I’ve just finished my run at the altMBA. I recommend it!

I had high expectations going in. In fact, nothing sort of transformational would have met those expectations – especially for the money! (Although I was very fortunate to get a contribution from my organisation – thank you Parkinson’s UK.)

What happened?

The stats
4 weeks
~111 students in my full international cohort
~25 students/coaches in my timezone cohort
~ 4-5 students per learning group – assigned to a learning group per week for discussion.
17 channels on slack where we discussed topics and supported each other
13 learning group meetings
13 projects shipped (more if you were mad enough to do extra!)
13 reflections on what was learned from those projects
~70 comments made by fellow students on my work to help me learn
~100 comments made by me on the work of fellow students
5 1/2 books read (7 were sent so I’ve still got some work to do there)
~1000* online articles read and videos watched, countless more on my follow up list
3 timezone cohort meetings online
1 special online workshop
1 meet up in person with a fellow student
1 coaching session 121 where I cried because things were so challenging to manage
2 eyes opened to my own ideas, motivations, strengths, weaknesses and blind spots
(*I’m not going back to count them, so this might well be an exaggeration…)

Items I can’t count
New connections made, friendships forged, messages sent
Ideas, experiences, vulnerabilities, stories, troubles and successes shared
Questions asked, challenges made, different angles explored, ‘aha’s and fist pumps

Areas covered
Thinking frameworks flexible enough for work and life
Exercising the creativity muscle – in business and life
The power of empathy and sonder – in marketing and life
Embracing vulnerability
Getting stuff done to deadline, no excuses
Working with others generously, but not letting them off the hook
Giving and receiving feedback well
Thinking big
Identifying the barriers and laying plans to do the hard parts first
Much, much more – it would take a book to flesh out the things I learned

Value gained
Immeasurable and keeps growing every day with practice of the learnings

What now?

I wanted to feel changed by this experience, and changed I feel. As well as tired, stunned, nervous for the future and excited for the future. A little time is needed to digest everything that has just happened. But then it will be back to work with new energy, new optimism, new ideas and a new approach.