Each week, JWMI profiles students and alumni in its new featured series, “Winning Voices.” Learn about our diverse community and what sets our program apart from those who have experienced it. For more great “Winning Voices” content, click here.
Greg McConico
Logistics Manager
Hyundai Mobis
Program/Concentration: Jack Welch MBA
WHY WERE YOU LOOKING TO GET AN MBA?:
I was looking to advance my career and my mindset on thinking like an executive leader. I learned so much about internal and external factors that affect the business. I wanted to give my future self a seat at the table regarding candidates needed to help a company grow globally.
HOW HAS THE JWMI CURRICULUM HELPED YOU IN YOUR CAREER?
This curriculum prompted me to lead projects and feel confident about my ideas because I leaned on data and analyses we kept but did not use correctly. I have learned how to solve issues within our processes and helped team members in my department improve deficiency issues. I have seen scrap decrease by 20% each year, and team members have improved attitudes due to reward programs I implemented to boost morale. I have devised solutions to address scrap issues that were costing us hundreds of dollars per day, and as a result, we have eliminated them entirely. While leading these improvements, my salary increased by over 60% in two years, and I was promoted to manager.
DID YOU FIND THE CURRICULUM WAS IMMEDIATELY APPLICABLE? PLEASE EXPLAIN.:
Within my first year of the course, I was locating bottlenecks and implementing Kaizen strategies that helped stabilize KPIs. As a result of these efforts, my team members were more knowledgeable of the process and comfortable giving input on what they thought could help improve things. My team members gained a deeper understanding of the process which gave them a more prominent voice, allowing us to grow as a department, and everyone felt like they were in the game. JWMI was the reason behind all this.
HOW DID YOU NAVIGATE JOB, FAMILY, AND WORK? WHAT STRATEGIES DID YOU IMPLEMENT TO GET IT DONE?:
My family understood my goals and provided me with space to focus on my schoolwork. I made sure to balance my time between my studies and my family by staying organized and avoiding procrastination. As for my job, JWMI was more like a cheat sheet with every DQ and assignment that could be applied to my day-to-day work. As we were doing program changes from older to newer models, this curriculum gave me the skills to embrace change and understand the importance of leading my team members. Both at work and at home, my family and I celebrated our successes, following the advice of Jack Welch.
IN JUST A FEW WORDS, DESCRIBE WHAT “LEADERSHIP” MEANS TO YOU.:
To lead means effectively communicating with your team and building them up to become leaders. Leadership should display great moral values and accept accountability and always be willing to learn and grow while never being complacent.
PLEASE SHARE ANY ADVICE FOR NEW STUDENTS EMBARKING ON THE MBA JOURNEY.:
I recommend new students to listen to their advisor when applying and be honest about their goals. An advisor can help place you in a program that will set you up for success in your chosen profession, providing you with valuable real-world experiences that you can apply to your current job. Also, Read! Read! Read! Reading will only increase your knowledge and help you. Trust your professors and take advantage of their experience and expertise. They have worked in many different industries and are a valuable resource for guidance and support throughout your journey. They will not only share their experience about how they started and overcame the learning curve, but also their business experience and how they succeeded.
Connect with Greg McConico on LinkedIn
For more information on the Jack Welch Management Institute, visit us.