#63: My second week in Maastricht
Some thoughts and feelings
Hey friends,
Welcome to the 63rd edition of the “Level Up Ladder” newsletter.
I don’t know where to begin… As we finished the final course in the MBA Summer School yesterday, lots of thoughts and emotions go through my head.
It was the most intense period of my life, in a good way.
As I told you, the first week we had the courses on “Thinking and Deciding in Business” and “Leading High-Performance Teams.” We had a break last Saturday, and it was lovely weather, so we spent the whole day outside, riding bikes and walking around the city.
In the second part of the day, we made a Romanian barbecue, with "mici," which is a traditional type of meatball/sausage. And we all watched the game between Romania and Belgium, which was not the best for us, but it doesn’t matter that much.
After the break, we had a 3-day course/challenge, in which each of the six teams participated in a “Boardroom Executive Simulation” exercise. The teacher gave us access to a web app in which we would act as the CEO of a company that produces and sells mobile phones.
We had 7 rounds, simulating financial years, and at the end of the 7th round, the team that provided the most value to their shareholders won the simulation and got the most points for the course.
Even though our team didn’t win (we were close to the podium, though), we learned a lot of things about reading the market signals, matching them with production, supply chain, tax, marketing, and so on. Not to mention how much we learned about collaboration and decision-making within the team.
It was a very good exercise, and it helped us get an overview of the complexities of running a company.
But it was also an exhausting exercise, which meant I spent most of the next free day relaxing and walking around the city.
The last course was on “Managing Creativity & Innovation in Business.”, and it was also eye-opening as our teacher presented us with a clear and simple process that can drive innovation in our companies. I can’t wait to apply it to Deloitte soon :)
We finished the course yesterday with some very interesting solutions on how a bridal shop can increase conversion of their in-store sales.
So, here I am today, Sunday morning, writing this newsletter and sending it to you later than usual (I’m still playing around with the day on which I send it).
As I said before, it was a very intense period that completely broke my rhythm for the past couple of weeks.
Most of the days would start with a 6k run at 7, come back for a shower, get ready for school, and walk 50 minutes to get there at 9. We would stay there until 5:30, walk back home, sit a bit, and then we would either go outside and play some sports, like basketball or table tennis, or grab some beers while watching the football games. Finish around 12–2 AM, go to sleep, and start over the second day.
I didn’t have time to write in my journal, do my weekly reviews, or go through my task manager. But it was very fun and eye-opening.
We understood a lot more about how businesses work, and how people at the top of these businesses work together as teams. And about life in general.
We have around 5 individual papers that we need to think about and write until September. But aside from these, I will need this time to reflect more about this experience, about how it changed me, and about how I will apply this new knowledge to my professional life.
We’ll need to wait and see.
Recommendations
The Business Simulation App
If you’re a business or if you just want to see how your team would behave in a challenging scenario, go through this (I assume it’s not cheap, though)
https://www.cesim.com/simulations/cesim-global-challenge-international-business-strategy-simulation-game
How to apply “design thinking” in your business
This video by IDEO shows the creative process behind many innovative products and services.
How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis
In this pragmatic book, one of the biggest entrepreneurs of all time shares his secrets on getting rich.
Don’t expect fluff things like: just dream about success and you will get there. It will teach you about why ownership of the company is very important and why you should sell at the right time. Among other specific advice.
Thank you for reading, and let me know if you liked something in particular in this newsletter.
I hope you have a great Sunday!
Leo
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