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Kelley School of Business Indiana University Bloomington
Full-time MBA Program

Bloomington Audit: Daniel Castelline, MBA’17

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Daniel Castelline, MBA’17, continues our #BtownAudit series and shares some of his favorite things about Bloomington, Indiana.

Daniel Castelline, MBA’17, and his favorite things.

When I first relocated to Bloomington from Boston, “apprehensive” would have been an appropriate expression of my uncertainty. Southern Indiana doesn’t exactly jump off the map, but the prospect of attending the Kelley Full-Time MBA Program was too alluring to pass up. So I packed my bags, and off to the land of corn I went.

Bloomington has been an ideal place to pursue my MBA. I often refer to the town as a “student’s utopia.” A town that punches above its weight, Bloomington is affordable, convenient, friendly and, oh yeah, did I mention affordable? Because of its intimate size, Bloomington also fosters an environment of community, culture and collaboration; and you’re bound to run into classmates wherever you go.

Here’s a short list of my favorite city slicker things to do in Bloomington:

Andrew Davis
Whenever in need of a little retail-therapy, Andrew Davis is the place of choice for high-end menswear. A premier boutique in Bloomington, Andrew Davis carries an assortment of top-line labels. Drop by to have a beer, peruse their latest collection, and chat with storeowner Andy Mallor, a Kelley alumnus and IU enthusiast.

The Tap
A favorite among the Kelley MBA community, The Tap is a wonderful place to unwind with both classmates and faculty. With more than 300 craft beers, The Tap’s variety is terrific for those with an adventurous pallet. Looking for a recommendation? Start with the Kentucky Bourbon—on tap, of course!
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Leaving Hollywood and Its Tyrannical Leaders Behind

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by Kyle Hebenstreit, MBA’16

The ability to write in a way that inspires and fosters teamwork is a trait of great leadership. Students in the Kelley MBA Leadership Academy, in collaboration with the Gotham Writers Workshop, have produced a series of blog posts to demonstrate these skills.

Hollywood is a weird place to work. Maybe it’s fictional characters like Ari Gold, Buddy Ackerman or Les Grossman that glorify the notion of an office tyrant, but there’s a celebrated culture of intensely demanding and, frankly, disrespectful bosses. Schadenfreude-fueled tales of misconduct drifted through the halls of talent agencies and studios where I worked.

There’s the time the agent publicly went ballistic on his assistant for not turning all of the Perrier bottles east, as requested. Or the time an executive didn’t like his assistant’s tie, so he took a pair of scissors and cut it in half to make what I’m sure was an important point. Or the time the head of the agency stood on his assistant’s desk, golf club in hand, screaming, “I don’t pay you to think!”

An explanation for why people act this way is for another blog, or cultural anthropology dissertation. What I’m trying to illustrate is that this is where I started my education on what it means to be a manager, a coach, a leader.
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Perfect Your On-The-Job Elevator Pitch

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by Kendell Brown, Associate Director of Alumni Career Services 

Kendell Brown

By now you are likely familiar with the idea of an elevator pitch. It’s a concise summary of an individual’s brand. I like to think of it as a 30-second commercial highlighting someone’s strengths and leverage-able skills. We talk about elevator pitches all of the time in job search circles. It can be used as an intro at a coffee chat, it’s the foundation for an answer to the “Tell me about yourself” question and if you happen to see a hiring manager on an elevator, well you figure it out.  Bottom line, they are useful and you can use them throughout your job search.

The thing is, once people find a new job, they typically abandon their elevator pitch. The thinking is, “I’ve got a job, why do I still need an elevator pitch?” If you take a more expansive view of an elevator pitch and define it as not just a tool to help me get a job, but instead as a professional executive summary you’ll see that you can use an elevator pitch in a variety of settings.

Entrepreneurs and salespeople often have a pitch ready to go, because they recognize that they cannot let an opportunity pass that could lead to an investment or sale.

But what about you, the cubicle jockey who’s just trying to get ahead—do you need an elevator pitch? Yes! Just because you have a job, doesn’t mean that you are not still trying to sell yourself. Let’s say that you are working on a big project, it’s your No. 1 priority and you feel as if you are really rocking it. Sure your manager and everyone on your team knows how well things are going and they recognize that you’re the reason. But what about your manager’s manager? Or the VP that your director reports to? (more…)

What I Learned as a GLOBASE Participant and Leader

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GLOBASE Guatemala 2016


by Kyle DeLapp, MBA’16

Kyle DeLapp

Over the course of my two years in the Kelley Full-Time MBA Program, I’ve seen many examples of why this is a world-class program. The best example of this is the Global Business and Social Enterprise (GLOBASE) program.

I was fortunate enough to be involved as a participant and as a leader for GLOBASE Guatemala. It was one of the major reasons I came to Kelley and both years I found myself learning more about the world, how business works in different cultures and geographic regions, and how I fit into the mix. Here are a few things I took away from my experiences:

As a participant:

Business is Ubiquitous

Before Kelley, I owned a perfume and fragrance business. Throughout my time there, I built relationships around the world and ran a supply chain spanning from China to the U.S. that ended in Dubai and Moscow. While in Guatemala, I was able to bring much of that expertise to the table and applied it to challenges my client was having importing products from China, Brazil, and Spain. Interestingly enough, whether it’s being practiced in a New York High rise, a developing nation, or in a volcanic crater, business is pervasive and instilled in every part of our lives. Sure, every business has unique attributes that create different challenges and opportunities, but the core operations span oceans, nations, and cultures.
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Take the Plunge

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by Rhea Mahato, MBA’16

 

Rhea Mahato

Great leadership includes the ability to write in a way that inspires and fosters teamwork. In collaboration with the Gotham Writers Workshop, students in the Kelley MBA Leadership Academy have produced a series of blog posts to demonstrate these skills.

“Go make us proud,” I heard my mom say as she bid me farewell at the airport. Going to live in a completely new country and pursuing an international MBA was as enthralling as it was intimidating. As my flight landed in Chicago and I looked out the window, I realized “No going back now.” In India, I thought I was going to live for two years in a small city and I was preparing myself for a hectic two years of academic rigor.
Dream the impossible and plunge in its pursuit. I wanted to be a leader affecting sustainable economic and environmental change in the world. When I was packing to come to the Kelley Full-Time MBA Program, I believed the global exposure and business learning at Kelley would give me the skills to be able to do that after I graduate.
And boy—I was so right.
My leadership journey started right from the minute I walked in these halls.

Learning the ropes

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A Few Things Don Draper Taught Me About Business

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by Jared Goldsmith, MBA’16

Jared Goldsmith

The ability to inspire and foster teamwork through writing is a trait of great leadership. Students in the Kelley MBA Leadership Academy, in collaboration with the Gotham Writers Workshop, have produced a series of blog posts to demonstrate these skills.

Don Draper was a big part of my life for several months while I powered through eight seasons of Mad Men on Netflix. The drama of his messed-up personal life made me cringe on a regular basis, but I loved watching him at work. Whether he was motivating employees through means of unnecessary force or delivering a solid pitch to potential clients, I loved every minute of it.

Although I could probably write a novel titled, “Things to NOT do like Don Draper,” there are some powerful lessons and words that he delivered that have helped me become a better leader and motivator.
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MBA Program Update for Kelley MBA Alumni

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By Jonlee Andrews
Faculty Chair of the Kelley Full-Time MBA Program
Kelley School of Business

As a Kelley MBA alum, you are a valuable part of the Full-Time MBA Program and our Kelley network. Your success is our success and vice versa. Our commitment to your future—and your relationship with Kelley—continues long after you receive your degree.

In this letter, I will tell you about some recent changes to the MBA program. I hope it will give you a new perspective on the program and what’s happening in Bloomington.

My Goals

My goals as chair are to bring in and train the absolute best MBA students; to support them while they’re here at Kelley, and to continue the relationship once they graduate. Our biggest measure of success is the success of our alumni—like you. These goals have resulted in a number of positive changes to the program (and many wonderful traditions remain). I’ll tell you about two of them below.
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The Imperative (& Art) of Challenging Assumptions

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Scott Mautz

Guest blogger Scott Mautz, MBA’94 is an award-winning keynote speaker and 20+ year veteran of Procter & Gamble, where he currently runs the company’s largest, multi-billion dollar business. He is also the author of the book Make It Matter: How Managers Can Motivate by Creating Meaning.

There is a silent, guiding force in your life that has more influence than you can imagine. We instinctively know the impact that friends and family have on how we live our lives. We know how powerful our dreams and aspirations can be for affecting how we carry on. We know how our desire to be healthy can affect our habits or how our romantic interest in someone can affect our behavior. All are forces in our world as seen and felt like a driving rain.

But do we ever stop to really consider how the assumptions we make shape and mold our actions, behaviors, and our lives? The impact is profound. Our assumptions can derail dreams, stop progress in its tracks, self-imposed limits, create self-fulfilling prophecies, distort motives and harm relationships, kill creativity, and lead us down unwanted paths. Some assumptions we make with great awareness, many are on autopilot running our lives and guiding our decisions like a subconscious consigliere.  (more…)

Are You Networking? You Should Be

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Kendell Brown

By  Kendell Brown, Associate Director of Alumni Career Services 

I’m often asked, “What should I be doing now to prepare for my career in the long term?” Time after time, my response is “networking!” Staying in touch with colleagues, friends and classmates to catch them up on what’s happening with you and learn about what’s going on with them is the single best thing you can do for your career.

No matter how you network—email updates, lunch chats, Friday phone calls—touching base keeps you and your skills top of mind with your network. Simply put, networking is the best way to prepare for an advancement opportunity or overcome an unexpected job loss.

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Bloomington Audit: Dan Pickering, MBA’16

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Dan Pickering

Not only is the Kelley MBA program among the top in the world, so is our location—Bloomington, Indiana. A top college town with an amazing college campus, Bloomington boasts natural beauty, a low cost of living, and is nationally noted as a best place for food, theater, music, and adventure. In our ongoing #BtownAudit series, Kelley MBA students share some of their favorite things in Bloomington. Enjoy these top picks from Dan Pickering, MBA’16.

Memorial Stadium
Feeling the sun on your face on a crisp fall Saturday watching college football is a great experience, and Indiana Memorial Stadium is as good a spot as any to enjoy this. Don’t get me wrong, Hoosier fans definitely put basketball first, but they also love their football. The tree-lined, grass tailgate fields are full hours before kickoff, the team is on the upswing, and Coach Kevin Wilson has the team playing with record-setting offensive explosiveness that is really fun to watch.
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