There are probably as many reasons for getting an MBA as there are MBA students. For Kyle Bell, MBA 25, the “right” reason was realizing the large number of MBAs and JDs among the work colleagues he admired. He admits being “impressed by how they solved problems and their broader set of workplace skills and insights and wanted to level up my own abilities to lead.” Then Kyle confides his “wrong” reason: “I am uber competitive, and comparing myself to the MBAs/JDs, I didn’t want to be seen without that kind of credential.”
Kyle never doubted that Berkeley Haas was the right choice. A native San Franciscan, with a job at Google and a wife whose work is also in the Bay Area, he described Berkeley as being in his backyard. Plus, his competitive nature relished being at one of the nation’s top-ranked part-time MBA programs.
“I like my job and didn’t want to sacrifice any career progression opportunities,” he said when asked why he chose the Evening & Weekend MBA program. He also wanted to maintain balance in his life. “Going to class two evenings a week lets me keep my weekends open for my family and friends. That’s when you’ll find me playing golf, skiing, and doing homework,” he said. “The availability of in-person and on-line classes during the week and on weekends creates an adaptable curriculum that I can tailor around work projects and travel.”
From including partners at events for prospective students and new-admits to the community offered by the Haas Partners Club, Berkeley Haas understands that, in Kyle’s words, “getting an MBA is a collective process.”
Kyle had just transitioned to a new team, Regulatory Affairs Finance, before starting his MBA studies. He now leads his team’s Cloud portfolio and has intermittently managed two teams. This gives him ample opportunities to use his deepening leadership skills, gained in classes like Leading People, Leadership Communications, Audience-Focused Communications, and Negotiations. “I like to talk and learning how and when to listen has been important,” he said. “Good leaders learn from the people they lead, through their feedback and suggestions. That is part of being a Student Always. It requires us to be aware that skill development is an ongoing journey of cultivation and improvement. If you think you have it nailed, you most likely don’t.”
Despite liking to talk, Kyle had been uncomfortable with public speaking. Now he is “much more calm” and was tapped by his boss to lead a training course at work. “I even enjoyed making the best-man speech at my best friend’s wedding last year,” he added. Similarly, Kyle’s sharpened negotiation skills play out at home as well as at work. “My wife and I had been talking about what kind of dog to get for three years. After I took Negotiations with Holly Schroth it took us about a week to agree that a European Doberman was the right dog for us.”
Kyle also appreciates how Berkeley Haas welcomes students’ partners and families into the community. From including partners at events for prospective students and new-admits to the community offered by the Haas Partners Club, Berkeley Haas understands that, in Kyle’s words, “getting an MBA is a collective process.”
Other classes that challenged and delighted Kyle included Data & Decisions, taught by Professor Maximilian Auffhammer. “Having taken a couple of statistics classes as an undergrad, I expected a dry and difficult class. It was anything but,” Kyle said. “Max made the subject fun, and he structured the class in a way that kept you on top of the subject matter.”
Introduction to Coding, AKA Coding for MBAs, with Joe Wadcan, MBA 12, also took Kyle back to his undergrad days studying information systems. “Coding makes me feel like a magician. That class made me feel giddy,” he said. “Although I haven’t considered a career that would require full time coding, I do want to be able to talk shop with engineers.”
Those conversations will be important as Kyle considers a pivot from project to product management. “I hadn’t considered that as a career path, prior to getting my MBA,” he admits. “I am a tech nerd, but I’m also a real people-person. I like the idea of being able to develop and support tech products that will benefit people. Doing that means being able to talk with the technical teams, with stakeholders, and end-users.” To smooth the way for that pivot, Kyle is working with the experts in Career Management Group—and with a career mobility coach at Google, to explore internal opportunities.
The drive that led Kyle to succeed as an undergrad Division 1 lacrosse player carries on in his can-do attitude. “There can be a fine line between being confident, overconfident, and downright cocky,” he said. “That is where keeping the Defining Leadership Principle, Confidence Without Attitude, front and center is a good reminder to be kind and humble, and to let collaboration come before competition.”
