Its October and a new semester begins, perhaps this is your first year, perhaps your last, maybe a new city or family home. For some thoughts for the year ahead, read on…
As a new or returning student, are you here for the experiences? Is it about getting a job? Is your passion for SUSU sports, social enterprise or something about you that you didn’t even know? Southampton might be where you meet a life partner, it happens, a lot!
Some may “nail it” whilst studying at Southampton; a world leading education, friends for life, trying new things you love, discovering others you hate. All whilst landing a dream job. For most of us itās a little more challenging and takes some personal hustle. But there are many off ramps in life, your exit could be a job, a PhD, a pivot to something new via a masterās degree, some will start a business, of course there’s no right answer.
In this post, Iām going to share two ‘north stars’ to account for when studying with us at Southampton Business School to give you the best chance to succeed your way, whilst contributing to our community.
Be Kind
Thankfully the world is getting kinder in the workplace, and since study is work, itās up to all of us to make Southampton Business School a fulfilling, safe space for everyone. We build great experiences at SBS in many ways, what steps can you take to make Southampton Business School and awesome, safe and respectful space to study?
Firstly, act inclusively and respect diversity –
- Listen – Listen to, and align with, the language people use to describe themselves, their name, their pronouns and identity.
- Empathise – For social events, consider folks who may be vegan/vegetarian, perhaps other who do not drink alcohol. Ensure the things you do are open to all.
- Reflect – Reflect on special days through the year, say Diwali, Black History Month, Juneteenth, Ramadan, Lunar New Year, Pride and more, reflect on what they mean you, our community, and businesses around the globe.
Also “treat feedback as a gift” is the first of five valuable snippets of advice from Barbara Novick of BlackRock. During your time at SBS…
- As a mentor – Think about how you are ‘paying forward’ your experiences, did you land a life changing internship or placement? How can you help those who follow benefit from the same experiences?
- As a mentee – Remember that you own it, “complaining ain’t conversation”, sharing problems without partnership can be fatiguing for mentors. Of course, folks will help, but understand that the action probably lies with you so come prepared to be challenged, and be armed with new ideas and an open mind.
- As an ally – Learn about micro-aggressions and micro-affirmations, and how they impact the workplace. Being an ally needs you to be present in conversations and observant during collaborative work, you need to invest in these skills. (how to be an ally in the workplace)
Check out my former employer BlackRock’s Principles…
“We work collaboratively, without silos and without turf, to create the best outcomes for our clients, our firm, and the communities where we operate…..An inclusive, equitable environment makes us thrive. It enables us to draw on expertise and unique experiences from across the firm and bring out the best in each other.”
These principles drive performance across BlackRock, the same applies to ALL of us at SBS and the best time to start a good habit is now.
Experiment
Your future will be more certain the more you learn about yourself, the more experiments you run the more likely you are to discover an authentic pathway when you leave university. Lean on the Law of large numbers >
“the average from a large number of trials should be close to the expected value and tends to become closer to as more trials are performed”
IMHO this is the best part of being a student; the access SUSU (Southampon University Student Union), the access to our startup ecosystem and amazing services provided by central and in-school careers teams.
As a University Advisor for our amazing ENACTUS team every year my mind is boggled by the outcomes they deliver. How do these students attain such amazing results and growth? Experimentation and teamwork in a supportive ecosystem curated by ENACTUS UK. Talent identification, project management, product management, financial management, itās all there and accelerates everyone through experimentation. Think about how the University can support your growth through experimentation.
SUSU -Student Union (not an exclusive list!!)
- ENACTUS – “Here at Enactus Southampton we are constantly seeking to create new innovative projects to help tackle social needs.”
- Women In Business – “We are a society with a goal to improve the representation of women in corporate and commercial sectors including law, banking, politics, and engineering to name a few.”
- Fish On Toast – “We aim to promote and encourage entrepreneurship via speakers, events and competitions, as well as help our members develop transferable business skills that will help prepare them for their careers.”
- Trading and Investing Society – “Our aim at the Trading and Investment Society is to unite students from a variety of backgrounds and provide exposure to trading and investment through activities and events”
Entrepreneurship
- Future Worlds – “Future Worlds is the on-campus startup accelerator at the University of Southampton. We exist to help aspiring student and staff entrepreneurs change the world with their ideas.”
- Network Eagle Lab – “….support innovative, creative, digital and knowledge-based start-ups and scale-ups by delivering the cityās first collaborative, co-working environment.”
- Student Enterprise – “The Student Enterprise Team provides current students and recent graduates with the skills, funding, and support to set up their own businesses ā whether you’re aiming to lead a social enterprise, work freelance, or launch a scalable startup, we are here to help.”
- Science Park – “…the South of Englandās innovation hub. Set across 72 acres, it offers a wide range of commercial offices, laboratories, meeting and conferencing facilities for new start-ups and leading technology businesses”
What next?
Look out for other blogs building on this launch edition, all founded on a ONEsbs mindset to help our students and staff collaborate to build a world leading business school. Make sure you join the SBS Alumni group on LinkedIn and watch for posts about upcoming events and content to stimulate curiosity and provide us the energy we need to experiment and grow.