Don't study "the humanities" and don't get an MBA
Unless you want to drive true impact as a Strategy & Ops executive
In one of my previous roles, we were chatting over wine about the merits of education. It was an interesting discussion, driven by the fact we had a handful of people, with varied levels and years of experiences, all landed at the same company, in the same role - level and everything.
It begged the question: if we were all going to be in the same role, did we all play our cards well in life? I was an obvious outlier. I had two expensive degrees under my belt, and enough student loans to water your eyes on a great, happy day, with no onions in sight.
“Do you regret getting your MBA?” - one of my colleagues asked.
“No.” - me.
This seemingly innocent question could have stung if I hadn’t given this plenty of thought - before I ever applied, during my course, and following it. I laughed, I said “No.”, and I moved on with the discussion.
Given I have had some years to think about it, here is why I could laugh:
I know what’s going on: I studied the dreaded (by some people) humanities, 10 years later to get my MBA. As a child growing up in the aftermath of the communist regime in Bulgaria, I knew I didn’t get the full picture about the economy, politics, and social issues. So I studied International Relations, at a liberal arts institution in the US, called Dickinson College (top 30 colleges at the time). My point was to understand the macro and micro picture of what ties the global political and economic scene, and how that plays out to the regular person. I ended up doing a “New Media” primary research, forecasting Obama’s win through New Media’s use back in 2008. That landed me a job in 2008 when the world melt down in the beginning of the Great Recession. Then I decided to focus on business, and got my MBA from LBS (top 3 in the world at the time), winning McKinsey’s Digital Challenge, developing a network of VCs, and working as an “Operator” at Uber, and later WeWork, and Hopin.
I would still say “No” because in that job, and any job ever since, I am exactly where I want to be, I know exactly what I want to get out of it, and I know the early signs for whether it is working or not.
🏃🏻♀️ I am running circles around a role in a few months.
I drive impact: MBAs get a bad rep for being jacks of all trades. And while I am no exception, having some decent skills around data analysis, problem solving, and storytelling have changed the course of products, companies, and teams. I have one rule when it comes to impact. You can’t have an opinion. You have to form one. And to do so you will need to do your homework. I call this “building a strategic argument.” It is the backbone of why BizOps to me is BizOps and not Ops: strategy and ops are entangled in a constant feedback loop. And as a BizOps exec I will either validate a hypothesis or discard it. Through a thorough analysis of a situation and its root cause problem, I will be able to isolate the one reason to do something or to not do it. The best work is when I find some gem that no-one thought about before.
I would still say “No”, because in my work I can go deep in research mode and will demonstrate insights no-one could otherwise obtain. I will not only open eyes, I will show the way.
🏃🏻♀️ I am running circles around pre-existing assumptions.
I can take off quick: for anything I know nothing about, I can ask 100 questions and know exactly how this fits with the business. And I will have enough of a network to help me get up to speed and what the value drivers are so I can have impact fast. This is why at my current company the first thing I did was research on the ICP (Ideal Customer Profile). Because “Our ICP is anyone who we send invoices to” is not a good enough answer. So as a Head of BizOps, I rolled up my sleeves and did hours of interviews, analysis and structure. Because without this, not only I cannot do my job, but the rest of the company’s effort would also have been lost to the wind. People who know me, know I don’t waste time. It is the one thing that will drive my bolts nuts.
I would still say “No”, because my appetite for doing new things I never did before has never been greater. And I know I can run a function, or tap into a new market, or…, with great confidence.
🏃🏻♀️ I am running circles around my own limitations.
For all these reasons, my answer would still be “No.” No regrets. None whatsoever. I am not a tool. I don’t have a single skill. I am a citizen. And I have a purpose.
Now I will go for a run. 🏃♀️