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Patricio Cahue's Blog Post

Can you teach an Old dog new trick?

So here I am, probably the oldest member of these EMBA class. It is not easy keeping up with these whippersnappers (sic), but I manage. For me to be back in school after so many years away from it, I have to say, It has taken some getting used to, but I is all for the best.

So how does an older student cope with all the daily stresses imposed upon he/she, along with managing a competitive EMBA program in their lives?

Here are five things that I do to keep ahead of stress:

Plan: I plan my week and create a schedule, not only for my class work but for my family and personal life as well. Everything has to be parsed out. The average EMBA student should spend at least 3 hours a day studying and/or completing the assignments. I am sort of lucky, I guess, I do much of my studying during my 1,5 hour commute to and from work each way, on the train.

Rest: When I first got into the program, I was constantly irritable with everything and everyone in my life. The personal desire to succeed and making sure I was learning everything that I could, eventually, took a toll on me. But the hard work paid off, which in turn motivated me immensely, not only at work but in my personal endeavors as well. Now, I have developed an internal clock that allows me to rest comfortably, and take care of things when they need to be taken care off. If I prioritize my rest, then I am ready to study and complete my assignments with a clear head.

Don’t over think things: When you are around motivated and like minded individuals, there will be many interesting situations to be had. But that is great, you can see the solution to a problem in many different ways, your cohorts will make you see things differently at times, for sure. But remember, you also bring something to the table, and you r opinions count as well. So don’t over think it, just because others don’t see or agree with your point of view, it doesn’t make it right or wrong, it just makes you a part of a team.

Be creative: One of the main ideas that I have been able to grasp from this program has been the idea to rely on or to work on one’s creativity. Creativity opens your imagination to all things possible. I’ve found out that most Visionaries are creative; they must be, because they see the future before it happens. Just as someone imagines what they would do if they won the Lottery jackpot. That‘s the way you as a leader should think, creatively. You never know when your design team will ask you to approve your new logo for your own company.

Show up: One of the most important things, my Uncle Arturo told me was, that I needed to be present to participate and enjoy the spoils of any good situation. That is what any successful person needs to do. I believe the Japanese call it “genba”, “the real place”. You must show up. The classroom is where the value is created, this is where the problem will be clearer, and improvement begins.

Here are my break lights to bring this to an end. To put it simply, an older person doesn’t know any more because they are smart, they know more because they are older. Wisdom is there for those that want it, but scarce for those who shun it.

Good luck to all my classmates.

Lance Ware's Blog Post

What is an Executive MBA?

An Executive MBA is primarily designed to educate working executives, managers, entrepreneurs and other business specialists in every field of human endeavor.

At Binghamton University, I have discovered a flexible program that is allowing me to increase my career options, broaden my knowledge base and hone the skills I have acquired

over the years as a Banking Professional. But most of all, I have encountered a remarkable group of individuals and professors that I am proud to call "My Family", each and every one of them.

Consultants, Entrepreneurs, Property Managers, Financial Service Specialists, Client Service Managers, Automation Support Analysts, Program and Operational Managers to name a few.

Each week we leave no stone unturned, as we each tend to share our experiences both personally and professionally and our professors occasionally tailor their lessons to address industry's best practices

or simply the weekly interest of my cohorts, always seeking to enrich the experiential learning experience.

Business Ethics - Corporate Social Responsibility,

Organizational Behavior - Innovative Thinking,

Statistical Analysis - Probability, Distributions & Regressions

Managerial Economics - Game Theory, Freakonomics & Statistical Mechanics.

Six months has come and gone, but the lessons learned thus far are unmeasurable and will surely last a lifetime. I'm sure the best is yet to come as we have only touched the surface of

the Executive MBA Program at Binghamton University.

Pierre Nicolas' Blog Post

“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” – Luke 12:48

Intellect and the ability to learn is a gift from God and we must all use it to our fullest potential. As I reflect on my journey through the EMBA Class of 2015 program, I am glad and excited that I made the decision to embark on such a prolific experience. This process at Binghamton has confirmed many things for me already. It has reinforced the theory that progress takes extreme personal sacrifice as well as an enormous commitment. When I first walked into the “Meet-and-Greet” at the hotel in Vestal at the beginning of the program, I was nervous because I didn’t know how I would match up intellectually with my cohort and that made me anxious. For the first time in a long time, I was actually apprehensive about my qualifications in terms of academic accomplishments and intellect, and I was right. I walked into a room full of highly intelligent and very successful people. I felt right at home with my cohort and could see the camaraderie already building based on our common goal even though I was struggling professionally working for a soon-to-be-defunct Non-Profit with assets depleting on a daily basis. Everyone else seemed so grounded and successful in their professional lives.

As I walked into that hotel meeting room in Vestal and to exacerbate that anxiety, the first person that I spoke to was a highly successful person working for a “real” Non-Profit organization that had assets and stability. Even though I grew up academically above average as a youth where I attended one of the best public middle schools in the City of NY, I walked in knowing that I fell short of fulfilling my potential because I didn’t even earn a Bachelor’s degree until I was in my 30’s. I’ll always remember starting an investment company in the late 1990’s where the lawyers who wrote the deal were University of Pennsylvania and Harvard educated. They let me know every chance that they could that they were Ivy League material and that I didn’t even have a Bachelor’s Degree at the time. So, walking into that hotel meeting room filled a void for me intellectually. I was finally going to pursue a graduate degree from a reputable university.

My classmates are a great bunch of people who have been more than helpful when I needed it like those who helped me to understand concepts to get past Statistics and especially those in my project group. With such a great collection of intelligent people in my class and world class Professors, I was able to get through the first semester and I want to say thank you to every single classmate and instructor. The first semester was a bit tight because of a major life event that included my wife giving birth to our newborn son A.J. along with winning a battle with a major illness.

Walking into our new facility in Mid-Town Manhattan for our second semester in January of 2014, I felt that I earned the right to be there. This educational experience compensated for the deception and empty promises in my professional life. I was deceived by several people that I trusted and this education gave me hope that I can finish this degree and follow my dreams which includes starting a business where we just received our provisional patent for an idea that we developed. I probably would not have displayed such confidence without this MBA experience, especially since I have not run a business in quite some time. I was inspired by the entire intellectual process while sitting next to entrepreneurial classmates and one in particular who gave me great advice on being practical with my decisions. This Binghamton Executive MBA experience has already proved to help me with the skill sets to be successful. If anyone asks me why I feel even more confident now in my life than ever before, it’s because of the rekindled spirit that I had growing up and my love for education as well as knowing that intellectual capital is worth more than any physical possession. An educated person can lose a million dollars and can just earn another million. I cannot say the same for people who lack the skills necessary to navigate such a competitive world where the choices that are made concerning scarce resources is the difference between success and failure.

I’m looking forward to completing this degree with my cohort. I feel momentum building for me again in life and to all of my classmates, I wish you all health and prosperity in the coming months and deep into the future.

Ian Singh's Post

Early in the summer of 2013, I asked one of my mentors what I need to do to get to his position of Chief Operating Officer. His response was stunning. I thought he would have given me the standard spiel of “you have to work hard”, “you have to be more dedicated”, instead he said you need to work on your “people skills”. I thought I had good “people” skills until he pointed out my many flaws. I immediately ordered a bunch of management books but found them incredibly boring and of the one size fits all family. I went back to the COO and said that I need help- and he suggested an MBA.

I started doing some research and submitted a few applications as I was looking for a program to start quickly since I was super motivated. Binghamton’s EMBA program seemed perfect and right within my budget. The application to acceptance process was pretty quick and I was able to start in the fall. Thus far I have completed one semester that was a nice balance of technical work and soft skills but for me the strength of the program lay in the need to work in groups (which was one of my weaknesses identified above). I’m looking forward to the rest of the program with the great friends that I have made so far.

Lisa Bogdany's Post

A man/women who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he/she has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad. – Theodore Roosevelt

The first semester is done and I can't believe the bonds I formed with my classmates and the material that I learned and applied the next day at work. Selecting Binghamton for my MBA was the best decision of my life. The faculty is top ranked in their professions and my peers are motivated. The course work balances out with the content during the sessions. Working in teams and learning not only from the professor but my team is something that I value.

I was having a hard time the first semester with Stats. My classmate opened up his home and started a study group. This study group gave me the motivation and confidence to succeed and pass the class .I can pick up the phone and call my team members anytime for help. Binghamton is helping me become a Leader and to develop team building skills.

I enjoy going to class every Saturday and learning and seeing my EMBA class. We all have exciting things going on in our lives and we get to learn from each other. I made friends in this program that I know I will have for a lifetime. The education I am receiving is one of a kind and will take me to the next chapter in my life and my career.

Sunny Sood's Post

It had been a while since I had been wanting to do my MBA. But finding the right program took me a while. MBA at Binghamton was the perfect that fit my budget and schedule. The program at Binghamton is considerably very good among business school.

The admission staff have left a very good impression on their willing to help in every possible way. My questions were answered promptly and I was helped quickly.

Memories to preserve “Dinner together at Binghamton, NY ” September 2013

Our 17 student class feels like a small family. Everyone is a responsible and mature adult willing to help in any way possible. We have great diversity among students; it feels the whole world in the class. Everyone have great respect for the other and we get along very good. All the diverse ideas produce innovation; it was a right decision to choose Binghamton for my MBA

The professors take immense interest in making sure that all of us understand the gist of the course. The skills that we are learning are the core of management skills needed by managers.

Here is a glimpse of a classroom discussion infront of the class. What a superb way of understanding the subject matter in a skit played by classmates.

Memories to preserve “Organization Behavior Course - Skit to understand the course material” Fall 2013

The reading study load is split among the group that had been created by the administrative staff. A group consists of 4 students keeping diversity into consideration; everyone shares and equally contributes towards the success of the group. We all bring our ideas to be shared among the whole class and learn together.

Even though many among us had a bit of hard time in Statistics class, but the professor went extra mile. He help organized virtual study session through online meeting and phone conference.

Memories to preserve “Statistics Class” Fall 2013

Furthermore we had class discussion on rooftop while enjoying the open fresh air. It is a relaxed way of learning innovation instead of classroom learning.

Memories to preserve “Rooftop and Fresh Air learning” Fall 2013

At the end of our fall semester we celebrated the evening together.

Memories to preserve “Celebrating End of Fall 2013 Semester”

I am looking forward to celebration after ingesting the whole MBA program in a meaningful way and becoming a true management professional that this MBA program deems to make.

Jilliane Conway's Post

Last night while driving home from the last class of the 1st semester in our program, I had a lot of time to think and reflect.

Last May I graduated from Binghamton with my undergraduate degree and I had a decision to make. Apply to graduate school or work towards getting my CPA designation. I knew that Binghamton offered an Executive MBA program that would work perfectly with my work schedule – so this was an easy choice. Decision made I began the process and was told that there would not be a program offered at the home campus, but that there was a cohort in … New York City.

Through my undergraduate program I was an outsider – I was, on average, 7 years older than my classmates and I was working full time (in general they were not.) I never was able to establish camaraderie with my classmates because I was different. Now, presented with another situation where I will be an “outsider” I was unsure how I felt about proceeding. I don’t live in (or near) New York City, but this was my option and I made the decision to proceed with this program and spend a LOT of time in my car.

From the very first time I met everyone at orientation weekend (where I was again different because I arrived late) I felt like this was not going to be like undergrad. We are all professionals in similar situations all with a common goal. I felt a connection to each individual in the group, but I was still unsure about being the only person who lived so far from NYC.

Fast forward and here, we are finishing the 1st semester. I feel as though you are all my “family” and I don’t feel like an outsider. It’s amazing to me that the design of this program creates an instant camaraderie (at least in my eyes) because we are all in this together. Not only as teams, but also as an entire class. We all struggled through statistics (well maybe not EVERYONE struggled.) While this was a tough class, it made it easier to get through because you had a team to support you … and beyond that an entire class to support you.

While driving 7 hours on a Saturday (except in a snowstorm where it becomes 11 hoursJ ) is not ideal – I am glad that I made the decision to proceed. I have met 16 amazing individuals that I would not have met otherwise. In the short amount of time that we have been together, I have learned something from each of you. Most importantly, I feel like we are all in this together and want to thank you all for contributing to this experience. I’m sure that the next 15 months will go by as quickly as the first 3 did. Every weekend everyone one of you reinforce to me that my decision to participate in the NYC cohort was the right one.

We made it! One semester down only 4 to go! See everyone next year!

“People are like dirt. They can either nourish you and help you grow as a person or they can stunt your growth and make you wilt and die.” ~Plato~

Sandesh Mahagaokar's Blog Post

Scrum: Agile Methodology

As we the class of EMBA 2015, are getting back into the habit of reading books, regressing complex datasets and acquiring border expertise; I thought of providing a quick insight to a new trend in executing Information Technology (IT) projects. Traditionally majority of the IT enabled transformation projects were executed using so called water fall method. But, as the complexity and magnitude of IT programs is growing for every generation, the Water Fall method is becoming riskier day by day. Project sponsors are demanding to diversify project risks and it is becoming very critical to make sure that if one feature goes wrong, it should not impact another feature. The new mantra in IT project management is to adapt to less risky but more flexible implementation methodology called Scrum.

Let’s quickly refresh our understanding about Water Fall method and take a look at Scrum method, its life cycle and key artifacts.

Waterfall Method

Water Fall method is called ‘waterfall’ because we complete one phase (e.g. planning) before moving on to the next phase (e.g. development). In Waterfall approaches, we will rarely aim to re-visit a ‘phase’ once it’s completed. As such, we better get whatever we’re doing right the first time! This approach is highly risky, often more costly and generally less efficient than more Agile approaches.

The main issues with this approach include:

We don’t realize any value until the end of the project

We leave the testing until the end, which means we’re leaving issue discovery until last moment

We don’t seek approval from the stakeholders until late in the day – their requirements might have changed

We are heavily reliant upon a plan, which often follow to the detriment of the end result

We’re heavily reliant upon a project manager driving the way – the power of one

Scrum Method

Scrum is an agile methodology that can be applied to nearly any project; however, the Scrum methodology is most commonly used in software development. Scrum software development progresses via a series of iterations called sprints, which last from one to four weeks. The Scrum model suggests each sprint begins with a brief planning meeting and concludes with a review. These are the basics of Scrum project management.

Scrum is a process framework that has been used to manage complex product development since the early 1990s. Scrum is not a process or a technique for building products; rather, it is a framework within which we can employ various processes and techniques. Scrum relies on a self-organizing, cross-functional team. Scrum team has no overall team leader who decides which person will do which task or how a problem will be solved. Within agile development, Scrum teams are supported by two specific roles. The first is a ScrumMaster, who can be thought of as a coach for the team, helping team members use the Scrum process to perform at the highest level. The Product Owner (PO) is the other role, this role is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Development

Team.Scrum team is responsible for committing to work, authorized to do whatever is needed to meet commitment and to demonstrate sprint output as a Product Increment. Ideal core team size is about 7; it does not include visiting SME’s or shared resources.

Scrum Development

The Scrum model suggests that projects progress via a series of sprints. In keeping with an agile methodology, sprints are time boxed to no more than a month long, most commonly two weeks. During an agile Scrum sprint, the Scrum team takes a small set of features (requirements) and goes through the cycle of design, build and test. At the end of the sprint, these features are done, meaning coded, tested and integrated into the evolving product or system.

On each day of the sprint, all team members should attend a daily Scrum meeting (standup meeting), including the Scrum Master and the Product Owner. This meeting is time boxed to no more than 15 minutes. During that time, team members share what they worked on the prior day, will work on that day, and identify any impediments to progress.

At the end of a sprint, the team conducts a sprint review during which the team demonstrates the new functionality to the PO or any other stakeholder.

Scrum Artifacts

The Scrum model expects the team to bring the evolving product or system to a potentially shippable state at the end of each sprint. The product backlog is another artifact of a sprint. This is the complete list of the functionality that remains to be added to the product or system. The Product Owner prioritizes the backlog so the team always works on the most valuable features in subsequent sprints. Additional artifacts resulting from the Scrum agile methodology is the sprint burndown chart and release burndown chart. Burndown charts show the amount of work remaining either in a sprint or a release, and are an effective tool in Scrum software development to determine whether a sprint or release is on desired schedule. The ultimate artifact at end of the final sprint is, of course, the product itself.

Now that you have the gist of Scrum Method; I want to admit that this is my first ever blog. May be you can give me some advice; how do you think I should end this blog post? I hope I was able convey my Residual Message.

Bibliography

Waterfall Method:

http://www.agilistapm.com/differences-between-waterfall-iterative-waterfall-scrum-and-lean-software-development-in-pictures/

Scrum Method

http://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/agile/scrum

http://www.slideshare.net/rajivmisra/agile-scrum-methodology

Paul Tavolacci's Post

Wealth Creation in Health Creation

“Trade is not a zero sum game”- Alan Greenspan

As the Binghamton EMBA Class of 2015 registers for the second of five program terms, my anticipation of the first specialized HealthCare Track Class in 2014 is palpable.

Inherent to everyone in all of humanity is a genotype, a medical history, a genealogy, and oral history. Unapparent for all, but the most omnipotent fact for insurance companies is individuals ranking in relative health, and conversely, health risk. That’s about to change.

Patient ownership of medical records is coming fast and it’s going to change the face of the global economy. Today, healthcare is already 1/6th of the US GDP and growing. We no longer manufacture widgets. We provide services in this Country. While Obamacare and other government initiatives have provided an inextinguishable flame of incentives for the industry to evolve faster than others, most of the innovations will come out of a desire for better value and quality of delivery. Good old- fashioned initiative will address unmet needs and those needs clearly include better information management. I want to be there in the mosh pit of the healthcare evolution as it happens.

The benefits of better, more complete patient-centered medical records span a wide range of possibilities. One of them is time savings for the patient; patients take days off now to perform mundane tasks such as collecting X-Rays, discs of data or simply getting on the phone for hours to manage an insurance claim. Duplicative procedures are addressed by Obamacare but not the current state of information technology. Doctors also rarely have the entire picture of patient health. Some of the most prevalent Electronic Health Record systems touch as much as 49% of the US population yet are only one of dozens of systems that contain some of the records for each of those patients. Bottom line, since they don’t talk to each other, the various Electronic Medical Records systems prevent quality and continuity of value through their lack of interoperability.

Research now shows that high-caloric diets alone are killers. Fat stored on our waists and hips can no longer be looked upon as a financial reserve of sorts, available for the tough day when there’s no money for food, like coins on the floor of a car. We were biogenetically engineered to consider a belly a sign of success. But that’s back when living to 40 was akin to acquiring today’s Summer House in the Hamptons. Now the elder sage who lives longer than anyone 1000 years ago did is expressing new genes that never had a chance to do so. They are accumulating an oral history and the collective wisdom of their additional years that is unsurpassed. They are creating wealth of a different kind. Their family inherits this wealth of information and uses it to their advantage. That pesky selfish-gene! However, the collective health information, those genetic predispositions (for things good and bad) and other leading indicators are just starting to be used to extreme advantage on a just-in-time basis for their respective owners. Angelina Jolie made news this year when she had a double, prophylactic mastectomy based on some simple and readily available genetic tests. Imagine a day when a therapeutic solution would head the impending cancer problem off at the pass. Asserting the positive aspects of one’s genotype proactively is another exciting frontier. A history of longevity in one’s family can be used to negotiate better health insurance rates. That spells it out in dollars and cents!

Health information is an asset to be wielded just like money in the bank. And we can do better than getting free checking. We can get improved value and services, and by doing so save thousands of dollars of incomes and every so often a life. Without regard to race, socioeconomic background, history or other trappings of wealth creation the information revolution in health is one of the biggest creators of wealth today. In fact, the information revolution in health will become one of the greatest democratizations of capital ever. Short finance! Short law! Short manufacturing! Go long on healthcare information technology. I am.

My Mom always wanted me to be a doctor. I think what she really wanted was for me to help people remain healthy and make a decent living doing so. I think I’ve got that covered, Mom.

Power to the patient!

Paul M Tavolacci

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paul-tavolacci/6/86/b4b/

Tyler Phillip's Post

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. - Maya Angelou

It’s hard to believe that it has been two months since we first met in the Holiday Inn conference room in Binghamton (Vestal) for our orientation. I was excited to meet everyone and I was so happy when I saw such a smart, diverse, and grounded group of people.

Ronan- so proud…but where is Manhatten?

Although I was excited, I was still skeptical. Having been duped in the past by promises of world class education and endless opportunities (from other institutions), I have to admit I was a jaded from the outset. Furthermore, since I am a trained facilitator and teacher, I am especially aware of teaching styles, credibility, and the instructor’s ability to create a safe learning environment. Simply put, I was preparing myself disappointment.

But life is funny. Sometimes, when you think you have it all figured out and you know what to expect you get blind-sided by the unexpected. And what a pleasant surprise.

We first met Professor Kelly during orientation weekend. Simply put, he is a master. I was in awe of his ability to make the content relevant and engaging for the entire weekend. This was such a great Ethics course. And Professor Kelly put my mind at ease. I knew I was in the right place.

A masterful presentation from Idesta, Geoff, James, and Sunny. Starbucks anyone?

Soon thereafter we met Professor Jaussi (Kim) for Organizational Behavior. While Kim’s style was quite different than Professor Kelly’s, she was just as effective and brilliant. Kim has challenged me to think differently, be innovative, and view challenges as opportunities. Immediately I was able to use this type of thinking to solve problems within my organization.

My attempt at using Art Thinking to solve a problem at work.

Just recently we had the pleasure of meeting Professor Gustafson (Andy) who is clearly an expert speaker and communicator and will make effective communicators out of us yet!

The feeling that I’ve gotten from the EMBA program so far has been a feeling of trust. I trust that I am in good hands. I trust that I’ll be able to apply everything I learn quickly and in a practical setting. I trust that I will become a more effective leader. And I trust that Binghamton is putting the students first and will do everything it can to give us the best education and experience throughout our time together.

This our breakfast, but we’re hungry for more!

Welcome!

Hey Class,

Welcome to the inaugural blogging effort of the School of Management's Executive Education office, and, more importantly, YOUR class blog! While you will all be required to write a minimum of two posts over the duration of the 18-month program, we encourage you to share thoughts, pictures, links, videos and above all, reflections on your experiences in the program. This should serve as an informal way of getting to know each other and as a mechanism to communicate those things which may not be pertinent to classroom discussions. In other words, we really want to get a sense of who you guys are! The goal is to foster an even stronger bond as a class and between us all as part of the SOM family. I hope you guys are enjoying this semester as much as I am and I look forward to seeing what everyone has to contribute.

Best of Luck,

Jeremy

#welcome #BUSOM

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