The mad blogger stikes again! Only two more weekends and four more class days til we are done done done!We're nearing the last mile. Not that I have ever run in a marathon, but I'm sure it feels like I feel right now: every step of the last mile is painful. I can't wait til it's over, especially after seeing my classmates last weekend do some cartwheels when they had finished. (Roger, I am jealous)
One thing to pass on: I just took the Career Leader online test through the career management office. Now I take it! Doh! Guess it's better late than never. I can blame not taking it either on laziness or not having a Class 31 blogger to light the way. Guess which one I chose? :)
The test took the good part of an hour and a half, and it was totally worth it. All web-based, totally cool. I wish I had taken it earlier! Wharton grads have three months after graduation to take it, so if you are reading this and haven't taken it, go check it out. Otherwise, it'll be too late. For you first years, go do it now!
There are three parts to it:
1. Business Career Interest Inventory
2. Management and Professional Rewards Profile
3. Management and Professional Abilities Profile
My results weren't surprising, which I guess is good.
Here's my results:
Best Career Matches Section:Very High Match: Entrepreneurship (oh gee, really?), Finance in Corporate Settings (validates my major), Investment Management (shoulda paid more attention to Geczy...)
High Match: General Management (that's why they call me Chairman P, baby), Management of New Product Development (ok, I shouldn't quit my day job), Private Equity Investment (why oh why wasn't I awake in the RJR case?), Venture Capital (Raffi and Wessel's class are good if you want to head this direction), Class Blogger
Low Match: Rock Singer (tonedeaf), Professional Athelete (no hops, although fantasy football skills are high), Male Model (especially for hats)
To give you a feel for what you get, here are some snippets from my Career Leader Professional Report (sorry, too lazy to reformat the badly formed text, but you will get the idea):
Interests You have a notable interest in three core elements of business work:
Counseling and MentoringEnterprise ControlTheory Development and Conceptual ThinkingYou are strongly interested in Counseling and Mentoring, one of the elemental activities in business work. You enjoy developing relationships -- and people -- and view this activity as an integral part of business work. A strong interest in Counseling and Mentoring is often expressed through a desire to manage groups and lead teams. The emphasis is more on the "people management" side of things than on managing processes, projects, or strategy.
With this core interest, you're likely to be highly attuned to your company's mission and culture. You may also gravitate toward organizations that:
place a high value on worker developmentreward managers who focus their energy and the company's resources on personnel development"do good" through their products, services, and missionYou'll probably also prefer work environments in which you feel you're adding value to the business endeavor specifically through teaching, mentoring, and coaching fellow workers and others. In addition, you may feel pulled toward working for not-for-profit organizations at some point in your career.
You also have an elevated interest in Enterprise Control, one of the central activities in business work. You enjoy setting strategy and seeing it carried out. You want to have ultimate decision-making authority for complete operations; to make the decisions that will determine the direction taken by a work team, a business unit, or an entire company; and to control the resources that will enable you to actualize a business vision.
In the workplace, you'll enjoy activities like:
taking the lead on implementing important strategic decisions"owning" deals and negotiationsparticipating in meetings in which strategic issues are on the agendaleading project teamshaving full responsibility for the profit-and-loss performance of an enterprisebeing involved in all aspects of a business enterprise (marketing, finance, sales, operations, etc.)acting as a "rainmaker," bringing in new clients and customersThe "enterprise" you control can be big or small, or short- or long-lived. You might want to control an enterprise that you believe will exist for your lifetime or even beyond. On the other hand, you might prefer being in charge of much shorter-lived "enterprises"; for example, "doing deals" that you know will close in only a few months or weeks.
With a strong interest in Enterprise Control, you may be eager to run something now. You may find it difficult to be patient during the early stages of your career, when you're learning and proving that you're qualified to be captain of the ship. If you feel frustrated, resist the temptation to switch to another company too early. Impatience can get in the way of your success if you let it force you off your career path too soon.
Lastly, you also have a notable level of interest in Theory Development and Conceptual Thinking, one of the fundamental activities in business work. Whether as a business professional or aspiring businessperson, you enjoy solving business problems through conceptual approaches, exploring abstract ideas and the "what ifs" of a business or industry, and considering broad economic and social trends.
You're likely to enjoy work activities such as:
developing economic theorycreating a model that explains competition in an industryanalyzing a company's competitive position in a particular marketdesigning a new process for product development or distributionconsidering the value proposition of a merger or acquisitionYou will probably be attracted to careers that provide opportunities to work closely with ideas. These may include positions in strategy and knowledge-management consulting or academia, and work in a "think tank." This is especially true if this is your only very strong interest.
Of course, having strong interests in Counseling and Mentoring and Enterprise Control and Theory Development and Conceptual Thinking doesn't necessarily mean you have the skills you need to succeed in a career in which those activities are a predominant part of the work. But people often develop abilities where their interests lie. So don't let a lack of training or prior experience as a coach, counselor, or mentor or with leadership activities or with theoretical work keep you from gaining the knowledge or strengthening the skills you'll need to express these interests.
Your interests strongly resemble the interests of entrepreneurs that distinguish them from other business professionals. This doesn't necessarily mean that an entrepreneurial venture you're involved with will succeed. Nor does it mean that you should run right out and start a new business. However, it does suggest that you would be happiest in an organization (or in part of a larger organization) that has a decidedly entrepreneurial culture -- even if you aren't the founder. (Many CEOs of entrepreneurial companies didn't set up those companies, but they are most definitely entrepreneurs.) Remember: There is no such thing as one "entrepreneurial type;" different entrepreneurs exhibit different styles in leading their organizations. Your interests are the single most important factor in your happiness and success. Organizational Culture You would feel most comfortable in an organization that places a premium on trying new approaches: "If it isn't broken, see if you can make it better anyway." People who work in such companies, departments, or teams are willing to take risks in the service of possible improvements. They're intellectually venturesome and greatly appreciate new ideas and creativity. These are typically relatively "flat" organizations, where a person's job title matters far less than the quality of his or her ideas. Your tendency in this direction is relatively strong, so pay close attention to this aspect of any organization you consider working for. For tips on how to examine an organizational culture in this regard, click here.
You would be happiest in a work culture marked by a spirit of cooperation, interpersonal sensitivity, a tendency to assume the best of people, and perhaps a degree of altruism in the organization's mission. In such organizations, departments, and teams, people tend to make decisions by consensus (when possible) and to minimize conflict and internal competition. Your tendency in this direction is very strong, so pay close attention to this aspect of any organization you consider working for. For tips on how to examine an organizational culture in this regard, click here.
Abilities You have a number of strengths, including:
Comfort with Risk: Takes risks when appropriate, isn't afraid to innovate and experiment.
Creative Thinking: Able to think creatively, generating new ideas and approaches to situations.Flexibility: Adapts easily to changing situations and is able to adopt new approaches when necessary.Gaining Trust: Inspires other people's trust.Sensitivity and Tact: Sensitive and tacful: promotes an atmosphere of good feeling and mutual consideration.Sociability: Socially venturesome and self-assured; forms new relationships easily and works to maintain them.Strategic Thinking: A strategic thinker: able to grasp the big picture and think long-term.Teamwork: A team player: cooperative, works well as part of a group.Work Ethic: Has a strong work ethic, willing to make sacrifices to achieve important goals.
Hope this is useful.
Until next post,
-Chairman P
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