Module 4 – a blink and you missed it kind of module!

Campus was buzzing this module as there were multiple EMBA cohorts around due to Cranfield squeezing a module in for us all before the festive break. This was evident as we ended up in what we were told by one of our lecturers was his least favourite room as it only has two temperatures – ice room (and not in the cool ice bar kind of way) or sauna. You quickly learn that layers of clothing are key and it applies for all lecture rooms.

With this in mind, it would be great to find an easier way in which different cohorts could interact and network more effectively, especially as I know how much value this adds and the insights you gain from those further through the EMBA than you.

This module went by in a flash, most noticeably because it was only 2 days long, we were given so much information to process and on top of finalising our Strategic Operations Management group assignment did it really happen (my notepad indicates differently). Plus, it’s only been 2 weeks since the last one which I think worked in my favour with having the accounting sessions so close together as this meant there was a higher chance of me remembering what we went over last time. It also just didn’t feel quite right with it only being 2 days long however after a day of accounting followed by micro-economics the extra Saturday, especially in December was very welcomed. Particularly as it gave me the opportunity to enjoy one of my most favourite past times, a children’s party, this time at an inflatable park. At least the coffee and conversation was good.

On the Thursday evening I went out for dinner with the rest of the Supreme Seven, it was a really nice relaxing evening filled with great food, wine and interesting conversations which eventually led to sawed off body parts. And without knowing it, another member of my team and I won the ‘battle of the sexes’ game with the booking time of the table, we booked it without consulting the rest of the team which meant they just accepted it. This was one of the game theories introduced to us during micro-economics and is a little different to the board games I will be playing in a couple of weeks’ time. I am not looking forward to Monopoly with an extremely competitive 7 year old, I will be repeating in my head “please just don’t let him come last” as I don’t think it will be fair to unleash his fiery temper (aka ‘the rage’) on my extended family.

Although I have been complaining about our ‘Elf on the Shelf’ and the pain inflicted by having to be creative every evening (or early mornings in most cases) it is uniting the parents amongst us in green stream. Cue lots of sharing of what our partners have done with the ‘Elf’ when left to their own devices. I had a message from my Mother in Law on Friday morning apologising as my youngest had been trying to figure out how ‘Elf’ had managed to get up to our ceiling light, clearly is was by jumping of the sofa. When allowed ‘just one last go’ at reenacting it he landed and injured his wrist. Wonder if these elves come with a disclaimer.

Unfortunately I am unable to report that things are calming down for the festive period for me and I can’t see this happening, I have annual leave which I just don’t have time to take. If only I’d realised this pre-EMBA (hindsight is a wonderful thing). I’m one of those people who like to be kept busy but there is busy, then there is the ‘coping zone’ busy I am experiencing right now. At least I am able to hone my prioritisation skills.

Saying this, I am going to try my hardest to have a relaxing Christmas (well as a relaxing one as I can with 3 very excited young children, away from home and who are already bouncing of the walls) where I will try to distance myself from work and enjoy my family. When I say work this of course excludes EMBA work for which I will be taking with me. If you’d said to me this time last year that by next Christmas you will overindulging in accounting revision and my individual marketing assignment rather than chocolate and wine, I’d probably have laughed. However here I am planning to do exactly that and I couldn’t be happier.

A bit about me

Taking advantage of the Apprenticeship Levy, in September 2019 I started the Cranfield University Exec MBA and Level 7 Senior Leader Mastership alongside over 100 others. I made the decision to share my learning journey on LinkedIn to give an insight into what it is like to complete such an intense formal management course whilst raising a young family, working and running a household. A result of which has found me really enjoying writing. Juggling everything is hard, takes lots of organisation and I’m continuously improving processes. Annoyingly this is something I can’t be taught in a lecture room so I’m just going to have to figure it out on my own, well not completely as I have a great support network around me.