Introduction
Various institutions are today faced with the challenge of how to produce competitive students who can thrive in the ever sliming job market. It is in this context that various institutions have found it necessary to redesign their curriculums. Some institutions have also come up with strategic plans which are meant to govern them toward achieving excellence. Haas School is offering business related courses and it is striving to achieve academic excellence.
This school is currently governed by four principles which define what it stands for. These principles are: beyond yourself, confidence without attitude, students always, and question the status quo. This institution aspires to produce innovative students who can be better leaders at workplace.
This institution defines innovative leaders “as individuals who drive growth by putting new ideas into action in every corner and every function of their organizations, and who do so responsibly” (Schuller 34). The institution has therefore redesigned its curriculum in such away that it provides innovative skills to the students. These skills are offered through a program called “BUILD” approach”. This paper will discuss Beyond Yourself as one of the principles at Haas School.
Importance of the Principle Beyond yourself
Beyond yourself means that one should give the interests of an organization the first priority and not his own interests. It also states that the stakeholders of an organization should make several considerations before making decisions and taking actions. This principle has been a great source of motivation to me because of the following reasons. When I started my studies I did not have a master plan of what I wanted to achieve in my studies.
I always studied just for the sake of it without aiming at achieving something good from it. This principle has however changed my attitude toward academic excellence and life in general. I have learnt that self sacrifice is very important. If we sacrifice our time and energy in whatever we do we can never fail to succeed. For example I am now going to give my studies the first priority and I will also encourage others to continue striving for excellence.
I am now more focused and dynamic in the way I approach issues and take actions. For example I want to get good academic performance and at the same time it is my wish to change my community to be a better place. Going beyond yourself also states that we should learn to cope with challenges that we encounter in what ever we do.
For example the stories and comments that I read about students who benefitted from this principle have greatly changed my life. I learnt that we should always take challenges positively. This is because if we remain comfortable in whatever we do then we cannot think of improving our community and status quo.
The principle has also helped me to become more organized. For example I have developed a master plan for my studies and the targets I would like to meet at the end of it. Last but more importantly, I now know the importance of being innovative and I am going to handle my studies using different approaches apart from the normal ways. For instance I will use my skills to bring changes in my workplace. I will also share my experiences in learning with my colleagues in order to learn from them.
Conclusion
I am therefore identifying myself with this principle because it has greatly motivated me and I now do things better than I used to before I learnt about it. I also want encourage other people and students to be more innovative in life.