VP for four quarters
I spent the last three days at school for one of my intensive classes. It was a class on leadership in a high-pace, fast-changing environment. Instead of sitting everyone for a formal lecture, we were thrown in a simulation. On Wednesday night, the teacher explained the intent of the course but gave us little information as to what was going to happen in the next days. So Thursday morning, everyone was a bit nervous, not knowing what to expect. We had a rule book for the simulation with information about the processes we needed to follow and the different roles in the organization. The days were broken down in quarters, usually two or three per day. One quarter would last between 60 and 90 minutes. After each quarter, we would have 20 minutes of debriefing in small teams to look at how everyone handled their responsibilities and changes in the environment. Then, everyone would get an update on the performance of each company and changes that we would have to take into consideration for the next quarter.
During the first three quarters, I was a Plant Manager in one of our Divisions. Divisions were physically separated and without a travel pass (which you had to purchase), you could not walk to the other Divisions to get updates and exchange information. Everyone was learning the processes (and the extensive paperwork that needed to be completed). We spent three quarters (day 1) struggling to organize everything and did not manage to get a product out (products were solved anagrams or solved puzzles).
At the beginning of day 2, we thought we had everything figured out enough to start production, when the facilitators reorganized everyone in the company (the Board of Directors of each company was quite unhappy with the performance of the previous day!). After the reorg, I ended up in a VP position. VPs were basically coordinators, communicators, and responsible for the strategic direction of the company. We started the day with a meeting between the four VPs of our company, discussing goals for the next few quarters. The meeting was a challenge because we were surrounded by the rest of the company who were silent observers. Talk about pressure. We had 15 minutes to come up with a strategy and then 10 minutes for a town-hall presentation to the company.
I spent the next two days in the VP position and am very happy that we managed to pull the company from its downwards spiral and register a profit at the end of the simulation. We didn't manage to recover the initial investment, but we were on the right track.
I learned a few things about myself during this simulation. First, we were initially told that the reorg was completely random. However, when the simulation ended, a few facilitators told us that it wasn't so. Apparently, people were placed in their new position based on the following: they either complained about the work done by the person who was originally occupying the position and were getting a taste of their own medicine, or they were placed in a new position based on fit and capabilities demonstrated the previous day. I can't remember complaining ;) This meant that I was placed in the VP position because I demonstrated leadership. One student even told me that my only weakness was not to believe in my own skills and abilities.
Second, I realized that it would take a whole lot of pressure to make me crack. Even though we knew this was only a game, most people took it seriously, including myself. When the pressure was on, you could feel the stress increasing. After the simulation, I was told several times that people were impressed by how calm I would remain.
Finally, I learned that students in my Division thought that I was a credible leader. I would enter the room to give my team an update, everyone would stop what they were working on and listen. People were looking forward to telling me about their progress. We even had a recruiter from a competitor try to poach some of my employees but they all decided to stay with the company, even though they knew the competitor had a lot more money in the bank.
Overall, this was an extremely valuable experience, very empowering. A lecture would have never captured what the simulation has thought us. I'm also approaching the meeting with my boss tomorrow with a lot more confidence. We are reviewing the past nine months of work (since I started as a Program Manager). I don't think I've been doing a bad job so far, but this is the first time I am getting feedback.
During the first three quarters, I was a Plant Manager in one of our Divisions. Divisions were physically separated and without a travel pass (which you had to purchase), you could not walk to the other Divisions to get updates and exchange information. Everyone was learning the processes (and the extensive paperwork that needed to be completed). We spent three quarters (day 1) struggling to organize everything and did not manage to get a product out (products were solved anagrams or solved puzzles).
At the beginning of day 2, we thought we had everything figured out enough to start production, when the facilitators reorganized everyone in the company (the Board of Directors of each company was quite unhappy with the performance of the previous day!). After the reorg, I ended up in a VP position. VPs were basically coordinators, communicators, and responsible for the strategic direction of the company. We started the day with a meeting between the four VPs of our company, discussing goals for the next few quarters. The meeting was a challenge because we were surrounded by the rest of the company who were silent observers. Talk about pressure. We had 15 minutes to come up with a strategy and then 10 minutes for a town-hall presentation to the company.
I spent the next two days in the VP position and am very happy that we managed to pull the company from its downwards spiral and register a profit at the end of the simulation. We didn't manage to recover the initial investment, but we were on the right track.
I learned a few things about myself during this simulation. First, we were initially told that the reorg was completely random. However, when the simulation ended, a few facilitators told us that it wasn't so. Apparently, people were placed in their new position based on the following: they either complained about the work done by the person who was originally occupying the position and were getting a taste of their own medicine, or they were placed in a new position based on fit and capabilities demonstrated the previous day. I can't remember complaining ;) This meant that I was placed in the VP position because I demonstrated leadership. One student even told me that my only weakness was not to believe in my own skills and abilities.
Second, I realized that it would take a whole lot of pressure to make me crack. Even though we knew this was only a game, most people took it seriously, including myself. When the pressure was on, you could feel the stress increasing. After the simulation, I was told several times that people were impressed by how calm I would remain.
Finally, I learned that students in my Division thought that I was a credible leader. I would enter the room to give my team an update, everyone would stop what they were working on and listen. People were looking forward to telling me about their progress. We even had a recruiter from a competitor try to poach some of my employees but they all decided to stay with the company, even though they knew the competitor had a lot more money in the bank.
Overall, this was an extremely valuable experience, very empowering. A lecture would have never captured what the simulation has thought us. I'm also approaching the meeting with my boss tomorrow with a lot more confidence. We are reviewing the past nine months of work (since I started as a Program Manager). I don't think I've been doing a bad job so far, but this is the first time I am getting feedback.
Labels: leadership, MBA
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