Professor Kent Womack teaches an amazing second year course called Managerial Decision Making. The course discusses the psychology of how managers should approach decisions, in addition to the financial, operational, and strategic approaches taught in other courses. One take-away that has stood out in my mind is that people react more strongly to loss than to gain in most situations.
As I described in my last post, I truly believe this is the case. I have often found myself gripped by losses and I know I spend very little time celebrating my gains. I find myself asking, what have I gained, that I often overlook? In the context of my Tuck experience (vs. my dream job) I think the same question deserves to be answered.
I gained a network of friends. I would have continued in my dream job and it would have come to an end. Despite the fact that I had wonderful friends and relationships in China, nothing compares to the relationships I have in the Tuck community. My relationship with my friends started as one of reliance to get my Fall A work done and grew to include a broad support system. My classmates truly know me and now as I pursue my career, they also have a stake in my success. I know they will do whatever is in their power to make me successful, all while still caring for my daughter and I.
I gained a broader perspective. Had I not come to Tuck and remained in my dream job, I wouldn’t have moved beyond my life in CPG – my perspective would have remained very narrow. Through my coursework and the people I have met at Tuck (often challenging to my old world view) , I truly have a more global view than I have ever possessed. Yes, I would have been successful in my previous role, but not as impactful as I will be with my broadened perspective.
I gained the ability to acknowledge my personal limitations and have the grace to acknowledge greatness in others . As I train for my half marathon, I see other people running every day – usually they are passing me. In my mind, I rationalize their success based on their age, upbringing, natural ability and training. What I often leave unsaid, is that they may simply be better than me. For a person like me, that is a tough admission to make, but it is also one of the most growthful of my MBA experience. At Tuck, I learned that I am not always the best and that I won’t always get everything I want as a result – and this is fine. Everyone has a journey and a place to have impact. As a result of my time at Tuck my mission is to find the places where I am uniquely needed and go after the opportunity with everything I have.
Finally I have gained understanding that taking care of myself is important. I chose my health over my career and it was the best decision I have made to date. There is nothing like watching a sunset or being able to drive a car. Most people take these things for granted but they feel significant once you loose your vision and with it, these experiences. You may never hear this directly in a classroom but part of what makes Tuck special is that the institution gets this principle. You will never hear someone at Tuck talk about what you will lose if you choose personal over career. People here speak about how good you will feel once you’ve taken care of self and your home. It is part of what makes us special. I feel fortunate that I could spend two years here so that in addition to technical business skills, I could reinforce this important principle, apply it, and move on to the next phase of my life – success.
Read the full article: Disappointment Part 2