An Eggs-cellent Way to Plan: The Untold Story of the Egg in the Basket

Working in a team involves trust, communication, cohesiveness and hard work.  But, as I soon found out while working on a group project in Management class, is that time can be another factor. 

     Our mission, as a group, was to devise a plan to make an apparatus out of straw and duck tape that would cover less than 50% of an Egg and prevent the Egg from breaking when dropped ten feet from the air in 25-35minutes...code name: Egg in the Basket.  Also, known as Mission Impossible.  Reward:  10 free points for the first exam.
     Our planning process began with such high hope.  Our objectives were to sketch an outline of the apparatus we'll use, and then build it.  Step 2 was to evaluate our resources, which we accomplished successfully as well.  We understood that we had limited resources, so we began to think of designs that wouldn't need a lot of duct tape and ways to use the most out of the straws.
     But, I think where we made our fatal mistake was in step 3: come up with alternative ideas on approaching our mission.  The minute the stopwatched started, one of our group members informed us that we need to protect the side of the egg, the most vulnerable part to be cracked.  So, we developed a basket-like apparatus that would cover most of the egg's sides.  That was it.  It took some convincing for some members, but with the clock ticking away, we all agreed to the design right away.  Now looking back, I think we should have had better communication with each other to truly get an overall idea of different methods to accomplish our mission.  But then again, we needed more time to do that.
     We accomplished step 4 by going all in with our one strategy and assigning one person to drop the egg and one to write down our objectives on paper.  Step 5,  the last leg of the race, we assembled our idea.  Our revisions were minor, and only to improve our design better.  We sticked to our plan.  My group members said it was all in the way the egg will be dropped, but after a test run, I learned that gravity can have some other plans for us.  I was sure holding onto our design for dear life because there was no time to change anything that would make a big difference.  I had hoped for the survival of our egg, maybe if we do drop it perfectly, we'll win the free points, but I did hold my breath as I saw it fall into the trash can.
     In the end, we didn't manage our planning very well, at least according to the results.  I think my group was great, inventive, and truly committed to this mission, as you can tell with our disappointed faces after our egg dropped, but unfortunately, I have to say---Mission Failed---, and along with that mission, we lost a great, oval Egg.

I guess the moral of the story is to follow the 5 step planning process, but also, in general, learning to manage in a group setting because, although time may not be on your side, communication is the real key to getting the best out of your group.
 
P.S. Congrats to the team that won!  I hope your Egg has a long and ful-filling life!

Culture Shock

School work, looking for an Internship, and working, all at the same time, is tough to manage.  Today, it is getting even more tough to manage our daily lives, as society, businesses are moving towards more of a multi-tasking, competitive, and fast-paced environment.  As I was reminded in class last week, American businesses believe that time is money, which I think is definitely true in America.  If I go to a party, the next day I'll have to work hours straight to catch up on my work.  Our time has become so valuable, its not as easy to take a break, knowing there's something else more meaningful to do.  But at the same time, if we don't relax, stress will be knocking on our doors.  Hard-work is great, but learning to relax is something valuable for our own health. 

When I went to Spain last summer with my family, it was a culture shock seeing such a relaxed atmosphere.  Businesses, stores and restaurants, would close midday, which left me in a panic, as we often forgot to eat at the right time.  People would be out in the park painting or exercising in groups.  Being in Spain during the World Cup, people would gather together to see the games in plazas and restaurants, not only at night, but during the day too.  On the other hand, my family, so used to the fast-paced environment, would be running around trying to see all the popular sites before our vacation ended.  (I sometimes think we should go on the Amazing Race since it's been like we've been practicing every vacation).  I love America's great work ethic.  To reach my dream of managing a store, I know I have to continue to work hard and sharpen my managerial skills, but I think, especially when we are overwhelmed, we all can learn something from the Spaniards : 
To Relax and Enjoy Life!

Introducing...

Hello Everyone!  I am a college student that is, currently, taking a course in the Fundamentals of Management.  I am a typical student...the library is my second home and I live on pasta and sandwiches, but what may be different is that I want, one day, to become the manager of my own store.  As a student of management, I was ready to learn, with pen in hand, what it takes to be a manager, but what I learned on the first day of class was somewhat unexpected.  We all are already managers, at least of our daily lives.  We manage our time, our families, and our jobs.  Life is a juggling act, but we all seem to be able to manage it everyday.  For now, I am managing my life pretty well, but you never know where life's going to take you...I hope it'll take me to an A in this course.