The Big Picture for the University of Texas at Austin

Without looking up all the curretn accurate figures, there’s been a general trend of sel-sufficiency for our alma mater.  Used to be the Permanent University Fund (from the west texas oil fields) was the pot of gold that the University used to grow – mostly new buildings.   In the last few years, all categories of funding sources have been cut back by the legislature.  The PUF, funds from the state for higher education, and all other categories.

The result has been a doubling (or more) of the category of giving.  Donations from individuals and industry to sustain and grow the university.  Impressive.  Now what does it look like in comparison to the Ivy League schools.  They live and die by the giving of Alumni. 

It is an imbued tradition and our programs are not impressive compared to theirs, broadly speaking.  However, this approach comes with a price.  The whole deal has become a very exclusive club, as I’ve been told, and I’ve heard it all described in none too flatering terms.

Would our UT system be headed in that direction?  I’ld say yes, except for one thing.  That 10% rule for admissions.  That’s the factor that keeps it all on an even keel so to speak, where the giving continues to increase, but the egalitarian opportunity-oriented prevails.  There are of course, major problems with the system, but overall, seems we have a lot to be proud of.

Alternative to a Bailout?

Weblog                                                             5-12-09

 Jeff Linder    Co-President,    MBA Chapter of the Houston McCombs Alliance Network

One great thing about going to McCombs Alumni functions, especially MBA functions, I generally get into conversations with people that I believe are smarter than me.  That could give a person feelings of inferiority, or a lift. 

A lot was going on during the “meltdown” earlier this year, a lot of people were looking for a better perspective on it all, and a few things hit my inbox that pointed the blame at business schools and, actually, masters programs in finance.  I’m not passing judgment here.  Where do we go from here?

At that time I thought up a question for people that know more than me on all this, especially people directly involved in higher education in business.  What’s great is, at these alumni events, these people show up.  From Austin.  Last winter reception we had the new Dean, Tom Gilligan of the McCombs School, and the new Dean, Eric Hirst over all the MBA programs (six in number) along with several other people in charge of important aspects of the program.

So the question was:  “What do you tell prospective MBA students who ask about other areas of focus besides Finance?”

More than once I heard the response:  Supply Chain Management.  

Basically, the wheels of our economy were threatening to fall off, and there were paradigms actually shifting all around us.  (for example, 6 months later the Feds own 60% of GM.) 

About then I read this press release from IBM, you can see it on their website: 

IBM CEO Touts Smart Systems, Efficient Infrastructure

Supply chain inefficiencies cost the consumer products and retail industries an estimated $40 billion annually, or 3.5% percent of sales, IBM’s Sam Palmisano pointed out.

By K.C. Jones
November 11, 2008

The “Smart Systems” was and is a marketing push by IBM, all very well timed.  It looks like they are trying to leverage the principles behind the most successful IT applications in supply chain management –  across many industries and on a grander scale.  Hope it works. 

The press release talked about Healthcare, Transportation, Retail, and Finance – and had numbers in it.  I was impressed, and found myself talking about it a little at these events.  (Smart people in a room – take advantage of it.)

These ideas got added to, and refined a bit and in this blog I’m reporting on all this lose talk for whatever it’s worth.  If you would just answer back on this blog we’ll keep it going and send it off to the next G7 meeting and maybe get some finder’s fees from IBM, eh?

Here goes:

Alternative to bailout funds -  find waste and eliminate it.

In Transportation:  They’ve quantified the waste in traffic jams.  On many dimensions.  Efficient supply chain management can make a big difference here on many, many levels.  The supply “chain” covers roads, control systems, even oil and gas exploration and production, fuel distribution, everything up to us arriving at our destinations.

In Healthcare:  The supply chain includes the interrelationships of insurance providers, hospitals, physicians and premium payers – there’s a challenge or two for you.  A little easier focus might be to optimize paper medical records by converting to effective electronic medical records. 

Public Utilities:  A lot of antiquated infrastructure in most of the country.  Leakage.  Shutdowns.  Guys in trucks with clipboards, sagging powerlines.  My good client in water/wastewater has developed a software for monitoring, reporting and control, and while helping them grow their market I found out how critical and how utterly huge these issues will likely be, and soon.

Finance:  This was the most interesting area we talked about for supply chain management.  (We did solve the world’s problems at these alumni events, several times over.)  In Finance, the “supply chain” covers the progression from Risk … to … Profit.  And there was general agreement with the idea in the press release that there are other ways to get from risk to profit  …other than spreading the risk (ex: credit default swaps).  In general there is improved tracking of risk, and better reaction to it, by tracking the risks of alternate actions.

$40B was the estimated savings possible in the press release in Retail Distribution.  So $ 100B in Transportation ?  $ 100 B in Healthcare ?  Can we get the numbers up there,  – how about Education?  Communication?   Energy ?   Finance ?     Can all this rival the trillion-dollar mark of the Bailout? 

Hopefully, we’ve got people thinking big in Washington along these lines.  We need it. 

Bye for now, read the event invtations from Austin and show up at the McCombs Alumni Network Events.

 

Jeff Linder is founder and president of JBMA, Inc. a branding, marketing and advertising firm based in Houston, TX. 

 

==================================================================

How is the “MBA Brand” Doing?

MMA Weblog                           March 2009

Jeff Linder is Co-President of the McCombs MBA Alumni Houston chapter and has a marketing company, JBMA, Inc.

How is the “MBA Brand” doing?  At this point it’s a matter of opinion.  I think the MBA brand is doing ok, but this is a time of major change.  Economic change, changing industries, employment patterns, world trade and finance – self reflection is bound to help right now.

First, what’s a “brand”   Everything has a brand whether it’s a product or a service or even an organization or an object.   Just ask:  what are the few key ideas that relate to it?

A few key ideas about something can create a synergy between the ideas, and this synergy can be given momentum, from word-of-mouth or from mass media advertising. From being in the business, I know that one can manage how well these ideas are integrated, and how well they are communicated.

The outward-facing MBA brand (how our employers see us) is most often :

Smart business people

With good tools

Who create success with people, money and resources

For companies and organizations, it’s helpful to consider there are basically two groups of people, those within the company, and those that buy from the company.  A good brand keeps both groups happy -the employees are confident, and wanting to work there and customers are wanting to buy the products or services offered.

So there are two audiences at a basic level.  The same holds for the MBA brand.   Those that hire us (our “customers”)  -   and the other audience is us – our cohorts, our fellow alumni.

Most often we are hired by our “customers” to orchestrate success, not to run the company.   They see us as “Managers with an MBA.”  We fit in, we make it happen. This is a great formula for achieving corporate goals, as well as personal career and financial goals.

What about the internal brand, how do we see ourselves?   Well, consider the difference between

 “I have an MBA,”   and the statement:   

“I am an MBA”   (Master of Business Administration).

The outward-facing brand should be  “a manager with an MBA” (I have an MBA) but the internal brand should be

“I am an MBA.”   And a Longhorn MBA at that.

This promotes pride of ownership, interaction with your fellow alumni, leveraging of the extensive network of experienced business contacts, and expanding the horizons of your work life and personal life.  This is a subtle and important difference – a case where the internal brand is a little different from the external brand.

 

The MMA is set up for us to help each other.  This adds to the credibility and integrity of the internal brand – I am an MBA.  As we progress, there is the possibility that the MMA can help improve the external brand.  The opportunities are there.  We can have an overall positive impact on the business community in our city, through events and programs.

All this is great reason to show up at events, pass along invites, and lend a hand in planning and execution.  

See you there!

Jeff Linder

=========================================================================

Panel Discussion: Retained Search Professionals: “Growing Relationships with Headhunters”

 

EVENT SUMMARY

BY   SHAWN FONG, Co-President McCombs Houston MBA Alumni Association

 The Houston chapter of the McCombs MBA Alumni Association recently hosted a panel discussion with three notable executive search firms:  Korn Ferry International, Spencer Stewart and The Energists.  Though each firm focused on differing markets, there were some interesting takeaways for all MBA’s and aspiring professionals.

 While it is a given that the overall job market is glum and is forecasted to be so, there are still pockets of hope.  The key for now and the future is to START NETWORKING.  This was a position that was continuously stressed.  If you only start to network when you need a job, it will be much too late. 

 The focus of the event was on relationships with RETAINED search firms.  Retained search firms get paid a fee upfront because of their reputation to bring in successful candidates.  It is in the search firm’s best interests to bring in a motivated, qualified candidate that can succeed.  And by the way, the best candidate isn’t always the right candidate.  Fit is incredibly important.  Ultimately, the search firm’s “NPV” is based on a candidate that can add value and survive the test of time.  To do the latter, the candidate needs to fit in with the rest of the team.

 How to Use Recruiters

It was stressed at the panel discussion that recruiters are used best when you know exactly what you want to do.  If you can provide them an elevator pitch on a position or a role, you are better off.  SPECIFICITY.  It works.

 Initiating a Relationship with a Recruiter

Relationships with a recruiter may start in many ways.  The relationship could begin simply by uploading a resume to a firm’s website.  It could start with a descreet phone call at work.  It could be through the introduction by a friend. 

 When recruiters call, they may either be inquiring about you or someone else.  They tend to be very upfront and candid about what the client is looking for (i.e. skills, experience, geographic location).  If you get a call at work, do them- and yourself- the courtesy of listening and helping as you can.  The recruiter on the other line will have a long memory and may just be the person you will need to reach out to in a future search.  Even if the opportunity is not for you, this is a great time to establish a relationship for future needs. 

It’s always in your interest to listen…and to help. 

 Introductions by a friend or colleague are a powerful tool.  They validate you as an individual as well as your professional reputation.

 Maintaining Relationships with Recruiters

The goal is to get into the firm’s database.  Once you have done that, you are eligible for all jobs.  Multiple recruiters around the world will all draw from the same database.  So, your name may come up for a job in Houston just as much as it would for London, Shanghai or Minneapolis.  Job specifications are set by the client and have often been known to change as the interview process goes on.  Some recruiters may benchmark you against a certain skill set or attribute to determine the right fit.  So don’t be surprised if you are asked to take some tests.

 An interesting sidenote- companies typically use only a single retained search firm for a particular position.  It is okay to converse with multiple retained search firms because they will not cross each other’s paths.

 Secondary Interviews

By this round, the search firm will have done a lot of research on the candidate.  They will most probably have sought the comments of associates, peers and other references.  In fact, each recruiter made the comment that their best source of professional attestation was for 3^rd party references.  Your formal references may be called upon, but the real gold mine would be the 2 or 3 other persons they refer to the recruiter.  Make sure you cover your base in this regard.  Regarding references, it was interesting to note that Linked-In or Facebook was not a primary source for referencing.

 Negotiating Offers

When if they do present an offer on the table, be upfront about what you are expecting in terms of salary, bonus, options, location, etc.  They will do your best to negotiate for you and may even tell upfront what is and is not possible.  Know that you have the option of coming back with a counteroffer.  As you engage in your conversation(s), know that your identity and intentions will be kept confidential. 

 One thing to keep in mind is that a retained search firm gets paid a fee upfront because of their reputation to bring in successful candidates.  It is in the search firm’s best interests to bring in a happy, qualified candidate that can succeed.  Conversely, you have a reputation to uphold for the future in working with the search firm.

 Resumes

At stated before, your relationship with the recruiter could by simply uploading your resume to the firm’s database.  In this instance, feel free to expand on your resume to document all that you’ve accomplished.  You will not be dinged for lack of brevity.  Make sure you use key words and phrases that you often hear in your industry and/or function.  A good idea is to peruse an industry journal for ideas as you update your resume.  If you have holes in your resume, make sure you can explain them.  Perhaps you went on a sabbatical or a religious mission.  Maybe you started a consulting engagement while you were job searching.  Document these holes.  Afterwards, you may want to email a specific person in charge of the industry or company that you are targeting.  Not all recruiters will like it, so be judicious in your approach and follow-up.

 Career Coaching

A point of comment was made that they were not in the career coaching game.  They were not in a position and did not have the time to discuss and coach individuals.  The recruiters did highly recommend that individuals consider the use of a career coach 1) to create and establish a presence, 2) to refine your goals and aspirations and 3) to map out the career path.  Recruiters are not there for career coaching.  In fact, one of the panelists volunteered that she personally used one herself and found it to have been of great use in her own career.

 Key Takeaways

1. Networking-  You are always looking for that next job…starting now.  If you wait until you need it, it’s too late.
2. Phone Calls or Inquiries-  It’s in your best interest to take it.  It’s an opportunity to establish and nurture a relationship.
3. Expectations-  Be candid and honest with yourself and the recruiter.
4. Career Coaching-  Consider using one to jumpstart your career.  It’s an investment in you.
5. Resumes-  Go wild on the database upload version.  Make liberal use of keywords and industry jargon.  That’s how they will search for you.
6. Multiple Relationships-  It’s okay to maintain relationships with multiple retained search firms. 
7. Don’t pester and keep calling them.  Email is favored. They are very sensitive on this point.  They’ll get back to you…