transnational pharmaceutical laboratory)
• Central Bank of Peru
• Hunt Oil Peru
• Grupo Breca (Conglomerate owned by Peruvian family Brescia-Cafferatta)
• Clinica Ricardo Palma (Private medical clinic)
• Compañía de Minas Buenaventura (Peru’s largest publicly-traded precious metals company)

The Culverhouse College of Commerce Executive MBA at the University of Alabama includes an international trip as part of a three-hour international business course, IBA 550, Global Business, taught by Drs. Glenn Richey and Chad Hilton, in the final semester of study. This course provides an introduction to the complex world of managing in a global context and provides a country/region specific examination of the challenges that face international managers. Students visit a variety of organizations and have the opportunity to examine strategic management, marketing and branding, the role of business in society, public-private sector relationships, business and economic development, financial and foreign business valuation, and cultural issues germane to the region. Students are formed into international teams that are responsible for an in depth strategic review of one of the companies visited and are required to conduct their final team projects/presentations on the last day of the trip.

Preparation for the international trips are very important. Understanding protocol and how to do business in another country begins early in the planning process for the trip. During the information session, the class had the opportunity to hear from Eduardo Cuneo, Latin American sales director for Valley Rubber, who travels extensively to do business in Chile and Peru. Discussion topics included conducting business in Peru, business etiquette, local customs and sightseeing. Afterwards, Drs. Richey and Hilton gave a lecture on cultural differentiation and modern international business practices. Finally, Donna Blackburn, director of the EMBA Program, went over the protocol for the international trip and provided many helpful hints and tricks from her vast travel experience.

“The international trip is a highlight of the EMBA experience for our students, providing an opportunity to expose our students to other countries – their business and culture,” said Blackburn.
In addition, UA EMBA alumni are welcome to come on the trip and participate in the business and cultural events. While the signup deadline has passed for the Chile-Peru trip, the 2015 international trip will be decided at the beginning of Fall 2014.

For more information on the EMBA program, please contact Cheryl Altemara at 205-348-4501 or caltemara@cba.ua.edu.

EMBA Alumni Association Kickoff Weekend

• November 7th, 2013
• in EMBA Alumni Network

Executive MBA Alumni, from the first class of 1986 to the latest graduating classes, gathered in Tuscaloosa this past weekend to reconnect, meet new contacts, learn what’s happening at Culverhouse and find out about the newly formed EMBA Alumni Association.

Friday night kicked off the festivities with a reunion at Dreamland BBQ in Northport. Amidst the BBQ ribs and sweet tea, the room was abuzz with introductions, career updates and reminiscing about the program. This type of networking is one of the primary reasons the EMBA Alumni Association has been formed.

On Saturday, attendees were treated to several presentations over a wide range of topics. The event resembled a class weekend – except there were no tests or homework. Dr. Brooks gave an enlightening presentation on the Jefferson County Bankruptcy, followed by a fascinating presentation on big data and analytics by Dr. Gray and Dr. Keskin. Leroy Hurt, Associate Dean of the College of Continuing Studies, gave an overview  of professional certification training that was available through the school. These types of continual learning opportunities will be an integral part of future events.

Finally, Kent Darzi, the President of the EMBA Alumni Association, talked about the newly formed chapter. He gave a summary of the chapter’s mission and asked for input from the alumni base present. A discussion ensued where topics such as community service, event ideas and recruitment were raised. Donna Blackburn shared recent survey results, which has helped shape the chapter’s charter. Statistics about alumni career path, salaries, expectations and their view of the EMBA program were shared and discussed.

The overall consensus was that the weekend was a great success. Attendees enjoyed the networking opportunities, the presentations and visiting the campus again. We hope to have even better attendance as more events are held and the Alumni chapter grows in membership.

For details on how to join the EMBA Alumni Association, please contact Cheryl Altemara at 205-348-4501 or caltemara@cba.ua.edu.