Meet the Alumni
Pablo Serafin completed the full-time MBA program in 2005 and currently resides in Brazil with his wife and children.
What is your current job?
Currently I hold a position of Merges & Acquisition Manager at Magnesita Refratarios S/A, a world leading company of industrial ceramics based in Brazil. (Just a footnote, recently we acquired LWB, a German company which also has plants in France, the U.S. and China.)
What was your favorite aspect of the program?
There are two great features I would like to point out about the full-time MBA at CIMBA: first, the unique way the program is designed, which presents us with a diversified spectrum of basic subjects plotted with several workshops on a wide range of non-linear subjects and the consulting projects real-world experience; and, second, the amazing integration between classmates and the whole CIMBA crew --professors, speakers, assistants, administrators and consultants. It is a big amalgamation process that really makes for an incredible learning experience and a personal growth opportunity.
What was the most useful aspect of the program?
I liked the consulting projects very much. To work inside companies in a different cultural environment is really awesome. Some of the workshops and the coaching experience really do also deserve a special note here.
What advice can you give current participants?
Embrace the CIMBA experience as a whole. Look beyond the academic endeavors and you will surely enjoy one of the most remarkable years of your life.
Anything else?
Wish I could do it all over again.
[The CIMBA staff extend their congratulations to Pablo and Iolanda on the birth of their twins, Helena and Rafael!]
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CIMBA Alumni Network If you are a CIMBA Undergraduate, MBA or Executive Programs Alumnus, we want to keep in touch with you. The CIMBA Alumni Network gives you a way to connect with other graduates from the different areas of CIMBA.
Join the CIMBA Alumni Network by clicking on this link: CIMBA Alumni Network.
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CIMBA Calendar
November 2008
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Undergraduate
Nov.10-14 - Travel Week
Nov. 18 - Company Tours
Nov. 19 - Expat Panel
Nov. 25 - Final Gourmet Dinner
Nov. 26-30 - Travel Weekend
Dec. 4-6 - Finals
Dec. 6 - Last day of class
MBA
Nov. 13 - Time Management Leadership Skills Seminar
Nov. 18, 19 - CBA Consulting Skills Project Management Workshop
Nov. 27 - Thanksgiving Dinner
Executive Program
Nov. 7 - Executive Certificate Program in International Management and Strategy - 7th Edition. Low Rope Course, 9.30-5:30pm
November 18-19
Project Management
9:30am - 5:30pm
November 21-22
Executive Certificate Program in International Management and Strategy - 7th Edition
"Strategy Formulation"
9:30am - 5:30pm
November 28
Presentation
"Executive Certificate in Leadership Development" -
4th Edition
6:00pm - 7:00pm
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Greetings!
November is here, bringing a change in seasons, moving our campuses from fall's splendor to winter's chill. But there is no hibernation here! Our MBA program is getting to the busiest time of the year with a full schedule of classes and the start of the consulting projects (see the MBA section for details). The undergraduates are beginning to wrap up their semesters abroad with their last formal dinner and, of course, final exams.
As always, there are changes afoot at CIMBA, and this month's highlight is CIMBA's introduction of John Case, former president and CEO at Electrolux Home Care Products and La-Z-Boy Branded Products at La-Z-Boy Incorporated, who has joined CIMBA as our "face of leadership." John has been charged with the responsibility to guide and consult with us as we move forward with our exciting new leadership initiatives. Keep an eye on this space for more updates.
New job? New move? Getting married? Keep your fellow alums in the loop! Send your news items to montano@cimba.it and your item will appear here next month. |
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CIMBA MBA
Consulting Begins! The MBAs started consulting orientation and workshops to hone their skills for the real deal when they begin their projects this month. Scott Newton and the CIMBA Business Advisement led the seminars and will guide the student team through the  projects.
Stay in the loop, meet other CIMBA alumni and network on LinkedIn.com! When you create a profile be sure to list CIMBA and specify the program, semester and year, then join the CIMBA Alumni Association group. Be sure to save your settings to receive the daily or weekly digest, which will keep you up to date on the discussion board. CIMBA will use the discussion board to post job offers and other news item, so link in!
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CIMBA Undergraduate
New Addition
Michael Lemon joined CIMBA in September 2008. He received his M.S. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Kansas and holds a B.A. in Psychology. Before working as a coach with CIMBA, he worked for two years as a Creativity Counselor at the Counseling Laboratory for the Exploration of Optimal States (CLEOS) at the University of Kansas, had experience in individual and group counseling at the VeteransHospital in Topeka, Kansas, and worked several years as a Career  Counselor with the Educational Opportunity Centers, a federally funded TRiO program. Michael combines his interest in Positive Psychology and effective coaching skills to help individuals and groups realize their full potential.
Michael says he is especially interested in the idea of coaching people inside an academic setting, and even more so because CIMBA takes it an extra step and incorporates neuroscience into the foundation of the entire program.
"If I can help someone see or understand something about themselves, then I feel like I am doing a good work, " he said. "To see that light bulb turn on in a student coaching session, that's what I look forward to every day."
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CIMBA Executive Programs
A New Edition!
CIMBA's 7th Certificate in International Management and Strategy started this month with a great group of managers and entrepreneurs interested in learning how to create and implement strategies. These program participants spend two days per month at CIMBA in class and then end with a week of class at the University of Iowa in Iowa City next July. Strong management and leadership skills are going to be increasingly important especially in this difficult business climate, so we congratulate these individuals who have chosen to invest in their futures through this program!
Got Leadership?
CIMBA's Certificate in Leadership Development will begin late in January. This program focuses on developing the managerial and leadership key capabilities necessary to persuade, motivate, inspire and assist others to higher levels of performance - to make truly great leaders who bring passion and enthusiasm into their workplaces and lives! Participants will attend one session of class per month on team leadership, driving change, giving feedback and developing effective communication skills. Also, one-on-one executive coaching is an integral part of this course, enabling participants to take a closer look at their impeding leadership behaviors and creating opportunities for personal growth. Send an e-mail to executive @cimba.it for more information about this and other executive programs if you would like to know more. | |
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A-B-C: Al's Book Club
The last week of October, CIMBA had the great pleasure of being a sponsor of the Neuroleadership Summit, held this year in New York City. The conference attracted a broad range of academics, consultants, executive coaches and practitioners all for the purpose of having a meaningful dialogue on leadership and leadership development with leading neuroscientists. Given the social nature of leadership, CIMBA strongly believes that significant advances in leadership and leadership development can be had by bridging the existing leadership field with the social cognitive neuroscience field. Those beliefs and much more were once again confirmed at this year's Summit.
One area among many that I believe will have significant influence on leadership development going forward is the area of mirror neurons (interestingly, they were discovered in Parma, Italy, by Prof. Giacomo Rizzolatti). Mirror neurons, which fire not only when you perform, but also when you watch others perform the same action, are a hot area for research (I encourage you to take a look at a very interesting video on mirror neurons on the PBS website, www.pbs.org). In his new book, Mirroring People: The New Science of How We Connect with Others, neuroscientist Marco Iacoboni introduces us to mirror neurons and what they imply about human  empathy and self-awareness. Iacoboni explains how mirror neurons allow us to interpret facial expressions of pain or joy and respond appropriately. According to Iacoboni, because of our mirror neuron system "we even have empathy for fictional characters - we know how they're feeling because the feeling is reproduced in us." At the summit, this point was made very clear as we viewed an old IKEA commercial about a discarded lamp (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5436536513651482924, watch it and see for yourself). In this account of mirror neuron research, Iacoboni explains the role these neurons play in social interaction and in the process begin to provide insight into their importance in the leadership and leadership development processes. Through neuroscience, I am confident we are going to have explanations, deeper explanations with far-reaching consequences, of phenomena including empathy, self-awareness and other fundamental leadership traits and characteristics.
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