Lessons in Cooperation

It is clear that we are in a phase that is a test in whether we have the ability to handle stressful jobs and situations, and also how we work together and rely on each other, because there's more work assigned than anyone could reasonably do. Recently an IMD MBA graduate spoke to us about the necessity of balancing work time with recovery time, and advocated eating healthy, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and indulging in twice daily Power Naps. He also let us in on a little secret that we hadn't fully realized: the coursework right now is supposed to be too much, because it forces us to divide the work and delegate tasks. No one can do it all, but if I read the case study and write a summary, and you read the book chapters and write a summary, then we can exchange summaries and each do half the work.


The heavy courseload by itself can cause emotional ups and downs, and when you add in the load of managing friendships and relationships it can get downright overwhelming. The 90 of us spend 16 hours a day together, in situations where we are forced to be critical with each other, and that causes more than a few disagreements between parties. With that many shared work hours, there are very few close friendships that will never encounter difficulty. I've had a few disagreements myelf, although not to the extent that some of my peers have.  People who have partners probably struggle even a bit more, as they also manage the relationship emotions.

I'm already ready to get back to earning money instead of paying money and have the cushion of a stable income. I also realized that I miss New York City - the energy, the hustle, the taxi horns and sirens, although my only criteria for after the MBA is that I'm not going back to the US (at least for a few years). Switzerland is the quietest place I've ever lived, and it's almost creepy to hear absolutely no noise at nighttime.  Some people's neighbors actually get angry if they take a shower after 10pm.