one-eight of my MBA journey at Babson ended two days ago, and it’s now the time to sum-up my experiences and lessons learned.The big shift, is the improvements in my communication skills in a short period of time.I communicate better, present better, and I practice by getting feedback from my friends and the faculty members at Babson.

I came to Babson to study things I can’t study in any other place. People usually have different goals, but mine are focused on gaining experiences by meeting and talking with people about subjects interest me. The faculty at Babson are amazing. I have amazing conversations with them after classes.

Not only have I improved my skills, but I also meet great people on campus and in the Boston area.

Fueling you network

When you say networking, you say everything. I polished my unique networking skills and made the adjustments for the US culture. At the end of the day, it’s not only what you know, but who you know. Don’t forget to make networking a main part of your life. I see big change when I prepare in advance for every networking session. I search people’s names on Linkedin and Facebook, google their names and read about their companies. If it’s a public company, I also read the latest news in the Wall Street Journal on that company. Networking is a full time job, so be ready for it every morning. The important process comes after the meetings. Other than thank you emails, think about how you can help. I use google alerts to track companies and people so I can send fresh articles if I find they’re useful to someone in my network. Don’t just connect with someone, but try to engage.

Shut up and listen before speaking

We all want to be heard. We have a lot to say but limited time to deliver our message. Smart people say the right thing at the right time. I find myself thinking a lot before I say something.
In the US, people will listen to what you have to say, but you have a very short time to do that. I still have a lot to improve in this area, but I find that I have to think fast.I set a goal of being a better listener in general. I started with listening to my friends not only the ones in school. So next time, try to spend 15% more time by listening other than speaking.

Try to find the good in everyone

At Babson, we focus on team work all the time. I found that while team work can be very helpful, it also can be very harmful. The important thing is to lead the conversation and split the time between brainstorming and taking action. I’m now part of more than five different groups and It’s amazing. Collaborating with people can make you think about ideas you didn’t realize even existed. I have read the great book from Edward De Bono, Six Thinking Hats, and my goal is to try to use it in the next few weeks with my groups.

Every change takes time

United States is huge. Every state is bigger than Israel by size and population. After more than two months, I can barely say that I feel Boston is my home.
Learning to know new people and new places takes time, but I learned so much in the last few weeks that, hopefully, my feelings will be different in a few months.

When I think about the next leaders in the marketing area, I think about Chris Brogan.He is well known speaker and author of a few books. The beauty of his blog and books that he talks with you and about you, not at you.
Chris has been my virtual leadership and marketing mentor for the last 2 years. I had the privilege to meet him in person few days ago. It was the end of a long-term goal to meet Chris some day.

From thinking forward, to going on your success path, to building an online business, to winning with the crowd, Chris covers a bunch of leadership skills that you can use in any business.

Here are 5 life insights from Chris:

1. Work by heart – Money is important, but Chris businesses are powered by heart.
2. Capture your ideas – Spend the time every day capture your insights and ideas by writing or drawing them on paper. It helps to make some deep thinking about your ideas.
3. Listening is a daily thing – Chris spends a lot of his time to listen. He speaks a lot in events, but still find the time to listen. We all have a lot to say, we don’t really need to do that in a one time.
4. Use framework to guide you – Chris use mind-maps as a powerful tool to capture his ideas and model his framework. When you have framework, you have a path. When you have a path, you have vision.
5. Don’t forget your family - When it comes to business and passion, you can find yourself really quick in 30 year career path while your children are growing up while their dad is flying around the world. Chris puts his family in the top of the list as it should be.

I hope you enjoy these lessons as much as I’ve enjoyed putting them together.

Year 2009 was a fascinating year. If you didn’t read the lessons learned during 2009, take a look now.

A year is 365 days of actions, ideas and dreams. At the end of every year, I always look back and choose the top 5 outcomes of the year. In addition, I also choose  the top 5 fails. Remember, always look to the future, but learn from the past. There is no logic in going 2 steps forward and 2 steps backward. Try always to go 2 steps forward and at worst 1 step back.

It’s funny to see that on the top of my 2009 list, I wrote the word “listen.” Listening has become a key aspect in both our offline and online worlds.

3 words for 2010

After reading Chris Brogan’s post about the 3 words, I always take the time to think deeply about those words. I find that it’s not so easy to come up with only 3 words to describe your efforts for the next year. Nonetheless, I find Chris’s method can be very helpful in setting your mindset about the upcoming year. However, make sure that these words are only the “big dreams,” as you have to make a really stable plan for the whole year.

My Words for 2010

After thinking about it for a while, my words for 2010 are: Venture, Team, Networked.

Networked

Networking for me is a fundamental aspect of every move of my day. I strive to learn from the experts. In 2010 I’m going to spend most of my time with the best networkers from all over the world. I have learned that a good networker is a combination of specific attributes. The art of networking is something I’m going to put my effort into during 2010.

Team

A leader is someone who can lead a team in the best way ever.  Your team is your key factor for the success of the company. As a purely team-oriented person, I’m going to spend the upcoming year learning more about working and building the best teams ever.

Venture

I have so many ideas in my head in every moment. This year I’m going to transform some of my ideas into new ventures. I’m reading a lot about new venture creation and doing the right research before turning my ideas into actions.

I will explain in the next few weeks how I make my one- and three-year plans from these three simple words.

Remember : Networked, Team, Venture.

Photo credit jimpatterson

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