And the ‘Student Hat’ becomes the ‘ECLP Hat’

One of my favorite things about being an MBA student at the University of Texas – McCombs School of Business in Austin was what I called “putting on my ‘student hat.’” This was how I referred to the special halo available exclusively to students conducting informational interviews. When I had my ‘student hat’ on, I wasn’t trying to buy or sell anything. As a result, I found professionals often opened up to me in ways they likely wouldn’t have if I were just another marketing or salesperson. I heard great war stories, ruled out certain career paths, and, most importantly, walked away with a role model and mentor who made the daunting seem doable.

I assumed when I graduated and once again becoame a professional earning a salary, my chance to share the sorts of candid, open-ended discussions I had enjoyed so much during school was over. Back in the working world, and for the first time at a company with more than a few hundred employees, I figured most meetings would focus on objectives and outcomes, not exploration.  

Luckily, a little more than a year into GE’s ECLP program, I can report that my ‘student hat’ remains fixed atop my head, but now I call it my ‘ECLP hat!’  There are countless examples of GE business leaders who have opened their doors (and calendars) to me.

In fact, perhaps the best use of my ‘student (or ECLP)  hat’ occurred with a mentor in our Energy business. As a Capital ECLP, my energy-related domain expertise is basically non-existent. However, I have a great desire to improve my innovation skills, regardless of industry. I was new to the Atlanta area, and starting my second rotation, so I was digging through our internal marketing connection platform, when I saw that thea GE Energy Innovation Program Manager worked only a few miles away. I reached out to him, saying simply that I wanted to learn more about GE Energy’s approach to innovation, and . I heard back before the end of the day. First, we spent an hour on the phone discussing the innovation process. Shortly after we hung up, my inbox was full of commissioned reports on different energy innovations-in-progress. He had gotten special permission to share these reports with me and encouraged me to provide feedback. A few weeks later, he treated me to a three-hour lunch at an Atlanta institution, Taco Mac, where we explored areas of intersection between different Energy businesses and my current Capital business, Retail Finance.
 
A few months later, it still strikes me as remarkable that someone who I will never work for, in a space I know so little about, would spend so much time with me and actually care about what I had to say. While I believe this is a rare and special example, many of my colleagues have similar stories.

This time, as I think about graduating ECLP in less than a year, I know I won’t have to take my ‘ECLP hat’ off. Working at GE means being able to tap into a huge network of teachers, both inside and outside your business. On-program or off-program, student or employee, the ‘student hat’ never goes away.

Posted by Kathleen