As a businessman retired from the corporate world into my own small businesses, I sometimes reflect back on my corporate career and think about what went right and what went wrong. Fortunately, I believe more of it went right.
And then I think about why. Why was I able to succeed and why did I seem to be able to “keep my head when all about me were losing theirs…” as they often were? Strangely enough, I think I can pinpoint a single answer: the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program.
Not exactly the expected answer from a corporate guy, but I believe the TM® technique enabled me to cut through the stress, sort out the truly meaningful from the painfully trivial, and make decisions that were true to the bottom line and to my own personal ethics and values. I have a clear conscience.
But what about young people thinking about entering the business world today? How can they prepare themselves to deal with the demands of business and the competition they’ll face both personally and professionally out in the world? Besides the technical and professional skills they learn in school, will they have the tools to stay calm and to separate the business wheat from the chaff?
I recently read an article by Andrew Scharf, head of The WCW Group, a worldwide consulting firm for MBA coaching and education, who praised the integration of “consciousness-based” education into the MBA program at Maharishi University of Management (MUM) in Fairfield, Iowa. Like my suggestion of the role the TM program played in my own career, his suggestion of MUM as a destination school for an MBA candidate is unexpected, but it is not without serious merit.
At MUM, the concept of consciousness, meaning an individual’s state of awareness, is at the root of all learning. This awareness enables students to transform themselves from within by improving the way their brains function and thereby unleashing their full potential, says Mr. Scharf. While studying traditional business subjects—finance, accounting, computer sciences, etc.—MUM students also systematically cultivate their inner potential through the twice-daily practice of the TM technique, ultimately enabling them to expand their creativity and ability to relate to others in a positive and productive way.
I didn’t have the advantage of attending MUM, but I did learn the TM technique more than 30 years ago and have been using it—twenty minutes, twice a day—to support my life and my work ever since. If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, practicing the TM technique twice a day keeps the stress well at bay, while making one’s thinking clearer, wiser, and more focused.
The students graduating from MUM today have a unique edge over their peers from other colleges and universities: an in-depth knowledge of their field of study balanced by the ability to “dive within” to connect with and fully energize their inner self. They are always conscious of their conscience.
A friend of mine, Jeffrey Abramson, is a principal in one of Washington, D.C.’s most successful real estate development companies and has hired a number of recent graduates of MUM. He says he’s blown away by the talent and creativity they’ve brought to his business and ultimately, he expects, to his bottom line. According to Jeffrey:
“When we hired the first students from MUM’s Accounting Professionals MBA and Computer Science MS programs, our company’s management team was so impressed with their work ethic, clarity, focus, and mastery of their field, that they asked me, ‘Let’s get more of these MBA students to work for us.’ Now all eight are an integral part of the growth and administration of our company.”
I think the day is coming when we’re going to see these kinds of MBAs running American business, and it’s going to be a much better day for us all.
Below is a video from the author of this article – Bud Liebler
Arthur “Bud” Liebler, president of Liebler Group, was Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Chrysler Corporation. He is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America and was named automotive “All Star” by Automotive News, Advertising Age, and PR Week. He was national chairman of the American Advertising Federation and president of both the Adcraft Club of Detroit and the Michigan Advertising Industry Alliance. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Michigan Opera Theatre, The Parade Company, the David Lynch Foundation, Cranbrook Academy of Art and Museum, The Purple Rose Theater, and the Detroit Festival of the Arts. He previously served on the Boards of The Ad Council, Detroit 300 Commission, Oakland University College of Arts and Humanities, and Artrain USA.
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If you’re interested in talking to recent MUM graduates to test their skills and abilities for yourself, call 641-472-1128 or e-mail kslowick@mum.edu. It could make a nice addition to your staff… and to your own bottom line.
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Web references:
www.mum.edu
