A 2002 study in the Journal of Clinical Psychology found that nearly a quarter of our new year’s resolutions are dropped after one week. The steady decline continues until we bottom out at around 97% by year-end. Yes, for all of those resolutions we make to exercise daily, drink less, save more and organize better, only 3% - three lousy percent- are actually realized. It’s sad, really.
A year ago, I wrote a column about resolutions and why we usually break them. I shared what I consider to be the keys to successful resolving – things like writing our goals down, telling others about what we hope to achieve, and formulating workable action plans to follow throughout the year. That column can be found here, http://trentsrunningcommentary.blogspot.com/2010/01/temba-gazette-running-commentary.html.
As part of that commentary, I asked a number of recent TEMBA alums from the Class of 2009 to share their 2010 resolutions and goals with us. All willingly and enthusiastically obliged.
What I didn’t tell them at the time was that I would follow-up with them a year later to see if they had indeed followed through on these resolutions.
Now, I know what you’re saying. “That was a pretty contemptible thing to do, Thurman. You knowingly set these fine alums up for failure and ridicule…just look at the statistics.” Hold on though…don’t rush to judgment quite yet.
You see, I knew that most successful MBAs are highly-motivated, goal-oriented individuals. When I asked these alums for their resolutions, I fully expected them to be in that successful 3%. After all, I had watched them complete a rigorous three-year program while continuing to excel at work and find that important balance at home. Frankly, these people define success.
So, was I right? Let’s find out.
Paul Terranova. When we spoke to Paul last year, he was spending most of his time on a project in Dallas, so his primary goal was to be “working back in the Austin/Central Texas region by July 2010 instead of spending four nights a week on the road.” I’m happy to report that this is now the case. Paul accepted a position with HNTB, an infrastructure firm that provides architecture, engineering, planning and construction services. Paul is currently helping develop the high profile MoPac Improvement Project www.mopacexpress.com on behalf of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. Paul did not meet his July relocation target, but credits “good ol’ perseverance” in landing this position. “I interviewed with the firm back in April for a different role and was passed over for an internal candidate, but they invited me back in September for my current role. Leave no stone unturned, leave no bridge burned.” Excellent advice, Paul.
Now that he’s back in town, Paul has become a regular member of the TEMBA Trot gang on Friday mornings and has single-handedly spiked sales of the Kids’ Pancakes at Austin Java. TEMBA Trotters beware, Paul’s goals for 2011 include helping pace the 2:39 women's Olympic qualifying group at the Houston Marathon and running his first 50 mile trail run in early April. Wow!
Welcome back, Paul! Good luck in Houston this weekend!
Eddie Howard. When we last spoke to Eddie, he was enjoying being back in North Carolina, where he relocated upon graduation. His goals centered on getting better connected in the local business community as well as improving his golf game. Turns out he succeeded in both.
Eddie joined a professional network of young businesspeople in Durham that allowed him to expand his business network considerably. Further, he became active in his neighborhood HOA. “We (the professional network) meet every few weeks in an informal setting to discuss life, careers, and future goals,” Eddie said. “I've been introduced to some really great people in the area; I'm glad to have made these connections and look forward to working with them in the future. And a small win, I was elected treasurer of my neighborhood HOA, which helps me feel deeply rooted and involved in my community.”As far as golf is concerned, Eddie didn’t reach the 20% improvement he set out to do, but did shave five strokes off his game and continues to hit the links as often as he can. Hey Eddie, in my book, that’s a win. Congratulations and best of luck this year! Hope to see you in Austin soon.
Vasudha Prabhala. 2010 was a busy year for Vasudha. She took on a major project with Infosys Consulting, continued her marathon training and, oh yeah, got married. Congratulations, Vasudha!
Her goal’s going into the year included positioning herself for a promotion at Infosys, running a marathon and reconnecting with one of her passions, photography. Under the circumstances, I think she did quite well.
“It has been a hell of a year when it comes to work,” said Vasudha. “Endless weeknights and weekends of work…I am running a multi-million dollar business transformation project and all set for my promotion at the end of the fiscal year.” Vasudha was also kind enough to take the time to share her thoughts on consulting with our consulting club last year. Her insights were extremely valuable to those considering a career in that field. Thanks, Vasudha!
On the marathon front, Vasudha ran the Austin half-marathon a month after revealing her resolutions and continued to train throughout the year. She will be running the Austin Marathon on February 20th. “I am a little bit behind my training due to the one month break in December, but I am getting there. Run, walk or crawl - I am going to cross the finish line!” That’s awesome. The training is the toughest part.
With everything else going on, Vasudha hasn’t built her online photography portfolio, but “tried to make as much time as possible to click away.” She plans on continuing her photography this year as well as read fifty books!
Thanks Vasudha and best of luck in the Austin Marathon!
Matt Bryce. When we asked Matt about his goals for 2010, he was spending a great deal of time on the road with his employer, Alvarez & Marsal. In fact, he responded to my request from Hong Kong where he was working on a significant project for A&M. His professional goals for the year involved positioning himself for a Senior Director position and strengthening his internal brand at Alvarez & Marsal. When I caught up with him earlier this week, he was pleased with the results. “I had a successful year professionally,” Matt said. “I helped sell three projects, led the delivery of high-quality work, and built a mentoring relationship with a new manager at my firm. In addition, I developed knowledge and marketing capital and participated in on-campus recruiting. I’m confident these accomplishments boosted my internal profile. What a year!”
On the personal front, Matt resolved to get better organized, specifically with his collection of home media, which to my surprise still included cassettes. Here’s what he had to say about that. “I managed to load all my music and DVDs to a central location. However, I didn’t convert the VHS tapes. Given the poor quality, that just seemed like a waste of time. Maybe I’ll just send those off to a service or just buy them on DVD or Blu-ray.”
Thanks Matt and apologies for the cassette joke last year and, again, this year. For the record (pun intended), I came across some 8-track tapes in a shoe box a few weeks ago - Deep Purple and Blue Oyster Cult included – let me know if you want to borrow them. Shiners are still on me in 2011.
Neena Needel. Maybe I should have warned Neena in advance that I would be checking back in a year, since her first response to my inquiry was “eeeks!” Neena really had nothing to eeek about though as she too successfully met her goals for 2010.
You may recall that Neena launched ApplyGenie, a venture she developed during the TEMBA program and successfully unveiled during Moot Corp in 2009 (www.applygenie.com ). Not surprisingly, one of Neena’s resolutions involved fulfilling ApplyGenie’s go-to-market goals, which she accomplished. “We achieved several ApplyGenie development and marketing milestones,” Neena said. “So I’d rate that resolution as successful. It is a wonderful feeling when the stars align, customers are happy and operations run smoothly,” she continued. Neena’s other resolution was to spend more time with family and friends. She considers that resolution successful, but not to the degree she had planned. “I rekindled friendships with old friends and realized that life really had sped by while I focused on TEMBA,” she said. “I caught up with new lives defined by new spouses, new babies and new successes. I did not spend as much time, however, with my lovely TEMBA class as our lives assumed a hectic post-graduation pace.” Sounds like a Class of 2009 happy hour is in order. I’ll bring the Deep Purple 8-track.
Neena also took the time to be a panelist during the McCombs Women in Leadership conference this fall and her entrepreneurial pursuits are inspirational to us all. Congratulations on ApplyGenie’s success, Neena! Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Sandeep Waghchoure. When we last touched base with Sandeep, he and his wife, Sheetal, had just welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. Understandably, Sandeep’s goal was simply to be the “best possible dad he could be.” He acknowledges now that he had no idea what the year would hold and jokes that he was on a “new dad high” when he made that bold pronouncement a year ago.
“Looking back on 2010, I have realized that it’s a journey and not a one year goal,” he said. “We just celebrated Anya’s first birthday - the year just flew by watching her grow. I feel lucky to be able to watch her take her first steps…got it on video, actually… and offered up my shoulder as a sleeping pillow when she had her first cold.” Well done, Sandeep. Anya is lucky to have you as a dad. Looking forward to seeing you at the TEMBA reunion.
So, there you have it…told you they would be in that 3%. Best of luck to all of you for a successful and exciting 2011!
0 comments:
Post a Comment