The research course for The Auckland MBA took 6 months to complete. During that time Peter was teaching the class, leading us through the research course. Peter was also involved in other aspects of The Auckland MBA throughout the year. I recall a discussion with Peter during a break from a lecture early in quarter two, we were discussing over coffee how I could feel the MBA programme was loading us up with more work than I thought could be completed in the time available. We discussed how as a class we were learning more than just the course content we were also learning how to achieve more through team work and collaboration, essential skills as you put the MBA to real work in the business world. That involvement from Peter and his help in making sense of the entire years content for the Auckland MBA was different to the type of help I received during the Diploma classes. The teaching style during the Diploma was much more about the specific course content, the linkages between the courses were not strong and as a student I had to make my own pathway through the Diploma to then apply for The Auckland MBA.
The content of the research course that Peter lead had everything that it needed. Peter was very good at managing the pace and time, which quickly ran out. Peter was consistent and reliable which became very important when appointments needed to be met. Peter outlined the requirements of the research and set for me the direction and then set the expectation that I would go and do the work and that we would be meeting again soon to discuss progress. Peter had made his expectations clear and was frank in telling me when he thought I could do better.
There was much more to completing the research than just the content of the lectures and following along the text book, Peter also needed to manage us as a class that during the same six months completed two other courses and managed complex personal lives and most students like myself were still working full time. Peter recognised that we were people too and made himself available to talk to us. Another example of Peters' leadership style I recall is the first class after we returned from International Business, where three or four students turned up. I said I was there because I needed to re-engage into the research and even though I had carried the books to Argentina and back I had not opened them for the past three weeks. My two or three other classmates were feeling the same, so Peter let us share stories and photographs from the trip and we finished early. I then went to Library until 9.00 pm feeling engaged, motivated and ready to carry on and finish the research.
The impact of Peters' teaching and leadership during the year and specifically the research project, has been for me to recognise the value in a strong peer group for discussion and the power in having specific goals and expectations set which are reviewed as well as the important aspects of the emotional requirements when managing people to perform while they are under pressure.