Online MBA Forum

Last day of work before the holidays, and as ever it becomes difficult to do anything. Everyone is either already on holiday, or they are partying and the afternoon is effectively a washout.

I wonder if there is a manager who can change this situation? Maybe there should be a special subject in the area of human resources for your MBA that teaches about how to manage near-holiday experiences and situations. The topics could cover punctuality on the week before holidays, how to manage new relationships created during work party seasons, and effective scheduling.

Hmm, this all sounds a little Scrooge-like. Oh well, my own fault for trying to work on the Friday afternoon before Christmas.

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For me, the week before Christmas at work is all about making sure that my personal network of contacts is in place and functioning well. It's the time when I make real time to talk to people, lunching and dining extensively and making sure that I have time to drop in and initiate the conversations about what is going to happen in business next year.

If you are studying an MBA and want to put together your contact network, now is the time to make sure that you follow up all those leads that you didn't have time to talk to during the year. This week, the period between Christmas and New Year, and the few days after are always difficult to do normal activities in, so actively pursuing contacts informally is a really useful way to use this time.

Planning for next year really starts after the New Year, so you will be in people's minds when they start to put new projects into place. You'll be able to reap the rewards of your networking in the New Year.

Planning study is really important if you're studying an online program such as an MBA. When you attend class, you tend to get motivated through your tutor and other students, but when you have to rely on your own resources, it can be much harder.

Study plans are good, especially round holiday times. You don't want to miss out on holiday activities, so if you define what you are going to do and include your own family activities, you are much more likely to stick to your plans. Don't get over ambitious, or you'll be disappointed and won't want to continue. Try to aim to finish a defined project, so that it is obvious what you have achieved in this period of time.

Online study is a matter of discipline, but you have to be reasonable about what you can achieve, and not give up the rest of your life in order to achieve it. A bit like learning to be a manager really.