Congratulations, You Made It! Now What?

Wrapping up your M.B.A. is a milestone. If you’re like most M.B.A. students who pursue their degrees part-time, this work has been a significant part of your life for several years. In my prior teaching in the M.B.A. program at DePaul University, I was always impressed with the individuals who balanced careers, getting married, buying their first homes, and starting families, all while showing up one or two nights a week to learn. Kudos on bringing the “sticktoitiveness” to this endeavor. This was good practice for the tenacity and grit you will need on the road ahead in your career.

Here’s some hard-won and heartfelt guidance I can share as I strive not to sound like every other commencement address out there. Use the ideas in great life and career health.

Ideas to Keep in Mind Post M.B.A Degree for the Road Ahead

Navigate the Inevitable Post-Degree Letdown.

For years the faint light at the end of the tunnel was your degree. Now that you’ve cleared the tunnel, it’s disorienting. The same goes for achieving any major goal. My counsel is to do something radically different than the schoolwork that has dominated your life for so long. Take a long-delayed trip, finish your basement, build a deck, train for a marathon, or volunteer somewhere to help others. It’s time to reset and refuel.

Replace the Degree-Focused Goal with a Fresh S.L.I.M. Goal

Sadly, the world of organizations teaches us bad habits in goal setting. (Everyone, throw out your S.M.A.R.T. goals! They’re a formula for mediocrity.) Do yourself a favor and leverage the mountains of research that say, “Set fewer, larger goals.”

I like S.L.I.M. for Specific, Learning-Focused, Impactful and Meaningful. If the goal doesn’t make you just a bit queasy because you don’t know how to achieve it, it’s probably not a good goal.

Make sure whatever goal you select turbocharges your learning and requires that you explore, experiment, and innovate. The goal should be profoundly impactful and meaningful for you. Finding meaning in your goals and your work will drive your high performance for a lifetime.

Frame Your Career Like a Video Game with an Endless Series of Level-Up Challenges

Here’s where all those hours in your life playing video games pays off. Make sure to tell Mom and Dad!

The world is big, volatile, scary, and ripe with problems to solve and opportunities for great adventures. Your M.B.A. courses haven’t given you the roadmap to navigate the world ahead (sorry, #truth), but they’ve given you tools to draw upon as you encounter new challenges. Perish the idea of a career map or plan and learn to assess, learn, and adapt as you meet new obstacles and adversaries. The videogame designers got it right. What helped you succeed in the last phase is likely irrelevant to what you must learn to succeed at the next level.

Do What Exhilarates You—Just Expect to Do the Heavy Lifting

Life is short, careers fly by, and you don’t want to wonder what happened. While I don’t love the guidance of “follow your passion” because it leads down too many dead-end alleys, I believe we should all do what exhilarates us.

I LOVED growing great teams and building market leaders in my career. I LOVE helping great professionals do remarkable things in their careers. And I LOVE supporting the development of our next generation of leaders. Just remember that no one owes you work that exhilarates you. You have to find it or, in my case, for the latter half of my career, create it.

While I love the work described above, don’t discount how much heavy lifting I needed to do to earn the opportunity to do work I love. No one gave me anything more than a chance. The same will happen to you. Build your future one rock at a time.

Your Actions Ripple Through the Lives of Those You Encounter—Make Them Positive

We come in contact with people briefly, yet these encounters often ripple through their lives and careers. Act with a clear view as to how you want to affect others. Give a lift to those who need help; advocate for those whose talents are under-appreciated, be respectful in every encounter, and beware those who have ill intent for us. Strive to lift others. You’ll be amazed at how they respond and help raise you.

There Will Be Bad Times. How You Respond Will Define You

This is my odd way of ending on a positive by emphasizing the negative. There will be s-storms in your life, often catching you by surprise and tempting you to feel sorry for yourself with “Why me?” The more time you spend in that place of self-pity, the worse the situation gets. As tough as it will be, when your plans are blown up, gnash your teeth, remind yourself that life doesn’t owe us uninterrupted happiness–we have to make it, and then draw upon that sticktoitiveness that got you through your M.B.A. program and start working your way out of the muck.

Wishing you joy on the unknown road ahead.

Art's Signature