2nd year George Eggers bungee jumping during a Kellogg-sponsored trip to Whistler, British Columbia.
U.S. Marines aren’t supposed to be scared. As I transitioned to the civilian world, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. I was leaving a profession I loved for the uncertainty that comes with two years of business school followed by a career in a new field. What I knew for certain was that I wanted to remain in an environment that mirrored the Marines Corps, where my peers shared similar levels of community and commitment to a cause.
To my surprise, I found this at a business school with a reputation for marketing and a purple logo to match. As I look back, my time at Kellogg has been filled with amazing discoveries and memories. Even more, I’ve come away with some unforgettable lessons too. Here are a few of the big takeaways I gained from my MBA experience.
1) A Deeper Level of Understanding
Before stepping foot in the classroom, my wife and I took part in Kellogg Worldwide Experiences & Service Trip (KWEST). On our KWEST to the French Riviera, we joined 23 strangers exploring Monte Carlo, the Verdon Gorges, and the beautiful waters surrounding Nice. For the first four days of the trip, participants are prohibited from disclosing their careers, education, and hometowns. This forces the “KWEST-ees” to appreciate one another on a deeper level expected of students for the remainder of their time at Kellogg.
George Eggers, a 2nd year at the Kellogg School of Management
Without information that most people use to frame their opinions of others, our conversations on KWEST delved into pressing social, political, and cultural issues. In one conversation, my friend Carol discussed the challenges she faced at her previous employer. Despite her record of accomplishments, her opinions were always discounted because of her gender. Coming from the infantry community, which is composed entirely of men, this exposed me to a major problem in the civilian workforce. Since KWEST, the obstacles that women face at work have been the topic discussed at many small group dinners where I have been a part. It has also led to the creation of “Manbassadors” at Kellogg: men who want to understand women’s issues in the workplace and then increase awareness among their male coworkers.
My wife and I experienced another one of Kellogg’s global offerings on a ski-trip to Whistler, British Columbia. While we spent our days bungee jumping, dog-sledding, and snowboarding, we also deepened our relationships with other members of the Kellogg community. Waiting in line for an event, my friend Dave and I spoke about his role as an investor before business school and the difficulties he faced as a person of color. He shared, in excruciating detail, the extra measures he took to prove his credibility when meeting clients and the numerous hurdles he faced in the private equity industry. The ability to have these candid and often difficult conversations fosters the inclusivity and cross-cultural exchanges that characterize the Kellogg community. It is this environment of trust that helps Kellogg prepare its students to be leaders brave enough to ask tough questions and do the right things for the organizations we will one day serve. I can confidently state that these interactions have opened my eyes to biases that I would otherwise have remained ignorant.
2) The Importance of Asking for Help
Despite Kellogg’s reputation as a “marketing school,” it also offers excellent accounting and finance courses. In my spring quarter, I enrolled in Linda Vincent’s Securities Analysis course. There, I was immediately challenged by the first assignment: construct a fully articulated financial model for a specific Fortune 500 company. After seven hours of failing to make the model balance, the thought of dropping the class was tempting. In a matter of minutes after e-mailing Professor Vincent to say I was in over my head, she scheduled time that day to address my questions. When I walked into her office, she led with the fact that her time was my time and that we would figure this out together. In addition to the one-on-one meetings, Professor Vincent created a recurring tutorial for students from non-finance backgrounds where she spent an enormous amount of time ensuring that her students were grasping the important factors of each case study.
Thanks to Professor’s Vincent’s dedication, the lessons I gained in this course were instrumental in receiving an offer to return full-time to J.P. Morgan’s Mergers & Acquisitions group in New York City. This is just one of many experiences with professors and teaching assistants at Kellogg that demonstrated their passion for their work and their accessibility to students. Sometimes, the biggest hurdle to overcome is checking your ego, raising your hand, and asking for help.
Eggers dog-sledding in British Columbia as part of a trip with his Kellogg classmates.
3) Unique Thought Leadership
Kellogg’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative (KIEI) teaches students that entrepreneurship comes in many forms: starting your own venture, innovating for change from within, or acquiring an existing business. As the head of Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) within Kellogg’s Private Equity Club, I learned that many of the tools I used as an infantry officer once again became relevant.
In the Marine Corps, it seems like there are never enough people, resources, or funding to do the work required in the allotted time. As the branch that survives on “hand-me-downs” from other services, the importance of time management and doing more with less permeates everything we do. Mission timelines are planned in terms of minutes or even down to individual seconds, such as when coordinated impacts from aviation and surface fires enable the maneuvering unit to close with the enemy.
Such experiences give veterans an advantage in entrepreneurship. As an entrepreneur in the ETA community, you dictate the intensity and pace of your work schedule during your two-year search phase. You are your own boss and your actions determine the chances of finding and acquiring the right company. In such an unstructured environment, it is no coincidence that veterans tend to thrive; they rely on their discipline to maximize their time and their ability to close with little institutional support around them.
Such lessons were invaluable when I was helping to plan the 4th Annual Booth-Kellogg ETA Conference. As an infantryman, the value of a leader’s reconnaissance, redundant planning, and learning from after action reports cannot be overstated. These lessons proved instrumental in ensuring that our venue suited our needs; we had backup speakers in case of contingencies; and we didn’t make the same mistakes as in prior years. In the end, the two cross-town MBA rivals were able to bring together more than 430 individuals from the ETA ecosystem to share best practices, network, and review industry trends. Regardless of the form of entrepreneurship, understanding how to source the right data and to connect it with the right people is what drives success in today’s dynamic business environment.
4) The Value of Feedback and Self-Reflection
Eggers as a soldier.
It is easy to continuously look to the horizon towards your next goal, constantly benchmarking yourself in terms of compensation and career progression against fellow students. As part of Personal Leadership Insights course with Paul Corona, I sought out feedback from peers, family, and employers about myself. Turns out, I was guilty of this to the point where others said that I was too hard on myself. I would dismiss successes on the basis that I could have done better if I had only done “X”, thereby overlooking a positive moment and diving immediately back to work.
During Corona’s class, my friend Hammad gave me brilliant advice during our peer-to-peer coaching session. In order to be more intentional about celebrating successes (regardless of how big or small they are), he urged me to plan a celebration that accompanies every milestone I achieved. In doing so, he argued, I’d involve others around me and those who likely supported me throughout my journey to that point. Through this, I’ve learned that creating a culture where it is encouraged to celebrate victories will make people more willing to reflect on the accomplishments of the team and acknowledge each other. In the process, they will boost group cohesion and performance.
A Final Thought
The value of an MBA is more than just the sticker price of the loans you take out for tuition or your compensation after graduation. I found that the true value lies in the exchanges you will have, the friendships you will make, and the shared experiences as part of a community of incredibly talented individuals. I will be forever grateful to Kellogg for providing me with an irreplaceable education that helped shape the foundation of my life after the Marine Corps.
George Eggers is a 2nd year MBA at the Kellogg School of Management, who is specializing in finance and accounting. At Kellogg, he was the Director of Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition for the Private Equity Club and the Alumni Relations Officer for the Kellogg Veterans Association. Before entering business school, he was a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. After graduation, he will be starting at J.P. Morgan as an Associate in their Mergers & Acquisitions group.
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