Can I Take My Mulligan?

It is nearly June and the gravitational pull of the Barcelona beach is increasing exponentially with each day. The problem is that exams are one week away and then things will begin to change – irreversibly so.

I finally got an internship offer from a small consulting group working on a few renewable energy projects. Technically I could work anywhere in the world, but I am going to head back to New England for two months. It will be a perfect home base for a few weddings and planned holidays in the States. I anticipate a lot of research and writing lies ahead for me, but so does a gym for the first time in……well that’s not terribly important is it? My family is there and my beloved set of golf clubs. There is something magical about waking early to hit a bucket of balls or play a quick 9 holes. The summer will afford me a number of mornings like this.

I anticipate a steady amount of sleep, meals that do not include bocadillos and further Red Bull detoxification. The next two months will be a perfect opportunity to practice my Spanish too - so I have already set up lessons at the local German language center….c’est la vie. Maybe another day for the Spanish – I’ve got a reputation to uphold and I do not want to confuse people after the summer if I come back fluent in Español!  

There is only one problem. This is merely the beginning of the end. Back in December we watched the 2^nd years shed tears and cherish smiles, one last time. It repeated again in March when most gathered for the final time to graduate. And so it begins for us. 12 month program, exchanges around the world and life will begin chipping away at our ESADE experience. No longer will we hear the questions ‘Where are you from? What did you do before ESADE? Where are you living?’ from voices that I could recognize in a crowd of thousands. We’ll get another chance to work with new classmates as we theoretically shed our ‘Section’ affiliations. This is however another joke being played on us to get closer to more classmates in a program that we are on the downhill side of.

The new batch of ESADE MBAs is nearing their arrival. Through various channels we are showering them with the hints and wisdom we’ve accumulated over a mere ten months. It is salt in a wound. There is no time to live in the past, but the memories are bittersweet. We had our end of year gala last night with the typical sprinkling of nostalgia – picture shows, video recorded footage and superlatives for those that best embodied different themes.

It seems like only yesterday……

As fast as lightening forms glass, we emerged from the sands of our home countries and past histories. We converged on the beaches of the Mediterranean, each a different piece of glass with both rough and refined edges. Over ten months we have exhibited exquisite craftsmanship to chisel down those corners that never seemed to align with others. Our international excursions, cultural dinners, insightful conversations, late nights that were early mornings, classroom banter and even playground grumblings all worked to add new shades of color to our glass. The cases, presentations, lectures, conferences, more cases and more boring lectures laid down a framework for us all.

Then there were the synergies and footprints, bandwidths and blue oceans, the core competencies and eco systems with low hanging fruit. Don’t forget about paradigm shifts, peeling the onion, soup to nuts, value chains with value propositions vis a vis turnkey solutions. Will you ever forget Telefonica, Ikea or Coke? What about Zara’s fast fashion and Unilever? Or even FC Barcelona, Wal-Mart and L’Oreal? Easy Jet and airports will never be the same.

These seemingly dictated topics facilitated the soldering process behind the scenes. While we were busy loathing the 22 and sipping our 60 cent café con leche, our 180 unique and newly refined pieces of glass formed a one of a kind stained glass creation. When the Barcelona sun shines, together we reflect an unparalleled and unique light. Two weeks remain of our group soldered together, but we’ll forever have the memories of this light.

Several times this week I have wanted to do it all over again. Not to change it, but to cherish it again all over. The summer in New England will bring me back to things I love dearly, but I cannot help but smile about the new things and people from Barcelona that I love.

I would like to take my mulligan please.