Leadership, Teamwork, and Business

The MMG Program was my first contact with Tulane and the A.B. Freeman School of Business. I graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana and most of my classmates in this program were Tulane graduates. So unlike most of my peers, stepping onto campus that first day for orientation was similar to any first day in a new place: disorienting, but exciting. I had to adjust to a new setting, as well as the new program.

The program offered to further and grow our capabilities in leadership, teamwork, and understanding of the business world, which quickly revealed to be true. I remember the class being split into groups of four where each team would work together for the whole year together. At first thought, I was wary, but one of our first classes was focused on teaching us how to work as a team and how to be a leader within our teams. My team, Producers15, learned how to work efficiently where we are able to utilize each of our strengths to provide the best work possible, as well as be a leader for our team when necessary.

As for the business perspective, my opinion may be skewed. My undergraduate major was Business Administration with a concentration in Sales and Marketing. So, the curriculum consisted of many topics I’ve learned before, such as accounting, finance, marketing, international/global business, statistics, and management. However, in each of these classes, I’ve been able to deepen my learning by viewing each topic from a different perspective. As an MMG student, we are looking at each subject with a management point of view to understand how a manager/leader would handle issues. Also, most students in this program do not have a business background, which brings a fresh perspective to class and questions the topics differently than business majors often do.

Looking back, the transition between undergraduate to graduate student went smoother than I anticipated, which I think has to do with the teambuilding activities. It encouraged the students to connect with one another and realize that to excel in class, and essentially in life, we needed to work well with others to produce the best results. Being open and respective to new ideas and perspectives is essential to maintaining good relations within a team, as well as enables the ability to evaluate the various ideas and identify the best method moving forward.

-Hillary Nguyen