Student Testimonial: Inside the Life of an MSBA Student

During my first semester in the MSBA program, the biggest challenge I faced was in Quantitative Methods. During my time as an undergraduate politics student, I ensured that I avoided math classes as much as possible. Throughout high school and college, I always struggled with math and decided to focus on my writing and analytical skills with a Politics degree. Entering the MSBA program, I was ready for a new challenge.

I distinctly remember my feelings on the first day of classes. I was nervous that I would struggle in Quant. I started wondering if I had made a mistake entering the program and wondered if I would even be able to pass the class. These fears were instantly quelled upon meeting our professor, Harvey Seegers.

Professor Seegers explained to us that in his experience teaching the class there are two types of students: “Quant Jocks” and “Poets”. As you could guess, I’m a “Poet.” At our first class meeting, I was struggling to keep up with the lecture. While most students were trying to grasp the concepts, I was struggling to even follow the mathematical nomenclature. I needed help if I was going to succeed.

I approached Professor Seegers and explained to him how I was feeling. He told me to come to his office on Tuesday. At his office, Professor Seegers broke down the lesson, answered questions, and exercised patience with my ignorance of the subject. This meeting became a weekly occurrence throughout the semester. The results speak for themself. I earned a B in the class, something that I never thought would be possible.

Quantitative Methods greatly challenged me and required that I work hard to succeed. Despite the challenge, the course material was fascinating and will be useful in any career someone might choose. I was able to overcome the great challenge of being a Poet in a math class. This success would not have been possible without the support of Professor Seegers and all of the MSBA Programs staff. I’m excited to take on the challenges of next semester with my new skills gained from Quantitative Methods and all our classes!

Post by Connor Clancy

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Blog Series Part II: How My Liberal Arts Degree is Helping Me in Graduate Business School

We're almost to the end of the week! The cohort is looking forward to tonight's Thirsty Thursday speaker Alyson Miller from Brand USA (check back in a few days for a recap post!).

Today we share part two of out current blog series, "How My Liberal Arts Degree is Helping Me in Graduate Business School" (if you missed part one, you can read it here).

Maddie Fallon shares her experiences as a student majoring in tourism management, and what being a "tourist" in business means to her.

Be a Tourist in Your Own Company

When people ask me what my major was in undergrad, they usually respond the same way after I answer them, “Tourism management? Hmmm, that’s different.” Usually the response is followed by the question, “So what did you learn about?” In the absence of time and patience, I usually compare it to hospitality management and let the conversation pass. But there is more to tourism than one would think, and a degree in that field provides a lot of value to the business world. In my classes, I learned a lot about facts and figures of the industry, different types of tourism, and how to run a tourist location. I also learned how to attract tourists to a location, and even how to be a tourist. Perhaps the most important aspect of my major is this last lesson. Being a tourist is fun, but can be unrewarding if you don’t even know what to appreciate, especially in your own city. There are so many reasons why tourists go to certain locations to have certain experiences; usually to encounter something new. By being a tourist in your own city, you can learn to appreciate what tourists come to look for, and where you come from as well. As I looked into this subject more during undergrad, I came across the 2011 Happiness Challenge created by Gretchen Rubin, a contributor for Forbes.com. Her video highlights how tourism is a state of mind, and suggests a resolution to be a tourist in your hometown to create a new perspective and inspire adventure and curiosity. 

Experiencing your city in a new way encourages you to notice new things where you live and remember why you love your home. I believe this lesson translates directly into business. Being a “tourist” in business to me means to simply learn and experience new ways of doing business that haven’t been experienced before. It also means that being a “tourist” in your own business can renew someone’s passion for their job or company. For example, the CEO of a company might revisit the department they worked up from and be reminded of their perseverance and dedication. The inspiration that might stem from that would be beneficial to the whole company, with a leader strongly reminded of the company’s mission they have worked so hard to achieve. While studying tourism, the most valuable lesson I learned was how to be a tourist. It taught me to appreciate my own home, whether it’s my city or the company I work for, in order to gain a new perspective, and that is very valuable in business.

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How My Liberal Arts Degree is Valuable to Me in Graduate Business School: Blog Series Part I

And we're back! After a nice summer respite here in the office, we welcomed the MSBA class of 2017 at our August orientation. They hit the ground running and showed great potential and leadership skills right off the bat. 

The first two weeks of classes are now under our belt, complete with the first blogging assignment from our fearless leader and Program Director, Professor Stew McHie. 

In this blogging series, we will feature students' LinkedIn blog posts with the topic "How My Liberal Arts Undergraduate Degree is Helping me in Graduate Business School". 

To start us off, we have Regina Torres. Regina graduated from Kendall College with a Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management. Take it away, Regina!

Changing Careers? Mine Your Skills

Choosing a new career path can be daunting. Maybe your background doesn’t match the direction you want to go. Good news: they may have more in common than you think.

Chances are you’ve learned valuable transferable skills. For instance, my undergraduate degree and work experience are in Hospitality Management, and I’m currently shifting toward Management Consulting.

While they are different fields, here are three lessons the hospitality industry has taught me that will serve wherever I go:

1. Lead by Example: Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer stated “Example is not the main thing influencing others; it is the only thing.” Some of my best managers started in menial positions and worked their way up. Through their example they’ve become not just managers, but leaders.

2. Listen, Carefully: When I first joined the W, a colleague told me about a blind woman who had once worked in the hotel’s call center. She had consistently received the best guest feedback in her department. How? She was a great listener. Without the distraction of the screens and clutter around her, she focused better on the guests—their tone, their needs. She connected with them.

3. Be Flexible: Clients change their minds, owners cut budgets, coworkers get sick… In the words of national treasure Tim Gunn, “Make it work.”



If you’re thinking of changing directions, assess your transferable skills inventory. You may be surprised at how much you find.

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MSBA student writes post for FOXNews "The Daily Bret" Blog

The Politics of Big Data

Joe Fiocco-College Associate: Special Report

It’s conventional wisdom now for businesses and political campaigns to have a social media presence. And, pressure is mounting for projects to be “data-driven”. This election cycle will witness some of the most highly targeted advertising campaigns in American politics. Candidates are investing vast resources in collecting voter data to accomplish this, and the implications are startling.

Most notably, Ted Cruz exploited his grassroots network to target voters door-to-door in the Iowa caucus. The Cruz campaign’s mobile app learned the political beliefs of its subscribers through Facebook content. With access to subscribers’ political beliefs as well as their demographic data, Cruz staffers pinpointed the Iowans most receptive to the campaign’s messaging. From there, volunteers started knocking on doors. The app added competition to getting out the vote, rewarding staffers with points for sharing content, recruiting volunteers, or soliciting donations. With this enthusiastic ground game, Ted Cruz defied political logic and carried Iowa. This is especially striking, since Cruz opposed ethanol subsidies, Iowa’s golden calf.

The precision of campaign ad targeting is growing sharper.  Academic studies from the University of Toronto and the University of Minnesota found correlations between personality traits and political beliefs. Voters who valued “openness” leaned liberal, while “conscientious” voters leaned conservative. Analytics firms such as Cambridge Analytica claim to predict how voters will swing based on personality traits.

 In 2014, Cambridge Analytica devised five criteria for assessing voter personality, known as OCEAN: Open, Conscientious, Extrovert, Agreeable, and Neurotic. Over a million participants filled out questionnaires to see where they fell. The firm looked for matches in public commercial data between participants and the general population. Matches provided the basis to predict the personality types of potential voters. Cambridge Analytica found they could tailor emotional messages to individual voters. For example, a neurotic voter will likely engage with an ad highlighting a candidate’s strong stance on national security. Or, a conscientious voter might relate to an ad calling for cutting the national debt. Companies like Cambridge Analytica seem poised to overhaul traditional campaigning, for they served 44 different federal and state GOP campaigns in 2014. The firm is one of 13 such companies designing ads for the RNC and individual GOP candidates this year.

The 2016 election so far has surprised pundits and wonks at every turn. The ability to gain insights from Big Data has made an upset possible in Iowa. Concerns abound as to how politicians will use their newfound knowledge. In the future, political campaigns may be more attentive to specific issues voters care about. Yet, it may be unsettling for candidates to know your fears and desires before you do. And, as always, there will be worries about privacy. Either way, the idea that politicians are out of touch is straying further from the truth. 

Originally posted April 18th on "The Daily Bret" Blog

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MSBA Alumni Success Story Spotlight Video - Bryan Levine

Check out our newest Alumni Spotlight video featuring Bryan Levine, MSBA class of 2012. Hear about how his experience in the MSBA program helped him in his job field. Let us know what you think by commenting below - we would love to hear from you!

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Former Presidential Speechwriter Bill McGurn Guest Lectures in MSBA Class

Bill McGurn, Main Street columnist at the Wall Street Journal, joined the MSBA Spirit of Enterprise class for the first of three visiting lectures. McGurn has had a long career in journalism, serving as the Editor for the Editorial Page for The New York Post, columnist for the The Wall Street Journal, and speechwriter for former President George Bush, Sr.

Last week's case study dealt with the ethical question surrounding the relationship between Citigroup CEO Sandy Weill and Salomon Smith Barney analyst Jack Grubman in 2001. Was the sudden AT&T upgrade from hold to strong buy a result of new strategic information that Grubman encountered? Or was it in fact a quid pro quo for Weill's recommendation and $1M contribution to the 92nd Street Y pre-school which Grubman wanted his childrento attend?

At stake was AT&T's choice of an investment bank, which Weill coveted, knowing a hold recommendation from his subsidiary SSB was likely to hurt Citi's chances. After discussing the case and reading memos between the two, Mr. McGurn and professor Max Torres role-played Jack Grubman and congressional questioners. Guilty or not guilty? We will never know. What we do know is the case led to a spirited debate in our Spirit of Enterprise class and demonstrated the fine line between honorable and selfish intentions.

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Why I Chose the MSBA Program and How It Has Helped Me - Alumni Spotlight Video

Caroline Gangware, MSBA class of 2013, shares her reasons behind choosing the Master of Science in Business Analysis program and how it helped her in her career.

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How My Liberal Arts Degree is Helping Me in Graduate School: Blog Series Part V

Welcome back! In today's post, we continue our blogging series, "How My Liberal Arts Degree is Helping Me in Business School". Today we have the pleasure of hearing from Elizabeth Masarik (known to us as Emmy). Emmy received her undergraduate degree in Media Studies here at The Catholic University of America. She is currently a Global Human Resources Operations Intern for Organizational Change Management and Communications at Johnson & Johnson. 

 The Value of a Media Studies Degree in Business

When I mention that I received a BA in Media Studies, I tend to get many heads nods accompanied by questions like, “So you want to film movies, right?” or, “You studied how to tweet and Instagram?” Not quite.

Media is an all-encompassing and powerful driver in most of the major fields of business right now. My concentration in Critical Theory has given me the background to understand and predict important societal trends as we continue to become more consistent consumers of media.

To put it in the words of one of the major academic authorities of media in our time, “The medium is the message.” Marshall McLuhan was the first person to understand that it’s not just what you say but how you say it; a lesson that is as valuable as it is insightful.

Understanding the importance of thoughtful selection when it comes to communication vehicles is vital to business. From daily conversations with co-workers to selecting the format for newsletters and presentation decks; understanding how people process information and how to most effectively use that knowledge is a desirable skill.

So the next time you’re designing something, think about why you’re choosing to use the method that you are. Something as simple as the colors on your slide or image you choose can dictate how a consumer will determine what you’re trying to convey and if it will really impact your customer.
Note: Written as part of The Catholic University of America MSBA program course Marketing with Integrity

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Lessons Learned in the MSBA

Wondering what the annual New York Trip was like through the eyes of a student? MSBA student Victoria Lee lets us in on her experience.

Market Your Strengths

Nov 13, 2015

The New York trip was one of the most rewarding, tiring, and fun-filled weeks I have ever experienced. Being able to bond with my classmates and leaders in the program, confirmed that I made the right decision in continuing my studies at Catholic. Every speech and every visit to the companies shared the same sentiment. While there were several terms and concepts from class, like the marketing mix, process, the importance of social media, the biggest theme I got from all the companies was marketing yourself. Building your own brand and being marketable to different fields, was the largest marketing aspect of the trip. Every company mentioned the importance of being genuine, being inquisitive, and being a team player, are all elements vital to the different marketing industries and marketing yourself. Building on your strengths and marketing these strengths are extremely important. For example, I learned that companies like DDB and Interbrand are keen on teamwork and collaboration. Throughout my undergraduate career, Sociology was crucial on seminar type classes, as well as in the MSBA courses, teamwork is everything. These elements are crucial to working at companies like this and I definitely want to be able to advertise these strengths when I apply to jobs in the very near future.
To further the point of marketing on your strengths, it made me reflect a lot on the skills I learned from my undergraduate career, and the abundant skills we are learning from the MSBA program. The core of sociology is understanding human interaction, being able to adapt to different cultural differences, understanding people’s thought process. These skills would help me in being able to work in a team as well as if I want to have a career in marketing, I can build on these skills. The skills I learned from my undergraduate career are being amplified and magnetized in the MSBA program. In our marketing and management courses, we learn in a seminar style and have discussions that allow us to voice our opinion, while being open to other people’s opinion. We are also able to collaborate on different case studies and class project, which I learned on the trip, is vital to marketing. Teamwork is also extremely prevalent in our accounting and quantitative courses, these courses are not my strongest courses, but getting help from my classmates has been great. I learned at the different advertising companies, that even if you have an area that is not your strong suit, you can get input from your co-workers and teammates. The skills I learned from my undergraduate and graduate career, are skills I want to market when I start applying to jobs.
Marketing yourself and marketing your skills, are all lessons I learned from the New York trip and in class. The importance of being genuine and inquisitive are both prevalent in class and when we were listening to the different speaker’s speeches. Marketing was present during the entire trip.

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How My Liberal Arts Degree is Helping Me in Graduate School: Blog Series part IV

We're back! Welcome to the latest installment of our blog series, How My Liberal Arts Degree is Helping Me in Graduate School. If you happened to miss the first few posts, you can catch up here:

Music to Management: Finding a Career from an "Impractical" Major
English, a Major of Adaptability
Studying History: Storytelling in the Office 

In this post, we welcome MSBA student Clare Fallon who received her Bachelor's degree in History with a minor in Secondary Education. In her post, she talks about how she will use the skills learned during her undergraduate career in her time with the MSBA program as a graduate student in business. Take it away, Clare!

From Classroom Manager to Business Manager

Sep 25, 2015

It’s 8:40 am and I am standing outside of my classroom waiting for my students to hustle up the hallway and get settled into their seats for a day filled with math, english, social studies and fun! Well, at least I tried to make learning fun. Although I am not in the teaching profession, my major and experience has taught me so much that I believe can carry over into the business world. The most important aspect that would seamlessly fit into my new found business lifestyle would be my classroom management skills. In any given class period, I would have about 25 students in my classroom. I had to make sure that my students were involved, engaged, not wasting their time, keeping up with the expectations of the classroom, and comfortable to ask questions to be able to complete their work. This article by edutopia discusses tips for fostering a positive classroom management style. While reading it, it occurred to me that these tips can be applied to business management style as well. To me, a teacher is the ultimate business manager. As a manager, you have to make sure your co-workers are engaged, not wasting their (or your) time, keeping up with the expectations of their job as well as company culture, and comfortable enough to ask you questions. Hopefully one day at 8:40 am, with help from my classroom management skills, I’ll be standing outside my office waiting for my co-workers to hustle up the elevator and get settled into their desks for a day filled with hard work, determination, and of course…fun!

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MSBA meets NYC: Recap Part 2

If you missed our first recap post, read it here!

The last few days of our trip were nothing short of incredible. We visited more amazing companies and spoke to inspiring business leaders and entrepreneurs. We hope you enjoy this second picture recap!

Our first stop Thursday morning was to Creative Drive, where Paul Price, CEO gave the class an overview of the company and culture.

After a wonderful visit at Creative Drive, we stopped for lunch in the city before heading to our next stop, Carat. We were so thankful to be addressed by Ed Gorman, EVP and Managing Director, Linda Cronin, Senior VP, and our very own MSBA alumn Winfred Amoako, Associate of Digital Activation and Planning.

Our next visit was to Jefferies. We are so thankful to them for hosting us, and especially to Peter Forlenza for leading our group session!



We finished out a packed Thursday with a relaxed dinner with Beth Warren of Creative Realities, Inc, during which she gave students an overview of the company and what they do.



Friday morning began with a visit to Madison Square Garden, where we were hosted by the always-gracious Adam Sciorsci.


Our final stop was to the office of Made by Many, hosted by Leslie Bradshaw.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip, and we want to again extend our extreme gratitude to all of the companies that hosted our group. We can't wait for next year!

Stay tuned for our next blog post, which will feature a little project we've been working on!

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Blog Series Part III: How My Liberal Arts Degree is Helping Me in Graduate Business School

Part 3 of our blog series "How My Liberal Arts Degree is Helping Me in Graduate Business School" is written by CUA MSBA student Alexander Ruhling. (In case you missed them, read more about non-business majors turning to a business career in Part1 and Part 2 of the series).

Alex, who received his Bachelor of Arts in Music, writes about how his degree helped him become the dedicated worker he is today.

And now, calling to the stage, Alex Ruhling!

Music to Management: Finding a Career from an "Impractical" Major

Q: How many music majors have been asked what they want to do with their majors?

A: How many Popes have been Catholic? It's truly that simple.
I remember the first few times I told people I was going to major in music, and my immediate answer to their immediate question. "Ahh... well... ummm.... I'm not sure! I mean... I have plenty of time..." etc. etc.

The truth is, I still really don't know what I want to do with the big piece of paper somewhere back home that says "Bachelor of Arts in Music" on it. I'm not Dmitri Hvorostovsky or Anna Netrebko or any other of these big name opera singers that had a God-given voice far beyond their years and could walk onto international stages in their early 20's. I'm just an average 20-year-old trying, as they say, to "make it," singing gigs here and there for measly amounts of money, knowing full well that I cannot possibly make a living like this. The question, then, becomes: is it worth it to pour thousands of dollars, hours, and brain cells into a degree that lands me out of college seemingly no better off than where I was when I started?

The answer is: yes. Undeniably yes.

How many other majors force students to sit in a 6 by 6 room and push themselves to new physical and intellectual limits for hours in front of a mirror, a score, and a piano, only for a glimpse of "progress?" We have no textbooks, no documents, no case studies. All we bring is a feeble memory of whatever our voice teacher said the last time we met for an hour of confusing vocal boot camp, a backpack full of music by dead Italians and Germans, and a frustratingly limited understanding of the beautiful delicacies of the human voice. We sit in the practice room, we make horrible noises, we get frustrated, we throw our sheet music across the room in a monochromatic maelstrom, and then after an hour we finally find the single sweet moment we have been dreaming about. And then, it's back to the grind again.

That right there is more than enough of a reason to embrace the undergraduate music life. In business, we hear about the baseball analogy of management. If a hitter gets an official hit only one time and royally screws up another three, he's doing pretty well. If for every success he only blows it twice, he's at the top of his game. My voice teacher tells my frustrated perfectionist self that if his students retain a measly 1% of what they learn each week, they are golden. A manager will face difficult decisions daily, even hourly. How many bad decisions will he make? Probably most of them.

Even Hank Aaron, Bryn Terfel, and Jack Welch have had to toil brutal hours in the face of almost certain failure. But they all learned that the work and the frustration and the disappointment makes that one home run, that one high A, and that one lucrative venture all the sweeter, all the more joyous, and-most importantly- all the more powerful reminder of doing all for the glory of God.
So maybe that piece of paper with the big "B.A. in Music" on it doesn't say "B.A. in Specific Skills Required for Fantastic and Immediate Job Security."

Instead, it says: "Hire me. Because I may not be an expert in articulating financial statements or putting together an Excel spreadsheet, but as sure as hell as you're reading my resume right now, I know how to work. I know how to fight impossible odds for impossible hours and push myself for that one sweet moment of success. So hire me. Because when that moment comes again and again, you'll be glad you did."

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"How My Liberal Arts Degree is Helping Me in Graduate Business School" Series, Part 2

Welcome to part two of our blog series "How My Liberal Arts Degree is Helping Me in Graduate Business School". In today's post, CUA MSBA student Dave Gogats let's us in on how majoring in English has helped him adapt to the business world. Take it away, Dave!
   
English, a Major of Adaptability 
by David Gogats

“How’s the job at Starbucks?” and “When’s your book coming out?” are two questions every English major loves to hear. Every one of us who has gone through four years of Shakespeare and Dickens knows the routine and how to combat people’s opinions of our seemingly useless degree. The statistics are usually on their side too. As an Atlantic article earlier this summer pointed out, as parents’ incomes increased, the practicality of their children’s majors went down, with English topping the list of uselessness.(http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/07/college-major-rich-families-liberal-arts/397439/)

No English major I’ve talked to has ever regretted his or her path though. They’ve gone into varying careers where every skill we have learned through undergrad has been used. One English major I met was a biology textbook editor at one time and now considers herself a “mini expert” in stomach diseases. The literature aspect of an English degree was just a means to an end by doing something we love. Through the many sleepless nights of researching Renaissance poetry that no one wants to read, except apparently my professor, to then writing about it has given me skills that I would not get from any other major. Although it is probably true that I may never find someone who has read what I have read during undergrad, it’s not about what I’ve read or written but that I know how to do it now. It’s not about researching, reading, analyzing, and writing it’s about how to do those well, even if you don’t like the subject.

When looking at the skills an English degree gives you, it seems that it might be more useful than it appears. Another article, from U.S. News, quotes a student who found that “his undergraduate major in political science at University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill ‘unequivocally’ did not help prepare him for law school” rather it was his “minor in English, which required him to read ‘voluminous amounts of literature,’ that had better prepared him for the intense reading requirements of studying law. (http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/articles/2012/10/29/future-law-students-should-avoid-prelaw-majors-some-say)

As we fight to keep our English degrees useful and relevant it turns out that it might not be that hard. Now that I’m a business student, I find that my four years spent reading Hemingway and Hawthorne have better prepared me than I had originally thought. Whether it’s a reading a textbook on Quantitative Analysis or writing a business memo, being an English major comes with many skill sets, one of its most useful being adaptability and being able to change up how I use my skills learned from undergrad.

We’ve read things that are boring as can be, but as dull as it is, we can turn it into something. English majors everywhere can rejoice when reading and editing textbooks or speech writing that at least they’re not about Renaissance poetry (at least I do anyway).

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Studying History: Storytelling in the Office

In the first post of our blogging series by MSBA students about how their undergraduate majors are serving them in graduate business school, Joe Fiocco talks about the value of having a Bachelor's in History.

History looks like Dungeons and Dragons to people who don't enjoy it: a collection of lingo you have to memorize and regurgitate. What most don't realize is that a background in history has tangible benefits for a career in business though. Just ask Carly Fiorina or Martha Stewart.
I don't like stating my position without evidence, analysis, or context. Reading primary source documents and arguing my interpretation cultivates an attention to detail and the ability to track changes in behavior and trends over time. In a business context, employers desire employees who can detect nuance and analyze figures beyond what numbers express. A background in history lets an employee weave different factors of the environment together into a clear narrative, whether it’s assessing new technology, scoping out the competition, or organizing a marketing survey.
Studying history facilitates communication, for writing and presentation demonstrates understanding of the source material. The business climate places a premium on condensing information for those purposes. History majors understand the importance of a logical assembly and argumentation of the facts. That’s why businesses would seek out a history student to draft and prepare reports, memos, speeches, or presentations. In my new program and my internship, I intend to showcase my talents to the fullest.

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MSBA Orientation Demonstrates Proper Business Meeting Decorum

This video, played at our 2015 MSBA Orientation, demonstrates proper business meeting decorum.


MSBA Code of Conduct from Jamilah Johnson on Vimeo.

A special thanks to the CUA students and MSBA alumni who appeared in the video, and current MSBA student Jamilah Johnson, who shot the footage.

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Priests and Seminarians Learn Parish Management Skills at Management as Ministry

Diocesan and Religious Priests and seminarians from across the United States gathered on the CUA campus to learn best practice management skills in the first ever Management as Ministry seminar this past week-end. The three-day seminar was co-sponsored by the School of Business and Economics and the School of Theology and Religious Studies, and was developed over the past semester through the assistance of a five-member MSBA field study team.

 

 "Formal seminary education contains very little preparation in traditional business skills such as management, accounting, budgeting, finance and marketing," explained Brian Engelland, associate dean of the School of Business and Economics. "Yet, the role of a pastor is very much like that of a corporate CEO. Pastors need business skills and the Management as Ministry seminar was designed to teach future pastors the basics of business."

 The seminar featured sessions designed to help make pastors more effective managers and thus, more effective in their primary role as ministers. For instance, by applying best practices in delegating assignments to staff personnel, pastors can spend less time putting out fires and more time administering the sacraments. Session topics were developed as a result of input from pastors and a project steering committee comprised of Seminary Rectors.

The seminar included sessions on motivating employees, canon law, pastoral management, hiring and firing employees, parish fundraising, accounting, budgeting, financial controls, saving for retirement, digital marketing, on-line marketing tools and managing church facilities. Session participants were each given a workbook containing detailed information.

 

Faculty for the seminar included outstanding presenters from The Catholic University of America such as Harvey Seegers, JackYoest, Maureen Brookbank, Frank Vinik, Phil Brach, Bill Kirst, Luanne Zurlo, Mike Williams, and Paul Radich. These faculty were assisted by Fr John Enzler, President and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC, Maribeth Leonard, the parish council liaison from the Diocese of Arlington, and two seasoned priests - Fr. Frank Donio and Fr. Justin Ross - who added colorful stories from their own experience.

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Leaders Molded in Battle: Lessons from Gettysburg

Leaders Molded in Battle: Lessons from Gettysburg
by Sean Wilson

This past weekend, students from the MSBA Class of 2015 were given the opportunity to attend a field trip to Gettysburg, PA.  Guided by Col. Doug Doud, professional tour guide and marine, the group enjoyed a full day of history, intense stories of war heroes, and lessons on leadership and strategy.  Col. Doud was a phenomenal guide who was able to build suspense and convey moving accounts of the events that took place over the three-day long fight at Gettysburg.  Further, he related the actions taken by military leaders and their decisions to those that CEOs and business leaders in companies face every day.  

"Given the detailed and in-depth account of the battlefield and a look into the minds of the leaders there, we suspended what we know about the outcome and were able to debate the actions that we felt should have been taken."   

Col. Doud was incredibly knowledgeable and was able to provide enough insight into the atmosphere and various personalities on the battlefield allowing us to make more accurate recommendations concerning what we would have done.  

On many occasions Col. Doud related what happened on the battlefield and took our analysis of the situation and applied it to what we see and will see in businesses in our careers.  One example in particular was the reference to a toxic leader on the battlefield for the Confederates.  He asked us how we handle toxic leaders in business and what the confederate leadership should have done with this toxic leader at such a critical point in the battle. We learned that there are a number of ways to handle toxic leadership and that the solution to every problem won’t always be clear and straightforward.  Col. Doud also challenged us to aspire to be great leaders and to work hard in our careers.  He emphasized the importance of mentorship and always taking opportunities to learn.  Col. Doud elaborated on being able to act, to take risk, even if all the necessary information isn’t readily available.  He contextualized it by quoting Colin Powell who said, “if I wait to have 70% of the information necessary to make a decision, I’ve waited too long.”  Often in our careers we will be faced with decisions that carry significant consequences, if we are hesitant and afraid to take risks we could miss out on an opportunity and hinder our future success.  He concluded with some final words of wisdom, at the place where Abraham Lincoln gave his Gettysburg address, challenging us to not only work hard to be successful, but to aspire to be great leaders and people for those around us.  This experience and his lessons are ones that I will never forget and always look back fondly on, even though my sunburn really hurts…

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