LESSONS LEARNED

What a long, strange trip it's been.

With respect to the Grateful Dead, that so perfectly encapsulates these past two years -- from my being accepted into York University's MBA program to quitting my job as a business reporter at this newspaper to countless hours spent toiling in the library to even more hours battling teammates during group projects to the completion of my last class a few days ago.

The MBA taught me more than I could ever have imagined. Sure, there are typical supply-and-demand economics lessons, accounting work, number-crunching assignments, marketing plans and strategic analyses.

But in addition to those hard skills, I learned an overwhelming number of soft skills -- ones that I might have read about in management books but ones I am certain I wouldn't have been able to truly grasp without experiencing them hands-on.

Those soft skills are the essence of what business-education experts call "the MBA experience."

My post-MBA career hunt is now in full stride. After more than a dozen informational interviews, I'm in full-blown formal interview mode -- applying for jobs and moving through various screening rounds with organizations I have identified as potential employers.

And already, the soft skills are starting to come in handy as I focus my efforts on an even bigger goal: repositioning my career and jumping back into the work force.

For example, I was recently asked during an interview how I would handle a team-dynamics scenario involving employees who don't pull their weight. My answer included an anecdote about a group assignment I did this year that involved confronting a classmate about her less-than-acceptable contribution.

I have also used communication-related soft skills during board meetings for a not-for-profit organization with which I am affiliated.

I'm confident that's just the tip of the iceberg as the next phase of my career takes shape.

Herewith, a look back at some of those crucial soft skills I learned in my MBA that can be used in anyone's career.

Choose teammates carefully

Most MBA programs place students in teams from Day 1, and you quickly learn what kinds of people you work well with -- and what kinds you don't. It forces you to learn how to manage several Cs: conflict, collaboration, communication and cultural differences.

You learn about leadership; how putting the wrong person in charge can cause chaos, and how to spot people who one classmate described as "negative contributors."

But forming a good team isn't just about book smarts, work experience or dispositions. It's about finding people whose abilities complement yours; who you can call on at any time to help you get over an obstacle; who can give and take criticism; and -- most importantly -- who can work together to get the job done right and on time.

Don't forget party time

Always strive for work-life balance. In every class, just as in every office, there are workaholics and slackers. What I learned, however, is that the happiest people -- and those who felt as though they got the most out of the MBA program -- were the ones who knew when to study, and when to party.

I'm part of that camp, ensuring that part of every day is spent either at the gym, out with friends or watching TV. Putting down the books once in a while allowed me to gain perspective on the content I was studying and to integrate it into my daily life.

Find a mentor

Regular contact with my mentor made me more confident in my decisions, pushed me to take a risk in times of doubt and gave me an "in" with hiring managers during my job hunt.

To find the perfect mentor, look for someone in a position you would like to have 10 to 15 years down the road. That way, you have a person from whom to glean genuine industry insights, and with a successful career path to follow.

My mentor has been at the c-suite level of corporations for almost two decades and has ridden the peaks and valleys along the way. As a result, his anecdotes and advice have been invaluable. He's always willing to share experiences about what has worked in his various jobs, some of the horror stories he's witnessed from cocky MBAs sitting in his office and how best to broach touchy subjects, such as bluntly asking someone for a job.

Of course, identifying an ideal mentor is one thing, securing that relationship is another. While administration and professors take care of that task in B-school, formal mentorship programs are also becoming a norm in many large organizations -- as evidenced in on-campus job postings that attempt to lure candidates with promises of mentor relationships as a perk of the position.

Never stop networking

"Great networking opportunity!" "Get to know your classmates!" "Build relationships with your peers!" These slogans are common on posters and e-mails advertising extracurricular campus activities.

If there is one soft skill that business programs try to drill into students' heads, it is the importance of networking.

Getting ahead in business is as much about who you know as it is about what you know. That person you meet at the campus coffee shop or at a cocktail party could be in a position to hire you one day, or give you a recommendation that pushes you over the top.

Business is about relationships. Keep meeting new people and don't burn bridges, we're taught both directly by professors and indirectly through activities.

This year, I went to Edmonton with a few dozen classmates for the annual MBA Games (a mix of academic and athletic competitions), meeting scores of colleagues from business schools across Canada as well as building friendships with my classmates. On-campus clubs and charity work also allowed me to meet new people while also enhancing my job prospects by broadening out my résumé.

I now have dozens of new friends and contacts on five continents -- all of whom I would feel comfortable contacting for a job recommendation and who I would be willing to help out in an instant.

Don't be afraid to fail

I will never forget my finance mid-term exam.

I went in confident but soon realized that there were questions I didn't know how to begin answering, let alone fully solve. But I learned that it was okay to fail. The experience taught me how to deal with my weaknesses and how to focus my energy on quickly grasping new skills.

In the end, I got a B in the course. Not great, but, arguably, one of my proudest moments in the program because I learned that one misstep doesn't make me a complete failure -- and that failure is often a mandatory component of success as you are able to learn from your mistakes.

Take risks

Many of my friends and co-workers were taken aback when I decided to pursue an MBA, saying it was a gutsy move.

Indeed, it was risky. After all, I had no idea where I would land once I finished, I would be tens of thousands of dollars in debt and I would be sacrificing two years of my life -- around the clock -- to pursue an uncertain goal in securing a job in media management.

But I had done my homework before applying for the program and was confident that I would mitigate that risk by studying hard to learn as much as possible about business management and myself.

As the textbooks teach, there is a direct correlation between risk and reward -- the greater the risk, the greater the potential reward. With my MBA studies now behind me -- and the next leg of this strange trip about to begin -- it's time to see if that theory holds true.

Richard Bloom is a former Report on Business writer who has been working on his MBA at York University's Schulich School of Business. He has been writing on career lessons he has been taking away from the classroom.