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Matthew Diehl
Senior Consultant/Staff Manager
Hyde Engineering + Consulting
Program/Concentration: Jack Welch MBA
TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOB RESPONSIBILITIES AT Hyde Engineering + Consulting.
In my primary role, I am serving one of my company’s top clients as a Staff Manager, where I am focused on leading a team of Validation Specialists who provide testing and technical support on-site. Through constant communication with production management, we determine the type of study, equipment involved, and frequency for systems we need to re-validate to meet the production and quality schedule demands. Our team is focused on the execution of protocols by following specific site procedures. Using rinse testing, swab testing, and visual inspections, we provide detailed summary reports for quality review to meet the client’s quality standards. Additionally, I lead other project efforts for this client by providing additional qualification and validation project support.
My secondary role is to provide immediate management support concerning our employee’s career development. I approach this to help staff grow within our company and in the overall pharmaceutical industry. I have regular one-on-one meetings with each employee in my team to learn more about their personal and professional aspirations. To do this, though, I find it extremely important to form relationships built on trust, which I develop through candidness and consistent communication. I also hold regular bi-weekly team meetings to have candid discussions with the site team about current client projects, potential future projects on-site, and the overall company health within our region.
Why were you looking to get an MBA?
Candidly, I wasn’t interested in obtaining my MBA initially. My only leadership opportunities to that point in my career were to lead the execution of studies and as a JV/Assistant high school volleyball coach. I always perceived management with negative connotations based on previous experiences. I only really started to think about an MBA program after several discussions with my wife. She encouraged me to start looking for a school after confirming the links between coaching and professional leadership. Even after selecting a few top candidates for graduate school, I was pretty skeptical at the benefit I would see from the virtual coursework and was unsure if I wanted to invest in this opportunity. However, my skepticism was proven foolish; upon starting my Jack Welch MBA, I immediately saw the full benefit of the coursework.
DID YOU FIND THE CURRICULUM WAS IMMEDIATELY APPLICABLE? PLEASE EXPLAIN.:
Absolutely. The immediate applicability was one of the first realizations I had as I was taking the coursework, and it confirmed that I had invested in the right MBA program. I immediately applied concepts and tools in my role for my client and my company from almost every class. For example, one of the first items that stuck out in my mind was the DiSC personality profile assessments early on as part of the leadership curriculum. I invested heavily in understanding my profile and grasping as much as I could in relation to other people’s personalities in handling certain situations at work. This specific program helped me to learn different approaches I could take, tendencies I have, and areas for improvement so that I was able to communicate better, and find efficiencies with my work habits and become more reliant upon from a leadership standpoint.
I enjoyed this program so much that when I applied to be a Staff Manager within my organization, I recommended that we invest time and effort into DiSC to help differentiate us from our competitors. I was promoted to Staff Manager in the Fall of 2018 and pushed harder for the DiSC program internally. In October 2020, my company used DiSC Management profile assessment for our leadership staff composed of approximately 35 managers and senior executives. We received great feedback on the program and will be using this as a driver for more of our management meetings and discussions to come. It has been a great investment tool for our company’s future.
HOW DID YOU NAVIGATE JOB, FAMILY, AND WORK? WHAT STRATEGIES DID YOU IMPLEMENT TO GET IT DONE?:
Balancing commitments was, at times, very difficult. I have two boys who are constantly loving on me and needing and wanting my attention. I love being a father and a husband, which was part of my initial hesitancy in even starting a graduate program. Would I be able to set aside enough time for this to get a lot out of it or not? Would I be able to balance work, family, and this program? But the answer was YES! Again, it was hard, but the trick is to schedule your time to complete this work. My schedule worked best to budget 3-4 hours per night maximum after my kids went to bed to complete the tasks. I would focus on doing everything I could to be a great employee, a great spouse, and a father from 7 am–8 pm each day and then set aside 8 pm–11 pm for my school work.
There were times it wore me down and times when I needed to take a night off, but it was the best I could do, and fortunately, the program allows this flexibility. It’s essential to note the overall program’s flexibility. You can work with your teachers and support staff to be more flexible as needed. The whole point is to focus and keep in mind the end goal, not only to benefit you professionally initially but to help those around you reach their full potential and, in turn, help your company succeed and WIN!
Please share any advice for new students embarking on the MBA journey.
There are two things I can think of immediately that I would tell future MBA candidates. First, work hard and focus on learning all of the tools given in the readings and materials and then apply them in your company. It is more about applying the resources than the specific content itself that will help you long-term.
The second is never to give up. There will be times where the readings, lectures, and materials pile up, and it seems relentless, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Enjoy the process, and get ready to apply it to your everyday life. Not only do the materials benefit you professionally, but there are great applications for your life overall!
Connect with Matthew Diehl on Linkedin
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