Back to school

For the last five days, I have had the privilege of attending an accelerated learning course, specifically designed for Gen Y (and X) managers, at one of the most prestigious business schools in Australia.

I remember thinking, as soon as I walked through the foyer of the century-old white mansion, that this was going to be an experience of a lifetime.

Surrounded by views of ocean and nature, we spent our days reflecting on our personal styles of basically everything – learning, leadership and how well we cope in times of conflict, all the while negotiating, planning and crawling our way out of countless real-life challenges and difficult situations.

And this is the bizarre part – At some point during the course of the week, I found myself thinking – I can’t believe this is going to be over so quickly.

The school had become my temporary home, the people, my new found just-about-mates and the challenges we undertook, a welcoming addition to the twelve-hour days we happily faced.

So how is it possible that a place which seemed so foreign to start with, could become so familiar?

How is it possible to have such a feeling of camaraderie with completely unfamiliar people (be it like-minded people), in such a short period of time?

As I approached the end of the course, I felt a strange half-emotion of everything gained, yet something lost. Although not the same situation by any means, it reminded me of the feeling I always have after closing a lengthy book, I absolutely loved.

But one thing is certain – we’re all in the same boat, yet again.

And the networks formed over the last few days, will hopefully stay connected for years to come.

Or for as long as technology will allow, anyway.

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