Job Shadow - 2

Amazing. Period.
I suppose that won't suffice, so...

I reached Manny's office at 8:45am. I was given a quick primer on the projects that are currently underway, so that I could make sense of the conversations/meetings/other interactions I would be observing. A quick overview of the work they are doing: They are working on the development of different medical devices, related to cardiac surgery. Each of these devices, if successful, will revolutionize cardiac surgery as it exists now. Most of the work I saw today was related to one particular project. Obviously, I cannot disclose any details of what I was privy to, but that is not too relevant to the main purpose of my visit.
What was really exciting was to see an entrepreneurial team in action, working on a product they truly believe in, excited about the difference they are about to make, led by a leader they absolutely trust and admire. It was mind boggling to observe how Manny could get tasks done on our drive to lunch... tasks that would otherwise take a person a major part of his/her working day.

Today's experience was akin to sitting on the sidelines of the field and watching a great player in action. You could try to learn the sport in many ways, but getting tips from a legend to improve that swing of your bat or to perfect your kick of the football... that is priceless.
In business school, we spend hours learning about motivating teams, managing products and trying to understand what separates the few successful product launches from the myriads that get lost along the way. Today, I observed all that and much more in action.