In this month's edition of CIMBA News, MBA students visit Castelgarden in Castelfranco and meet up for an evening to commemorate the end of courses in Italy for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Interested in keeping up with other successful Alumni? Check out the May CIMBA Spotlight on Alok Tiwari to read about his most recent entrepreneurial endevours.
Yearning to hear about your classmates? Look no further than our Alumni News Section where MBA and undergraduate alumni alike continue to impress and please us with their endeavors and personal successes.
Are you curious about what is new in the CIMBA Leadership Institute? Take a moment to see why Humans are Underrated is on Dr. Al's list of must-reads. And as always, we encourage you to connect and share with us your good news. We look forward to hearing from you soon! Until next time, CIMBA Staff
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MBA Students Factory Tour: Castelgarden
This past week, Full-Time and Visiting MBAs went to Castelfranco to tour the Castelgarden factory which produces global garden products. Armed with their knowledge of Six Sigma, taught by returning professor Patrick Hammett, University of Michigan, students learned about the company and particularly about the continuous process improvement mentality driving its success and processes of the production floor.
An interesting observation the class made was that the products were moved throughout the plant in a vertical system. For example, lawn mowers were connected to a mechanical system that moved throughout the plant, 6 meters in the air! Students enjoyed seeing how lean concepts were being applied in this leading European company.
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Farewell Dinner for MBA Class of 2016
On Sunday, May 22nd, both Full-time and Part-time MBA students finished their last course in Italy. To celebrate the end of classes before the Iowa summer session, Full-time, Part-time, and Alumni of CIMBA met in Bassano del Grappa for one final hurrah.
The night began with "mezzo e mezzo" on the Ponte Vecchio with a beautiful view of the Brenta River and Venetian Pre-Alps. First year MBAs had a chance to connect with Alumni while second years had a chance to reminisce on their past two years together. The party moved to the restaurant Teochef where students floated freely between tables, catching up, toasting to the recent school year, and sharing stories.
Comments from students reflected their thoughts on the year: Piero Zaltron, first year Part-timer, "[I am] amazed to see how much people changed in such a short amount of time, and the relief on their faces at the end of the hard work." Full-timer Kendall Moore was happy to toast to the end of the year and wishes for a "strong finish in Iowa". Part-timer, Max Baer, reflected on the unique bonds that had grown throughout the year and wished all the best to the graduating class of 2016. The final dinner in Bassano was a great opportunity to reflect on the amazing experiences which have made this program truly unique to each of us in the CIMBA family.
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Come, recharge, and hone your leadership skills!
This upcoming July CIMBA will be holding our LIFE program in the United States. For those who are interested, the course will be taking place in Cedar Rapids, Iowa beginning on July 8th and finishing on July 10th.
Family members, returning LIFErs, and professional colleagues of alumni are eligible for special Alumni Discounts. If you know someone who is interested in joining one of our LIFE programs, please contact us to inquire about our special Alumni Rate.
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Humans are Underrated What High Achievers Know That Brilliant Machines Never Will by Geoff Colvin
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A commitment to developing an individual's primary Knowledge, Process, and Behavior skills and attributes has long formed the core of the CIMBA learning and development philosophy. We have expressed the concern that while Knowledge (axioms, theorems, formulas, and principles) are important in that we all want technically competent leaders and followers, the education and training communities have overvalued their importance at the expense of the individual's critical thinking and behavior development. We have both expressed our concerns and focused our resources on providing our university and executive students with significant personal development opportunities in these key areas. However, in both expressing our concerns and in understanding our basis for those concerns, we have largely focused our attention on the present situation:
- Our students have heard us lament that while Knowledge (essentially IQ) will get them hired, they will most likely be promoted or fired on the basis of their critical thinking (RQ) and behavioral skills (EQ). By "critical thinking" we are essentially referring to an individual's decision-making and problem-solving abilities and receptivity to the influence of cognitive biases, measured by the individual's Rational Quotient. By "behavior" we are essentially referring to an individual's self-awareness, social awareness, and self-regulation abilities, measured by the individual's Emotional Quotient (known more generally as Emotional Intelligence);
- While recognizing the benefits of technological advancements over the past 250 years, we have expressed our concerns about the detrimental impacts they are having on interpersonal skill development (See our TEDx talk here). Technology is not only changing the nature of work, it is also clearly changing us and the way we interact with others.
- We have shown, and continue to show, how that same technology can be used to develop important interpersonal skills (See our "Teaching Leadership with the Brain in Mind" here).
- Our data has shown a marked decline in empathy over the past 15 years, a finding confirmed by the research of others. We attribute this decline in empathy to Smartphone technology, a technology that is leaving many individuals virtually isolated and has carried with it dramatic increases in loneliness and depression, and decreases in important social institutions such as marriage and family. Through that technology, texting has become the dominant means of communication for many young people. Research surveys have found that more than 60 percent of young people say they text every day; only 35 percent say they socialize with friends face-to-face outside of work or school every day. Our evolved ability to sense the feelings and thoughts of others is based on seeing their faces, seeing their body language,and hearing their voices, none of which are available to us when texting or using social media. In other words, it is adversely affecting our social worlds and our ability to interact with others;
- With reading considered an important vehicle for developing empathy, nearly 30 percent of adults did not read a book in any format over the past year;
- Leading academic scholars who have placed a critical eye on the MBA have implicitly shared our concerns, but expressed it in a slightly different manner: "How many accountants do you know who do not have a degree in accounting? Virtually none, so it can easily be assumed that what is being taught is indispensable to success; it represents the 'codified knowledge' of the profession. By contrast, how many managers do you know who do not have a degree or if they have a degree it is not in management? Thousands. So, whatever is being taught in the name of management (or administration or leadership) is clearly not the 'codified knowledge' that defines success in that profession.";
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Alok Tiwari, MBA Alumni 2009, Managing Director Venezia Food & Beverages Pvt. Ltd.
Please share your story with us Alok. How has your entrepreneurial journey unfolded since we last saw you in 2009?
I'm from India; I was a software engineer, before I was accepted into the CIMBA Program, which helped me excel in management and entrepreneurship skills. After CIMBA, I joined an Italian Company "CLIVET" as a General Manager - Corporate Strategy. I was later promoted to the CEO, responsible for overseeing their Indian Operations. In 2013, I started my own company "Venezia Food & Beverages Pvt. Ltd." which owns the Italian restaurant, "MACCHIATO", as well as being involved in other food & beverage trade with Europe, USSR, and USA. I also started another company called Genesi Italia, which offers consulting services for foreign companies to guide and assist them in entering the Indian Market.
What aspect of the CIMBA MBA had the greatest impact on your professional life after graduation?
There's a lot! I remember attending KT Problem Solving, where we were shown a video for situation appraisal and we all jumped to the wrong conclusion of the cause of the problem. It shows how immature and impatient we were when we began our courses. However, when we completed the program we were mature enough to use these skills, enabling us to better manage both our career paths and our business to ensure success.
Most important learning was the importance of teamwork and strength through the LIFE program and its follow-on coaching.
What was your favorite moment as an MBA? What were your favorite classes?
Graduation Dinner and the LIFE Program were my favorite moments. My favorite classes were Statistics and Marketing.
What advise do you have to share with current and perspective students?
I would recommend to have a goal/future plan defined and give your 100% to achieve it. Only your passion, enthusiasm, integrity and dedication will take you to the place you want to be.
What is something you would like to accomplish in the future?
I would like to support the Indian education system through starting an educational institute, which can empower entrepreneurship and create a platform for the next Generation. India is developing now and needs young entrepreneurs to support the growth.
What inspires you?
Michel Dell's autobiography and his passion for the work.
Is there something else you would like to add?
For anyone interested in learning more about our company I'm attaching a recent article in Spirits Magazine in which we were featured.
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Amanda Wallace Litvinov, MBA, Class of 2010, and her husband David would like you to meet Michael Wallace Litvinov! The family is doing great and their hearts are filled with joy and love.
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Lori Sitro, MBA Class of 2007, and her husband Bobby are thrilled to introduce to you their son, Adrian Hudson Sitro; born May 9th wieghing 6 lbs 6 ozs. Congratulations Lori, Bobby, and little Adrian!
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Tess Montano, CLC and MBA Class of 2006, and her husband, are overjoyed to introduce their second child! Welcome to the world, Seeley Jean!
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A mini CIMBA Reunion! Lana Tang, Emma Jensen, Mary Upchurch, Anna Tabakh, and Lindsay Dawson (Phipps) from the 2007 Undergraduate Program, just wanted to send out a "caio!" to everyone. After these many years the girls are still fast friends thanks to their time here at CIMBA. They wanted to wish everyone well and thank you for helping create such a wonderful CIMBA Family.
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