A Few Learnings for the Day . . .

I am supposed to be studying, but I wanted to share of few of my deeper moments with you from the last couple of days. Maybe they will speak to you as well.

"If you tell the truth, it's part of your past. If you tell a lie, it is part of your future."

"Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart."

"Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. don't think that you've lost time. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is the right time."

"Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat."

"It is pardonable to be defeated, but not to be surprised."

Love and Blessings,

Dee Ann

Enron, Iceland, Italy, Gucci and More Indian Food

Dear Friends,
There is so much I just wish that I could tell you, but I dare not on a public blog. We will have a great time swapping stories when I return.

It's been an outstanding academic week. Among our case studies were, as mentioned above, Enron, Iceland, Italy, Gucci, FBI, Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and Microsoft, just to name a few. Our Columbia case was a video role playing simulation. It made me glad that I don't have to make life and death decisions everyday (although some of our candidates probably feel like they are). The Deputy Director of the FBI and Director of Intelligence for M15 in the UK spoke as part of the FBI case. That's one of the things I can't put on the blog, but it was fascinating!

As you can guess by the title, we had more Indian food tonight -- the whole Indian population of AMP came to our Living Group for dinner tonight. They are really a bunch of nice guys and they still talk about eating CFA. They love the cows! I had to pretend I was eating the food, but I really couldn't stand it -- it was authentic spicy Indian food. You should smell our hallway! I have my windows open and the fan going. It was a very kind gesture, and one of our living group is a very hospitable Indian man that enjoys sharing the culture of his country, and I have great appreciation for that, even if I don't like the food.

Tomorrow night, I am headed to hear the Boston Pops. If you happened to see Movin' Out on Broadway (I did), the guy who was the lead and sang all the Billy Joel songs is performing Billy Joel with the Pops. I am sure it will be delightful. I am really stretching here, as I really want to pour out all the juicy stuff to you!

Ok, I had a couple of revelations today, and I especially want Michael L. to pay attention, since he is moving here in August.

First of all, I think I know why no one to speaks to anyone passing on the street:

1. In the winter time, if you pull down your scarf to speak, your spit will freeze on your lips.

2. In the spring time, as windy as it is here, if you open your mouth, you risk a bug flying into your mouth and lodging itself between your middle teeth. (Don't you wonder how I know that?)

The other important thing is to plan to walk everywhere -- whatever you do -- don't drive. The closest thing I have seen to violence here has involved road rage, and it happens everyday. These people can communicate more with their horns and fingers than anywhere I have ever been! Besides, if you walk, you get there faster anyway. I outwalk the traffic all the time.

As of tomorrow, I will be 3/4 of my way through this course. If you are saying, "that went by fast," you should have been here. If only days at the beach would last so long. They have a special time system here and each day is 96 hours or so. There are beautiful clocks on buildings all over HBS and Harvard and I try to watch to see them move, and I am sure they only move one numeral every true eight hours.

It's been a ride and I am thankful to God for giving me an opportunity to learn so much about me and about this crazy world we live in (people from 45 countries in my class!), globally and right here in Boston. I wouldn't have missed it, but as my friend Mark says, I am looking forward to it "being in my rear view mirror."

Thanks for your love and support~ I am lifted by angels everyday,

Love,

Dee Ann

Mother's Day Away

The journey has been one of firsts and it will be the very first Mother's Day not to spend with my boys.  I remember my first Mother's Day.  Trenton was but a few days old and I was the "Newest Mother" at church.  Thank you Ashley and boys for the cards, gifts and flowers.  They made being away a little more tolerable.  And Trenton -- thank you for the sweet card you picked out and sent, too.

I think being a Mom is really the best part of life.  It's such a gift from God to have a child and watch that child learn and grow, dream and believe their way right into adulthood.  And as each one came along, I felt even much more of a Mom! :)  Being Trenton, Trevor and Trey's Mom has been the greatest blessing and joy of my life, along with being married to their Dad~

So, on Sunday, boys, when you are thinking about me, also honor your grandmothers -- for without them, you wouldn't be here.  Mom, I will miss you, too.  Thank you for being my Mom.

Click on the video below to see a most special card I received (Be sure you have the sound on)~

I will miss you all~

Love and blessings,

Dee Ann (Mom)

HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY, TRENTON!

It's hard to believe it's been 19 years. It has also been 57 inches and 232 lbs. ago! Trenton, I would rather be with you today ~

With love,

Mom

If You are Going Sightseeing . . .

You need to be able to read a map! If you can't read the map, then it's a good thing to hop on the sightseeing trolley to determine where everything is.

If you go sightseeing by yourself, you end of doing a lot of people watching. And people here are something to watch. Boston is a beautiful city and if you are an American history fanatic like me, it's a great city in which to be staying. Yesterday, after class I headed to the heart of the Freedom Trail to visit Boston Common, the Old State Meeting House, the North Church (one if by land, two if by sea), Paul Revere's house, and much, much more (see pics). It turned into a beautiful spring day and a nice respite from class and studies. I ended the day eating with some of my classmates at a very nice Italian restaurant in North End, an original settlement for Italians, and still today, an Italian neighborhood. The Italian restaurants, pizzarias, bakeries and markets line Hanover Street in North End. It was both delicious and a very fun atmosphere. One of my classmates, Alain, from Monaco, escorted me back to HBS while the rest of the group went to hit the bars. He is one of the nicest men here. He works for Credit Suisse and left behind a 9 month old little girl, who he misses very much. And Ashley, he has invited us for a visit to Monaco -- I think we should go!

Today, I headed over to the beautiful JFK Presidential Library. It sits on a hill overlooking the Boston Harbor. Afterwards, I enjoyed a cup of chowder in Cambridge at Legal Seafoods and perused the "Mayfair" festival in Cambridge. All streets were closed in Harvard Square and many people had tents selling their handcrafted arts, jewelry, etc. It is sort of like the Dogwood Festival at home except on asphalt and city wares instead of country goods. I found one tent that was selling handcrafted jewelry from women in Uganda similar to the jewelry some of the women made in Kenya the last time we were there. The proceeds were supporting a school in Uganda. I enjoyed talking to that group as it reminded me of my friends in Kenya. As I have told you before this is a very difficult place to find God. On my way back to HBS this afternoon, I saw the etching (see pic) on a church that said "God in the midst of the City." Now I have walked past this church 25 times and never noticed that etching until today, but everyday God seems to give me a sign of His promise of faithfulness and this was today's.

Now, not all is fun and games here, in fact, very little of it is. I had a very intense, but extremely enjoyable week in the classroom. Our cases have become increasingly more challenging and thought provoking. I continue to be amazed at how much can be learned in a few hours everyday. Of particular interest, were two cases on Nigeria - and I learned so much about all of Africa through those studies. I also made it through a 1.45 hour Finance Class! I finally got the cold call I was dreading in Sr. Leadership Decision Making class on Saturday. We were studying Simmons mattress company. The professor asked me a question about something that had happened and I gave the answer. Then she asked "why" and I opened my mouth, but nothing came out! So, I said, "May I use a lifeline?" It diffused her and she pointed to Ta in the back of the room and said, "there's your lifeline." When Ta finished answering, I said, "what he said." The professor said, "you don't get any credit for that." We all laughed and I made it through the moment I had been dreading for five weeks.

Here are a few random other things I read, heard or saw this week:

Bunnies at HBS travel in pairs, aren't afraid of people and I think cuter than the ones at home.

At Cheers, everyone does not know your name.

I dreamed one night that I failed AMP (not possible, unless you don't go to class -- then they send you home)

When deciding to use the "rat maze", i.e. the tunnel system at HBS, it's a good thing to have a decent sense of direction.

"The best way to be sure you have a lot to look forward to in life is to work to create a future you want to live in." Charlie Eitel, Simmons Mattress Company

"The most important element in human life is faith. If God were to take away all His blessings and leave me but one gift, I would ask for faith." Rose Kennedy

"O, God, thy sea is so great and my boat is so small." Admiral Rickover

"the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe -- the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God." John F. Kennedy

"Gentlemen, I think we are in perfect agreement, therefore, I suggest we take a break and see if we can create some disagreement." Alfred P. Sloan

"Nothing fails like success."

I must get back to the books. Monday's cases loom.

Blessings and love to all,

Dee Ann

The Clash of the Cultures

So, last night, we are sitting in our living group deciding how we are going to move forward as a study group for the second half of the journey.  Pavol, who was raised in the Soviet Union before the split, said we would "force" people to read, present and participate in our group discussions.  I said, "Let's choose another word for 'force.'"  He reiterated he meant force.  I explained that was not going to work.  As he became more and more passionate about his choice of words, I realized that this was an unresolvable issue between Pavol and me.  My life has been all about choices, his has been all about forced compliance.

Starbuck's was one of our cases today for marketing class.  At CFA, we have spent considerable time understanding the strategy of and business model of SB.  We were discussing Starbuck's competition.  As I am the only one in the class that is in food service and one of two in any kind of retail business (everything else is manufacturing and financial services related), I was called on to comment a number of times.  One of the questions was how has food service responded to SB.  I explained that many, such as CFA and McD's had changed their coffee programs to be more competitive with specialty coffees, without the big price tag attached per serving.  I went on to say, that SB's competition is other premium coffee outlets, doughnut shops, quick-service restaurants and even convenience stores like Kwik Trip, explaining a little about their set up. I have told you how difficult this course is on Americans and someone is always taking a shot.  Today, it was the Icelander (pop. 300,000).  He was formerly President of the Bank of Iceland before its recent collapse just months ago.  He speaks up and says, "I would never drink coffee from an American gas station."  He has never even seen a Kwik Trip (do they have cars in Iceland or do they just use snowshoes?) Does somebody have a picture of Kwik Trip's elaborate drink station they can send me??  Given that I have never been to Iceland, it would have been like me saying, I would never go into a bank in Iceland and I have never seen a bank in Iceland or gone to Iceland, for that matter.  And, as of now, don't really have any desire to!

I did get some relief about Peter, however.  Peter sits next to me this week.  He's from Switzerland.  I immediately noticed Peter's neon pink Ipod skin.  Now, I have nothing against men who choose neon pink, but it is an odd choice as I have observed.  Finally, today, Peter said, "my daughter is really going to like this Ipod and pink is her favorite color".  Whew~

Ok, now that we have discussed the most recent culture clashes -- on to what I really learned today.

Tidbits and random thoughts:

Does anyone remember the downfall of the t.v. show "Happy Days?"  It was when Fonzie, dressed in leather jacket on water skiis jumped a pool of sharks.  Hence comes the saying of brands about to fail, "Did you jump the shark?"

"Success is simple.  If man builds a better mouse trap, the world will beat a path to its door."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

In Alice and Wonderland, the Red Queen said, "You have to run faster, faster and faster just to stay in place."  (Reminds me of my AMP experience, but was used to refer to the sustainability of an organization.)

In sustaining a business, Human Resource management is the hardest practice for a competitor to imitate.  On average, it takes 7 years to replicate someone's HR practices.  My goal is that no one could ever replicate CFA's.

The power of pre-emption:  If you can irreversiably commit yourself so there is no possible retreat, it creates strong disincentives for the competition to challenge it. It makes is a fight for your own organization.  An example of this is the Spanish conquest of Mexico.  In order to eliminate any thought of retreat when landing in Velacruz, Cortes burned his ships!  There was no turning back.

I am really grateful the men in my life wear undershirts.  Enough said.

"It is not the critic who counts:  not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man (or woman) who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again; because there is no effort without error and shortcoming.  But who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows in the end the triumphs of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."  Teddy Roosevelt

Did you know the average life of a water meter that measures with absolute accuracy is 15 years?  Did you know that the CSO (Diamond Broker) in London houses $5 billion of diamonds in a room about the size of Greenbrier III and IV at CFA and it has been that way for 100 years?

Sustainable advantages aren't forever and they are never free.

So, what's important about any of that -- nothing really -- just things that cloud my head and get in the way of the really important, which is:

"Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things."  Philippians 4:8

And I intend to do just that, right now~

God bless you all and much love,

Dee Ann

Hip Hop Saved My Life

His t-shirt really said that, and I paused and said to myself, "Self, don't say what you are thinking." However, I thought about the fact that nobody really knows me here and I will never see these people again, and, finally, I just couldn't help myself. And I really needed new blog material. "Jesus saved my life," I said. "Huh?" he said. "Your t-shirt says Hip Hop saved your life. Jesus saved mine," I said. "OK," he says with a roll of his eyes. As I walked off, I said, "and He is very fond of you." Smile :)) Made my point, and it gave me new blog material.

I don't say a lot on this blog about my classmates or the material at HBS out of respect for privacy of them both. But I surely wanted you to know that my days are a lot more about learning than all the peripheral things I share with you. Today, was a great day in class -- the case studies were Apple, Simmons and USA Today and covered the subjects of innovation, strategy and leadership decision making. While the workload is quite challenging, I am really loving this learning opportunity. There is not a day that I lay down at night that I don't think about how much I grew that day, and not just mentally, but spiritually, emotionally and socially as well. God has been so very gracious and faithful to me.

Today, I facilitated our living group through an assessment of our progress thus far. It was the most difficult group I have ever been in that role with, but the success was that much more satisfying. We worked it hard, resolved some issues and put a plan in place to move forward. That was a lot of progress. "Management is getting work done through people. Leadership is getting people done through work."

Thank you, especially today, to Ashley who has taken great care of the boys (even has cooked and taken them to culture enriching events) and to my boys for being so patient while their Mom is away.

It's been a very busy day and as Robert Frost said, "I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep." Thanks for the chat.

Blessings and love to all,

Dee Ann