After working as a recruiter and entrepreneur, Emory Skolkin (Owen, ‘20) decided to pursue an MBA to broaden his business acumen, build his leadership skills, and push himself intellectually. Throughout his time at Owen, Skolkin has taken advantage of various courses and programs, that have helped him build both technical and soft skills to learn and grow as a professional. In this interview, Skolkin shares his story about deciding to choose an MBA over a PHD program, the benefits of the Owen community, and his advice on how to make the most of the MBA experience
MBASchooled: What did you do prior to business school and why did you choose to come to business school?
I was a recruiter who eventually launched my own business. I was considering getting a PhD in Industrial Organizational Psychology when one of my mentors Eric Berger at Citi said I should consider Vanderbilt’s MBA program. Recruiting gave me the background to keep a conversation going with business professionals, but my knowledge of business was mainly surface-level. I didn’t have a deeper understanding of the reasons behind given decisions in the various departments I was involved in. I wanted to have a cross-functional view of business and specifically focus on HR, so Vanderbilt’s Human & Organizational Performance (HOP) program sounded perfect. It offered a less siloed and academic view than a PhD would and I’d be able to complete it in two years instead of 4 or 5.
The decision to come to business school was also guided by a drive for self-improvement and challenge. I felt that in order to gain credibility and the type of job that would intellectually stimulate me, I would need to take my studies to the next level. I was sold on Owen’s Leadership Development Program after speaking with a prior General Manager in the US Army who stated in an informational interview that Vanderbilt Business’ LDP program was comparable – if not better – than what he had experienced in the Army.
MBASchooled: What are some of the most memorable experiences from your time at Owen?
Often the most memorable experiences are ones that you don’t plan on having. This happened with me via the Distinguished Speaker Series. I didn’t expect to sit down with C-level executives and have them be so accessible and vulnerable. I also was impressed with the incredibly accessible and friendly faculty at Vanderbilt; the chats I had with professors and the advice they gave me will last for the rest of my career.
I also found a community with the Owen band. Playing music with my bandmates, entertaining the student body, and helping my fellow band members through various challenges was meaningful and rewarding. It allowed me to both express myself and create connections with other Owen students both inside and outside of the band.
MBASchooled: What skills have you built or gained that you think are important to your post-MBA life?
I would have called myself more poet than quant prior to joining Owen, having a Liberal Arts education in undergrad with minimal business acumen. Owen prepared me for the business world via spreadsheets, data visualization, data analytics, and the interpretation of financial information.
Owen does a great job of exposing you to new extracurricular opportunities where you learn how to be most ‘yourself’ while optimally managing others. These soft skills – communication, presentation, persuasion, etc – will stick with me over the course of my career in HR.
I appreciated Brian McCann’s class in Managerial Decision Making regarding listening. I learned that you can’t make sound decisions unless you understand context. I’m thankful for that course and Professor McCann’s guidance. I should note that I will be taking notes from that class with me to Microsoft.
MBASchooled: What’s something you’ve experienced or encountered that you did not expect?
I didn’t really expect to find a community here. I was never a member of a fraternity, but since Owen admissions focuses on screening in people that fit their idea of successful culture, I truly felt at home. Yes, cliques are inevitable, but I can honestly say that I felt comfortable and encouraged to keep in touch with my class.
MBASchooled: What’s a challenge you’ve faced, and how did you/how are you overcoming it?
Initially I tried to do everything at once – I didn’t understand that there are three main components of business school life: social, academic, and recruiting. Since HOP recruits early on, I found it impossible to balance all three. I was either too invested in the academics at the trade-off of, say social interactions, or perhaps I neglected some studies in order to meet new people during the HOP recruiting cycle. It’s really easy to get distracted or zone in on one component of the business school experience. It’s important to protect your daily and weekly rhythm instead of trying to find the perfect balance. It doesn’t exist.
MBASchooled: Since attending Owen, what part has undergone the most change or growth?
I used to rely almost exclusively on intuition and ‘gut’ feelings. After attending Owen, I realized that approach doesn’t tend to produce great results in business. You need to be evidence-based while making decisions. For instance, whereas before business school, when faced with a fork in the road, I would make a pros and cons list and guesstimate which would be the best course of action. I now have tools that allow me to really analyze probabilities, percentages, game theory implications, and incentives alignment. All of those things weren’t a part of my decision calculus earlier.
Has this been effective? I can say that I’m more confident in my decisions regardless of the outcome. It’s up to us to put in the preparation and effort, but circumstances can guide your best-made plans in a way that you didn’t expect. All you can do is be evidence-based and have a decision-making process up front. Intuition will only get you so far, especially when explaining your decisions to others without data to back them up.
After doing your homework, I learned that you have to let go a little bit, especially if you’re taking a managerial approach. No plan is ‘perfect’ for good reason and as hard as it seems with tough decisions, you can train yourself to relax if you truly believe you have prepared in the most empirically-sound way possible.
MBASchooled: What’s an important lesson you’ve learned in business school?
You don’t have to have the answers, but you can learn how to ask better questions. Furthermore, colleagues don’t always expect you to have the answers, but if you ask insightful questions with the right intentions, you will be respected as someone who cares and become a more effective leader.
MBASchooled: What advice do you have on how to make the most of your MBA experience?
There are two types of people who enter business school – people like me who think they know what they want to do and others who are exploring. I say ‘think’ they know what they want to do because even if you zoom in on one concentration, the actual day-to-day experience of work is never how you had expected during grad school. Be open to understanding the ‘everydayery’ of your career decisions. Also, take advantage of the LDP offerings of your MBA; you are there to improve yourself. Honing your ‘softer’ skills will get you further than only focusing on technical ones like spreadsheets, financial analysis, or other specific knowledge.