What does success look like?

We will succeed because we were vulnerable.

We will succeed because we’ll drive change.

We’ll succeed because we’re a tribe now.

What does success look like post altMBA? It’s different for all of us. But in many ways, it’s exactly the same.

I’d never taken an online course before. Nor did I spend a lot of time “working” on myself, you know, reading books that aren’t fiction, signing up for MOOCs, things like that.

I applied for altMBA because it felt different. And now that it’s nearly finished, I know this to be true.

We are the students and the teachers.

The differences in our backgrounds, paths and some aspects of our world views are astounding. But the similarities, our common worldview, are becoming more apparent to me as we interact more and learn:

• How to be a progress-maker. I initially thought changemaker, but it’s more about making progress, moving forward. It means something different to each of us. Progress myself, the direction of my company, propel changes in others….We are all hungry for it.
• How to allow yourself to be pushed. Pushed to the next level, to ask questions that will get us to the next step, over the hurdle, into that great idea or opportunity.
• We are now part of a tribe. We’ll forever be a part of the community And even if we’re not good at it going in, we’ll leave as people who can help propel others.

altMBA participants are dissatisfied with the status quo, whatever that means for each of us. We are experiencing roadblocks or stagnation in our lives or initiatives. We are driven; we have questions and we want to find answers.

altMBA will help us find answers, within ourselves and others or by collecting data, analyzing and empathizing. It will give us tools to enable our own progress. That’s what it’s for.

There’s a fit in the collaborative work, the syllabus and the vague project prompts. We’re not given all the answers. We’re given tools, information and perspectives, but we’re the ones who must tie it all together.

There’s a fit in how everything is presented — the messages we receive, the tools, the setup and the enabler coaches. There’s a message in the raven.