Episode 10 - Farouq Datoo - "Invest in yourself and you can't go wrong"

TheBREWCAST

This episode features Farouq Datoo – one of my favourite humans. Farouq gave me a lot of advice and perspective on “the bigger picture” throughout our year together (still does!) and I’m excited that we can share some of it with you. We talk about some of the main considerations for an MBA in terms of program selection and the criteria Farouq used which was primarily based on the term of program, the percentage of the curriculum that was online (or more importantly, that wasn’t online) and the school ranking. It was also interesting to hear some of the reasoning Farouq had around selecting a part-time program vs. a full time. Farouq also talks about his progression through a sales career and how the MBA program has supported this. Hint – it wasn’t exactly what I expected. One of the outcomes from the program that Farouq discusses was how people started to notice how his approach to problems and conversations changed (for the better, of course). We discuss the cost of MBAs, and how Farouq thought about the heavy investment and how he kept his mind focused on the long-term benefits of the program, everything he was learning, and reminding himself that it was “only” 1 year. I like his mantra of “if you are investing in yourself, you can’t go wrong.” Farouq talks about some of the advice he received from his mentors – and how the feedback and direction around the decision to go ahead with an MBA weren’t exactly clear. Building on Episode 9, we also discuss some of the conversations he had leading up to the program. These included his wife (that’s a big one!), friends, family and colleagues. Finally, Farouq leaves us with one last quote that I will definitely be using in the future: “The MBA is a key to a door…. make sure it’s the right door!” Thanks to Farouq for being on the show! Enjoy.