One semester down, so many lessons to go

It felt like an enormous weight was lifted off my shoulders when I handed in my final assignment.

However, within seconds, I realized there was still more work to be done: To step back and figure out what I actually learned during my first semester of the MBA program.

Nearly four months chock full of lectures, readings, individual and team assignments, exams, networking events and extra-curricular activities made it difficult at times to reflect on the content of the courses.

Many days, I would drive home from school wondering exactly what I was learning.

I decided to pursue my MBA to not only learn business fundamentals but also the problem-solving and interpersonal skills touted by business school deans and program-recruitment brochures worldwide.

I left a steady job at The Globe and Mail with hopes that my extra education would help me move up the corporate ladder and open more doors in the work force.

If I wasn't learning anything, this experience would have been a complete waste of time.

It hasn't been. I have learned concepts and skills that I am certain to use throughout my career -- from how to analyze financial statements to the techniques of top negotiators.

One of the more intriguing lessons I learned: the importance of learning, and the impact of continuing education programs on not only skills but also corporate culture.

Take Motorola Inc. One of the first chapters in my organizational behaviour textbook provided a case study on what made the cell-phone maker one of the most successful equipment manufacturers in the world.

It explains that "teaching and learning are institutionally and culturally embedded in the organization" by requiring each employee to partake in 40 hours of training every year.

Researchers found that every hour in formal training spills over into four hours of informal training, as the workers who took courses taught their colleagues what they learned.

For example, an engineer would take a course on an emerging technology, then show designers and marketers how the breakthrough could better the final product. Same for a new book-keeping program, an inventory purchasing protocol or a sales technique.

At International Business Machines Corp., the amount of time that employees spent on learning and training grew 32 per cent between 2003 and 2004, according to the American Society for Training and Development. IBM predicts that its work force will spend 15 million hours on training in 2005 -- an investment of more than $700-million (U.S.).

But it isn't just a high-tech phenomenon. A course on effective performance appraisals or on how to handle on-the-job health emergencies can have a significant trickle-through affect on an operation, no matter the industry.

An organization that fosters an environment of learning encourages its staff to adhere to the best industry practices, even to set the bar.

"[Motorola] has created a work environment in which employees are encouraged and expected to learn and apply what they learn on the job . . . formal training and informal training are just part of the job," the case study concludes.

Reflecting on the formal and informal learning I have done over the past four months, here are just a few other takeaway thoughts:

Teamwork isn't easy. You probably won't have much control over who you work with throughout your career, but you can help influence how the team functions. Immediately setting up guidelines and rules of conduct (whether brainstorming rules or a rotating note-taker) can help teams become more productive.

But teamwork isn't ideal for every type of organization (as Levi Strauss & Co. learned in the 1990s, when it shifted from a traditional manufacturing structure to a team-based system of making its jeans and watched productivity and profit decline).

Managers should remember that a team approach puts a lot of responsibility on workers, and a poorly planned team can decrease morale and put a serious dent in operations.

Never stop networking. A contact today could become a recruiter tomorrow or that star employee in your department.

Success in business isn't just about beefing up the bottom line. In fact, it's about looking at business through a triple-bottom-line approach: economic, environmental and social (or profit, planet and people).

Corporate social responsibility isn't a fad and businesses with effective CSR plans are often rewarded with increased shareholder value.

Negotiations are part art, part science. And good negotiating skills , contrary to popular belief, can be learned.

A couple of tips from winning negotiators: keep asking questions to try to figure out what the other party's needs and key issues are; and don't try to reach agreement on an issue-by-issue basis but present numerous issues at once, and look for items that can potentially be tied together to create packages.

Leadership is about telling a compelling story. It's about forming a vision for a department or organization, and getting people on side to help fulfill it.

An effective leader must be both passionate and open to criticism -- overzealous leaders risk getting blinded by their own goals and may not see the environment around them changing.

The most important realization: I may have three semesters of class to go until I get my degree, but, if I'm smart, my education definitely won't stop once I graduate.

Richard Bloom is a former Report on Business writer who has enrolled in York University's Schulich School of Business to obtain an MBA. He will write regularly on the career lessons he is taking away from the classroom.