MBA in the USA – Cultural insights for international students coming to the US to study

Have you been watching “Undercover Boss” on CBS? I’m a sucker for shows about business, and haven’t missed an episode yet.

Undercover Boss follows CEOs of major corporations posing as entry-level workers to see what it’s really like on the front lines of their organizations. I love the premise of the show, but the execution misses the mark.

Each episode follows the same pattern: revelation that entry-level jobs are hard, inspiration from individual workers, determination to fix an immediate problem, and dedication to the people that helped the CEO along the way. It’s human interest; I guess that’s what sells on prime time.

On Sunday March 7, 2010, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosts the 82nd annual Academy Awards®, or the Oscars as it’s nicknamed after the golden statuette winners receive. The event promises lots of celebrities, lots of high fashion and more than a few surprises. Click here to see the list of nominees.

Those of us not lucky enough to score a ticket to the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles have the perfect opportunity to throw a cocktail party at home. Here are some tips for hosting your own Oscar Night:

Wear: Cocktail attire. It’s fun to get dressed up every now and then, and it totally works with the theme of the Oscars.

Eat: Fancy appetizers like these “10 Elegant Appetizer” ideas from The Food Network. They all look delicious, but the Shrimp with Chile-Cilantro Rub looks out of this world.

Drink: Hollywood Martinis or one of the 3,000 other drinks found on That’s the Spirit.

Watch: Alex Baldwin & Steve Martin co-host the awards on ABC at 5pm PT / 8pm ET. Catch the stars arriving a couple of hours before on The Red Carpet pre-show.

Play: The new Oscars Games on the official show website. Registering takes a minute, but the games look fun from Trivia to predicting the winners.

I often profess my love for Audible.com as listening to business books has become one of my favorite pastimes. After finishing “The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It” by Michael E. Gerber, I can’t stop thinking about one of the themes of the book, the Success Trinity. Gerber doesn’t actually call it that, but I think it’s cool.

He says it takes three players to create a successful business: the Entrepreneur, the Manager, and the Technician. The Entrepreneur is the big picture person. They live in the future dreaming about possibilities. The Manager takes the Entrepreneur’s vision, and breaks it down into doable systems. They live in the past, examining what works and how they can make it better. Then, technicians actually do the work. They live in the present, running the systems to realize the vision.

Think about that, and think about how you like to work.

I love to dream; my husband says I can take any idea and see how to turn it into a business. I also love to create systems, and derive immense satisfaction from creating solid checklists. I do not, however, like to do the work. I get so bored so quickly.

Realizing this has been life changing for me. As the only employee of my business, I have to be all three parts of the Trinity. I’ve started telling myself, “Be the Technician for 2 hours. Accomplish x, y, and z, and you can go back to dreaming and creating systems.” And it works!