Never easy to say good bye. Our final day of the trip started
with a visit to a startup incubator in Galway. We received a tour before listening
to a panel on leadership in innovation which included Jan on it. Jan was reluctant
to be included on the panel but ended up being the centerpiece of it. The
attendees included business leaders within Galway. Many of the questions from
the audience were answered with lessons I had already learned from Jan and in
other classes in my MBA which served as a validation of the value of my
studies. After the panel and a quick lunch, the group departed on a bus for
Dublin. The class spent most of the two-and-a-half-hour ride going person by
person and identifying what everyone had learned from that individual. Given my
new uncle status (shout out to Kaia Gabriella Olsson), I was nominated to go
first. The feedback from my peers was heartfelt and incredibly rewarding to
receive. The activity made me reflect on the lack of positive feedback I
provide both professionally and personally. This will be will be one item I
plan to work on upon my return.
Once we arrived in Dublin, we set our bags down quickly at
the Trinity College Dorms and headed to a final farewell dinner. The last night
was spent enjoying the friendships we had all developed throughout the program.
Reflecting on the program, I gained valuable insight from
business leaders, learned about another international business culture, studied
an impressive leader who seems primed for success, and most of all gained
incredible relationships with my peers.
I learned the value of transparency and trust, the power
behind passion, the importance of investing in relationships and people, and
the impact of being intentional and deliberate in establishing a culture.
Working with Dan Crawford, CEO for axial3D, I saw a leader who inspired his
group to share his passion, a leader who was willing to get in the trenches and
take on grunt work and one who established trust through communication and
transparency. Dan was someone who genuinely cared for the people he worked with
and for the people his company intends to serve. I look forward to seeing how
far Dan takes axial3D in the years to come.
Consulting with axial3D was challenging, time intensive and
incredibly rewarding. Working with Kai, Eric, and Divya, I saw how beneficial
team alignment can be. We were deliberate in stating our assumptions, resolving
differences of opinions, and moving forward, together once we were aligned. Sometimes
you need to go slow to go fast. We spent the first two hours of our time at
axial3D working towards alignment and those were the most important two hours of
our time in Belfast. All of us were proud of what we delivered for axial3D and
we look forward to tracking its success in their upcoming sales pitch to
Stanford medical.
Ultimately the trip was about people. Our group consisted of
12 individuals with diverse backgrounds who all came together as a cohesive
units. Alan, Steven, Ben, Jesus, Christa, Jordan, Ranjit, Divya, Roop, Kai, and
Eric, thank you all for making this an incredible experience. I learned something
from each one of you which I will use to continue to grow myself. I look
forward to building on the relationships that began throughout the last two
weeks.
Thank you Jan for leading an incredible trip, for creating
an environment that fostered the development of our group dynamics, and for
exposing the class to meaningful learning opportunities throughout the program.
Finally, and certainly not least, thank you Jacquie! The
program operated like a choreographed dance thanks to your efforts. Every step
of the program had your touch on it and we all knew that we were in good hands
throughout the trip. Thank you for all the work you put into to make this
program run as smoothly as it did.
I’ve learned a lot
about myself, about leadership, about entrepreneurship, about the promising economic
environment of Ireland and about the power of investing in people. This program
wasn’t just experiential, it was transformational.
Thanks for following along.
Cheers,
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