Go for it, it’s worth it!
Challenge for life-long learners
The moment in 2006 when Lia Garcia decided to apply for the MBA, she was neither living in Madrid, nor were her twins born. With a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lia was leaving the company she was working for, and felt she was under the ideal circumstances to accept the challenge of an MBA. With an insatiable appetite for learning, at the time of her enrollment, she was aware that she lacked some skills in the areas of strategy and finance, and thus decided to dedicate herself 100% to the MBA.
Today, she is married, living and working in Madrid, in the marketing area of the company Astra Zeneca. With very different family and professional conditions, Lia says that ”the spirit of mutual help and respect among MBA colleagues was a catalyst”. She adds that “we must be clear about the benefits and the definition of priorities so that we can manage different challenges with discipline”.
She reveals that it is essential to understand the factors that hold us back and be aware that the perfect conditions and contexts don’t exist. “Of course, there is the fear of not being able to reconcile everything and that it will demand a lot from us, but going forward is possible.” Lia advises each person to reflect and introspect on what moves us and encourages those interested to talk and exchange ideas with people who attend or who have attended The Lisbon MBA programs.
The desire to continue to grow personally and professionally, organization, and discipline are the keys that lead us to embrace a unique and transformative learning experience.
Dreams without barriers
Mafalda Brilhante holds a master degree in chemical engineering and is currently director of revenue management Grupo Pestana. Married with two children and the third on the way, she saw an opportunity in the pandemic to make a dream come true: “doing an MBA”. As a student of the Lisbon MBA Class 2021’s international program, Mafalda initially hesitated between the full-time and part-time programs. She ended up deciding on the first option. She considers that it would always have been challenging, requiring a great effort, however it was not impossible. Once again, discipline emerges as a fundamental aspect not only for you but for others.
“It is necessary to establish rules, share what cannot be different and understand the critical hours between the different members of the group so that everyone can manage their personal life”, says Mafalda. Reinforcing that “nothing is impossible”.
Professional fulfillment and personal satisfaction are not exclusive to men. Therefore, in Mafalda’s opinion, women should not think that it is a “question of giving up due to gender barriers”. She believes that “We, as women rigorously break down all the advantages and disadvantages while men take more risks. Furthermore, we are often less ambitious professionally, thinking that we have to carry the world on our shoulders”.
This “big challenge” of balancing personal and academic life further demonstrates how amazing women really are. There is no need to doubt that it is possible, and that one learns to be even more resilient.
Learn to face fear
With a PhD in Clinical Psychology, Filipa Machado Vaz soon realized the importance of management, mainly associated with the healthcare sector. She believes that if “we want to continue to be healthy, saving people, a good management of services and value chain are crucial.” In this sense, the enrollment for the Lisbon MBA international program emerged as a natural career accelerator in management applied to healthcare: “better management, lower expenses, more cost efficiency, higher quality and more healthcare to all”.
The decision to join the Lisbon MBA came immediately after returning from the USA, where she worked in a hospital, after years of managing public and private hospitals in Portugal, and increased at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, while she was managing the campaign hospital for COVID patients at Oporto.
Even with the expertise and vast know-how in management, for Filipa, the MBA experience has been a constant surprise in the development of other dimensions: “working with others and having someone continually accompany us to evolve in the face of challenges that are placed on us, moving us away from our comfort zone, I consider it an incredibly transformational experience and that identifies the skills to improve in their deepest level of soft management skills, the so-called deeper skills”.
Filipa explains that “one is not taught to be afraid, we are provided with tools and capabilities so that we are not paralyzed with fear and that we manage and face adversity with confidence”.
Safety, resilience, and confidence that challenges can be embraced whatever the context because there is no perfect time to challenge ourselves.
Go for it and become an agent of change!
Go for it and may you lead at your best now and always!
