Putting Collaboration Ahead of Competition

What made you interested in attending this program?

I first learned about GMP when one of my colleagues attended the program. He had been a very good manager, but when he returned from the program, he was noticeably different. He was more open to actively listening and participating in conversations in a way I hadn't seen before. He started to ask questions that were challenging but very insightful. Most important, he was looking at our group in a holistic way and thinking about how he could help the entire group rather than just his team. Attending GMP helped him be more collaborative rather than competitive within the organization. As a result, his business enjoyed double-digit growth every single year and he became a vice president at Intel. He went from being just a good guy and good manager, to someone I really admired and wanted to emulate. In fact, after he was promoted to VP, I sought an opportunity to work for him. Today he is my boss.

Can you think of any key takeaways from the program?

I came away with the understanding that managers don't always need to have answers. They need to know how to think and ask smart questions, because asking the right questions will lead to the right answers. After Jose attended, he began asking very thought-provoking questions in order to find out where our business was heading, how he could help my team and other teams, and how we could work together to grow the entire business. He became a thought leader. And from my own experience in the program, I now recognize that too often in our business culture the person who speaks the loudest can often be perceived as being the smartest. GMP helped me realize that someone who's always talking and never listening can't learn anything new. Think about it, you already know what you know so just to hear yourself say it isn't giving you additional knowledge. Module 2 was particularly eye opening for me because I learned a lot about myself. I discovered bad habits that I had picked up over the years. I realized that these habits had become the norm for me, and I wanted to break them. Module 4 was interesting as well as it focused on connecting ideas we learned in the program on a global scale.

Did anything about your learning experience surprise you?

One exercise in particular surprised me. We had to interview senior leaders that we admired. I interviewed a few senior leaders in my industry, but I chose people outside of my company in order to see how they define success to help me redefine success. One of my favorite quotes is, "My biggest fear isn't the fear of failing—it's being successful at something that just doesn't matter." When I looked at these successful individuals and they started talking about the greater good and what they wanted to leave behind, it caused me to reflect differently. It has also inspired me to pursue different paths toward success than I had anticipated. I initially thought this exercise would have very little impact on me, but it turned out to be quite impactful—that surprised me.

Did you find the case study method of learning to be effective?

Definitely. The cases truly drove the learning experience. As we studied case after case, I could see them starting to tie together—I could see the patterns. Even a case that might be 20 years old was enlightening. Through the case studies, I learned how to make decisions with a given set of information and how to make these decisions in a logical way. They didn't give us the answers. In fact, there were no right or wrong answers because no one can predict the future. The case method has prepared me to look at things differently and ask questions to make sure I'm making well-informed decisions.

What did you think about your living-group experience?

At first, I thought it was kind of odd. It reminded me of the television show Survivor because I thought I would get only one chance and had to find a way to survive until the end. Would I get voted off the island? But I quickly learned that no one gets voted off the island. Instead, we tried to figure out how to succeed as a team. It wasn't like the typical corporate world—a competition where my gain is someone else's loss. In the living group, the team won together and the team suffered setbacks together. In fact, the team went out for drinks together and had fun together too. We built relationships, and these relationships were phenomenal because we all really wanted to see each other succeed. The living group was one of the most rewarding parts of the program. Looking back, this is what I saw in Jose when he came back to Intel after attending GMP. To him, our staff became like a living group, and he was determined that we would all learn from each other, make decisions together, and succeed or fail together.

Has this learning experience also had an impact on your personal life?

Yes, I've noticed a huge difference personally. I've learned to ignore the petty things that used to occupy my mind and get me off track. I'm able to look past things that don’t matter in the larger scope of things. This has allowed me to reflect more genuinely, and that’s been enlightening and refreshing. Today I spend more time thinking about what really matters in life.

Can you identify anything concrete that you want to do moving forward?

I want to make an impact, but I don't know exactly what that might be. I don't have a specific goal such as being a VP in five years, and I don't want to necessarily be leading thousands of people and running big budgets. That's not my ambition. If it happens, fine, but it's not the focus of who I am or what I do. However, I do need to behave differently, and I need to think differently. As a result of what I learned in GMP, I'm no longer tied to a certain path. In fact, I'm currently evaluating four different potential pathways. I entered the program with one path in mind, and I left with four very distinct paths that I'm now considering.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about applying to this program?

First, I would say quit thinking about it and do it, even if you have to pay for it out of your own pocket. GMP is well worth the investment of money and time. And to make the most of it, come in with a completely open mind and no preconceived notions about who you are or what you want to be. Be a sponge. Be willing to learn from some of the most incredible people you'll ever meet. Come in without expectations. Let your guard down. Be vulnerable and willing to receive feedback. We all need it. We all have blind spots and we can all learn. Be willing to learn how the rest of the world works, how people in other countries think and act, and how culture impacts business and leadership. This program was one of the greatest learning experiences of my life, and it can be for you too. You just have to live it.