Learning to bend: readjusting my own expectations for our project
By Victoria
As I open up more to other teammate and classmates’ suggestions, I am finding that there is more than just one way to do things, and that, by opening up, I can work collaboratively to find a solution that works for both my team and our client as we move forward with our project. I just need to slow down and listen.
I had been looking forward to participating in the Social Impact Field Seminar since I began my MBA program back in 2018. As a professional evening MBA (PEMBA) student, I had been a little anxious about missing a week of work for the week-long trip to the home country. I wanted to find a region and project that aligned with my personal and professional interests. I was a little disappointed when I learned that, unsurprisingly, the field seminar would be fully remote this year. That quickly dissipated when I realized that this opened the door to working with clients across many regions and industries. It was incredibly difficult choosing which project I wanted to work on, but as I ran through the list of projects with my partner and I read the project description for the client I was assigned, my partner stopped me and said, “This is everything that you want to do with your MBA.” I was thrilled when I was assigned my number one pick and was selected to work on that project.
I am a list-maker. I like to know when deadlines are coming up, the specifics that are expected of me on a given project, and I prefer to be over-prepared. We had a late start with our client as she had been buried under projects and trainings during the first two weeks, which made me incredibly anxious. I wanted to get a head start and was excited for the project. We had our first meeting with our client almost two weeks after sending the introduction email. I was already worried that we fell behind and was eager to begin. Our client was warm, excited, engaged, and had a lot to manage with her position, which is what led to the delay. Our conversation left me even more invigorated to begin the project. However, our team is still determining how we can scope our project so we can deliver a strong deliverable at the end of April.
I am now recognizing that I cannot make people align with my rhythm and pace; I need to learn how to slow down, breathe, and find a new rhythm with my team and our client. I am learning how to be more patient as we work through these bumps along the way. I am trying to remember that each team has its own pace as they work on projects and, just because we started later, it does not mean that we are at a disadvantage. Our client and team are personally invested in our project and we are all dedicated to creating something that will have a long-time, sustainable impact.
I am also learning that we may need to find a new way to communicate and build trust. Being an American who relies heavily on email, I have been using it as the default way to communicate. However, after talking with other classmates who are working on different projects, they have suggested using WhatsApp as a less formal and quicker form of communication that may work better for our client. As I open up more to other teammate and classmates’ suggestions, I am finding that there is more than just one way to do things, and that, by opening up, I can work collaboratively to find a solution that works for both my team and our client as we move forward with our project. I just need to slow down and listen.