Leadership at Large

(L to R) Scott Gale EMBA ’19, Frank Cottrell PMBA ’18, Elena Engles FT ’18, Adrienne Mangual EMBA ’19, John Joswiak PMBA ’18, Alan Becerril EMBA ’19

Michelle Kaltenbach has her fingers in just about everything that has to do with MBA student development. Lately, leadership programming and MBA team coaching top the list. As associate director of student development, she collaborated with Professor Brent Smith to build leadership and team coaching into the curriculum beyond the classroom. The following is an excerpted interview with Michelle. >

What does leadership and team coaching look like at Rice Business today? It’s a course and a philosophy. Because we’re dedicated to developing leaders, rather than just offering a collection of courses, we see the MBA as an immersive leader development experience. The structure of this leadership program is meant to create an environment where your performance is dependent, partially, on your ability to function effectively in teams.

How does it work exactly? We place an emphasis on the team experience from the very beginning, so every first-year team has a dedicated and trained student coach to help with the transition to business school and provide the support needed to succeed. By your second year, you have the opportunity to become a team coach through the Leadership and Team Coaching course, which requires an application and a full year commitment. The skills you learn — like conflict resolution, commitment, support, trust, observation, communication — will enhance your professional and personal lives.

Why is this important to the school and the MBA program? Because the leadership and team coaching program prepares students to be more proficient at the most essential component of effective leadership: the ability to develop individuals and teams. It’s our belief that the fundamental role of leadership is to get the best performance out of people. This requires a constant focus on individual and team development.

Why is this important to organizations? Organizations place a premium on leaders who are effective coaches. It is the one leadership attribute that is critical across all levels of leadership and grows increasingly important as you rise through the ranks. Whether we are addressing underperformance, rapidly preparing a high-potential for greater responsibility or giving our employees the opportunity to be successful after a major organizational transformation, coaching is the essential ingredient. Tell me about the course? MGMT 774 Leadership and Team Coaching is for full-time and professional MBA students. (EMBAs receive executive coaching.) It teaches the foundational skills for effective coaching to build on throughout their careers. In this course students reflect on their own team experiences from their first year as an MBA. They learn how to recognize team turmoil and skills in providing and receiving feedback. This course also allows students to actively practice their coaching skills in preparation for their year of coaching with their teams. Although it’s completed during the summer, the learning is continuous throughout the entire year. The peer coaches form a network where they share their observations and gain experience that will help make them more marketable and better managers when they graduate.

Where does the peer coaching come in? Peer coaching plays an ongoing role in the student’s growth throughout the two years. The current peer-coaching program — where second-year students assist first-year students in acclimating to the program and to being part of a successful team — has proven to be highly effective. Coaches work with new students from day one, meeting them during their first week on campus to help develop the structure of their team charters that will serve to guide the team for the next two years. Coaches are also resources and mentors by providing continuous feedback during and in between meetings. They also provide career and programmatic advice and tips. During the second semester, teams are asked to provide 360 reviews as an opportunity to reflect on the fall team experience. Coaches are a key part of this process and help facilitate communication and feedback, while encouraging team growth and leadership.

What else? Rice Business views leadership as contextual. Every student has different aspirations. Leadership at a large multinational company, for instance, differs significantly from leadership at a startup. Rather than base the leadership program on a one-size-fitsall definition, we teach students how to build their own definitions in the real world. u

Congratulations to all Alumni Award Winners

The Industry Excellence Awards recognize alumni for excelling in their careers in four fields: health care, real estate, consulting and entrepreneurship. These alumni embody the four pillars of Rice Business alumni engagement: community, philanthropy, volunteering and lifelong learning .

INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE IN HEALTH CARE AWARD Presented by Dr. Anita Ying, EMBA ’13, Executive Medical Director, Ambulatory Operations, MD Anderson Cancer Center Presented to Emmanuelle Schuler, EMBA ’14, Founder and President, Corallis Consulting LLC

INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE IN REAL ESTATE AWARD Presented by Marie Bergeron, Director, Career Development Presented to Don Woo, EMBA ’16, President and CEO, Mission Constructors LLC

INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE IN CONSULTING AWARD Presented by Dr. Haiyang Li, Professor of Strategic Management Presented to Bethany Andell, FTMBA ’01, President, Savage Brands

INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AWARD Presented by Al Danto, EMBA ’00, Lecturer in Management, Entrepreneurship and IT Presented to Asma Ishaq, FTMBA ’02, CEO, Modere

The Alumni Community Service Award recognizes a member of the alumni family who has been a model of leadership and dedicated service to the community.

ALUMNI COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD Presented by Dr. Barbara Ostdiek, Senior Associate Dean of Degree Programs, Associate Professor of Finance and Statistics Presented to Runsi Sen, FTMBA ’04, Founder and President, Ovarcome

The recipient of the IREP Award was selected by current student leaders and recognizes a member of the alumni family who embodies the values of our community: Integrity, Respect, Excellence and Professionalism. The individual who receives this award will speak at Launch the following academic year.

IREP AWARD Presented by Brady Gibson, MBA Candidate, Class of 2019, President, Jones Student Association for Professionals (JSAP) Presented to Jonathan Ha, FTMBA ’99, Director, Server and Infrastructure Solutions Product Management, Dell Technologies Inc.

52 RICE BUSINESS Photo credit: Poppy Seed Images

Harvey Memory “ I finally found the nerve to go through some of the boxes that I hadn’t touched since I left the house. It was mostly trash — old shampoo bottles, extra toothpaste, a few towels that were saved. I’m not even really sure why I went through it as it was likely not worth the emotional turmoil that could come along with it. For some reason, I went through it all. Wrapped in a towel was an original picture of my parents when they were 14 and 15 years old. I used to have it on my mirror in my bathroom. I thought it was gone. Finding that picture brought happiness that I hadn’t felt in a really long time. It gave me hope that things were going to be okay, and that even the hardest days are followed by really great new experiences. I believe many people who went through Harvey have moments like this more often than we know. I also think that most people don’t understand how long a tragedy like this truly impacts people, families and all of our lives. These floods, and all that has come along with them, have truly been the worst thing to happen to me in my life. Ultimately, though, I know the hardships have set the stage for the rest of my life, and I know that is very bright. ”

Abbey Hartgrove, Associate Director, Global Programs