Collaborate to Graduate

MSBA Graduate Neil Watson

Neil Watson job report.  Congratulations Neil! - Professor McHie

Before I started working at TaylorMade-adidas Golf (TMaG) here in Carlsbad, just north of San Diego, I enjoyed the game of golf primarily because of its focus on individual talent.  Unlike other sports which require a concerted effort of many players working to win as a team against other teams, golf was mostly about man vs. nature – the struggle of a single person battling the all-too picturesque elements of courses carved into the face of nature.  You had your caddy, sure, but at the end of the day is was up to you walk off the course victorious or defeated.

Part of a winning team:
US Open Champion Justin Rose

I could not have been more wrong!  When Justin Rose (who happens to be a TaylorMade staff professional player) won the US Open at Merion recently, he was not alone out there shooting at the red wicker baskets.  Rather, he had a whole team working with him to achieve a championship win.  And let me tell you… I have never felt prouder to be part of a winning team than when he held up that silver cup Sunday.

In fact, the only thing typical about a day at TMaG is that team spirit.  It’s always present – permeating the entire corporate culture.  We succeed as a team; we falter as a team.  The team demands your best performance and you want to deliver on those high expectations because they are your team.

Working here reminds me of something Prof. McHie told us students our first day at CUA,

TaylorMade-adidas Headquarters
in Carlsbad, CA

“Collaborate to graduate.”  That same idea – individual and collective success is the result of team work – is our mantra here at TMaG and nothing could have prepared me better for this environment than the MSBA program.

Neil and his winning teammates

Many graduate business schools boast of their cohort models and emphasis on team work.  While I have no doubt that many of them succeed in this, few can match the real world team experience that the MSBA program offers.  I have no doubt in my mind that without an experience like this, I would not have been hired by TMaG or be able to readily adapt to such a team oriented culture.

Neil Watson
MSBA Class of 2013