Diving headfirst into enterprise | Kellogg School of Management

Intense, difficult and rewarding — these phrases describe not solely what Jack Doyle ’26 MiM Program experiences within the pool, as a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I swimmer, but in addition how he is discovered to remain afloat academically within the Master in Management (MiM) Program.

Balancing early-morning practices, late-night group initiatives and the quick tempo of a 10-month graduate program is not any small feat. Yet for Doyle, the MiM expertise mirrors the self-discipline, adaptability and teamwork demanded by elite athletes.

Designed to assist bold younger professionals jump-start their profession development, the MiM Program brings collectively college students from a variety of educational backgrounds and 20 totally different international locations — fostering sturdy cross-cultural collaboration and real-world downside fixing from day one.

Here, Doyle shares how the MiM Program has helped him sharpen his perspective as each an athlete and an rising enterprise chief. 

You’ve balanced Division I swimming with the MiM program’s educational depth. What expertise from MiM have translated effectively into succeeding in different areas of your life? 

I’ve discovered to see issues from a number of views. One of the MiM Program’s strengths is that our cohort is made up of individuals from all around the world. The wide selection of experiences has broadened my horizons, difficult me to suppose deeply and analyze issues from totally different angles. Business issues are multidimensional and infrequently have a single resolution.

The college’s dedication to collaboration via group initiatives helps simulate real-world enterprise groups, educating us to filter, assess issues and develop options in a setting that mimics skilled environments.  

“After a few late-night projects and early morning practices, I realized I needed a more organized system. As a result of time management, I am better in the water and have avoided a lot of unnecessary stress.”

You’ve talked about that you just’ve constructed a extra organized system since beginning the MiM Program. What are a number of of those time administration ideas that you just’d wish to move alongside to fellow athletes beginning this fall? 

The finest approach I keep organized is by working forward. Falling behind creates pointless stress, lowers the standard of my work and results in disorganization. I, together with my classmates, have discovered all through this yr that you just can not save issues for the final minute. I additionally maximize each spare second. On bus rides, I make the most of the time to learn the subsequent case research or work on a present challenge. 

One of the benefits MiM graduates obtain is that they’ve a pathway to the college’s One-Year MBA Program. How do you see this program supplying you with a aggressive benefit to the everyday route athletes take after school? 

The MiM program is a bridge from school to the actual world. Not solely does MiM provide you with a powerful enterprise basis, however the hands-on work provides you expertise that interprets on to the actual world. Classes are constructed round case research that simulate real-world enterprise issues.  

The program’s bridge to the One-Year MBA is without doubt one of the most dear alternatives for MiM college students. This program provides college students enterprise foundations to launch their careers and a possibility to come back again to Kellogg and full their MBA in just one yr. The MBA is my long-term aim, and MiM has helped me lay down the skilled and educational groundwork I have to get there. 

You’re used to getting into stress — aggressive swimming is a demanding sport! How has this system’s tempo (group work, tight turnarounds, demanding lessons, networking) pushed you to develop professionally and personally?   

The tempo of this system has made me intentional with my time and vitality whereas balancing a number of priorities. Juggling a number of initiatives is difficult, however it forces me to remain organized and talk effectively with my teammates.  

For instance, in our Strategy and Management Practicum, we labored with groups in a enterprise simulation that mimics operating an actual firm. We made choices throughout advertising, finance, operations and analysis and growth whereas competing in opposition to different groups within the class. As a workforce, we needed to reply shortly and effectively to adjustments throughout the simulation. 

At the tip of the quarter, we introduced our outcomes and decision-making course of to Kellogg alumni working in Chicago. Presenting to professionals made the challenge really feel extra actual and gave a glimpse of what it is wish to function in a enterprise setting. 

How has the MiM Program helped you convey earlier experiences collectively or develop general as a frontrunner? 

Being on a workforce for the final 10+ years has formed me to suppose like a teammate, not a person. The program combines analytical and teamwork elements, which have challenged and demanded excessive communication, teamwork and analytical expertise.  

For instance, in Business Negotiations, we work with a unique workforce every week to arrange a negotiation in opposition to one other workforce of scholars. Often, circumstances aren’t a zero-sum negotiation, which pushes us to suppose creatively about how one can increase worth for each side moderately than merely compete over it.  

Success is determined by shortly aligning with new teammates, incorporating totally different views, and speaking clearly below time stress to achieve an settlement with the opposite workforce. This is one other approach Kellogg bridges the hole between the classroom and a real-world enterprise atmosphere.  

What’s one factor that you’d inform Jack who’s waking as much as begin day one at Kellogg? 

Grab one other espresso. The program is fast-paced and intense however make certain to take pleasure in it as a result of it goes by shortly. 

Read subsequent: Building careers with readability and confidence 

The views and opinions expressed on this submit are these of the authors, and don’t essentially replicate the place of the Kellogg School of Management or Northwestern University.