From Ryan Baker of Coburg Consultants

 

As Canadians, we’re proud of a lot of things – hockey, healthcare, beavers and beer are just a few – and we’re definitely proud of our country.

But Canadians are equally proud of who we are to the rest of the world. Face it, we’re fun loving, cold defying, maple syrup drinking nice people. When we asked second-year MBA and French exchange student Jeanne Menon-Bertheux the first word that came to her mind when she thought of Canadians, she said “playful.”

I love that.

So, with that in mind, let’s talk about competition. There were 277 athletes in Vancouver four years ago, and another 220 this year in Sochi. As proud Canadians, we’re not only celebrating the medals we win, but also the spirit of competition itself.

There is no denying that most forms of competition produce some type of winner or loser but too often is competition confused or distorted towards a malicious intonation. Instead, we should celebrate competition as a collaborative and foundational aspect to lifelong success.

As MBA students, you’ll have numerous opportunities to form new relationships and keeping them competitive and collaborative is the toughest but most rewarding challenge. However, if you can achieve that type of synergy, there are amazing things you can do here.

You could acquire one of the CRMBA’s three consulting firms, participate in case competitions from Halifax to Calgary to Boston, or maybe even get a chance to work with microfinanced entrepreneurs in Uganda. It’s all up to you and how hard you’re willing to build collaborative relationships that motivate.

These are just a few of the amazing opportunities that await you. As someone who has been personally involved in case competitions, consulting, and will be travelling to Uganda in a few short months to represent Dalhousie and the Rowe School of Business, I can say with confidence that these are opportunities not to be missed.

 

If you have any questions about my experience, or my upcoming trip please feel free to reach out to me directly. To donate, please click here.