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Jen Tackett | The MBA Student Experience [---UNC Kenan-Flagler Intro Music Plays---]
People ask me about combat – they think that it was a bad experience, they don’t
want to ask questions. But, I think it was just a phenomenal, phenomenal opportunity
for me because it taught me to be comfortable with risk, to be okay with a stressful environment,
and to really say “I’m going to try to come up with the solution, and let’s see
how far I get.”
I was a platoon leader for fuel and ammunition, and then I went on to be the general supply
officer in Southern Iraq, where I was in charge of all supply operations for close to 50,000
soldiers.
One of the reasons that I chose to attend UNC Kenan-Flagler was because of the strong
women representation. Prior to coming to UNC Kenan-Flagler, I attended the Women in Business
conference, and I was shocked at the amount of women that were highly motivated and driven
and game-changers in their industries. It was incredibly captivating for me to be in
an environment where I could have a pick of 15-20 different women mentors, and really
become a better leader because of it.
I specifically asked for an executive coach that had a military background, because coming
from the military, I wasn’t sure how many of my military strengths and attributes really
are applicable in a business environment. My executive coach was so impactful because
he actually showed me that many of the strengths I had were very relevant, and helped him become
successful.
My experience at Kenan-Flagler has changed me incredibly. Coming into Kenan-Flagler,
I was not prepared to be challenged from a Leadership standpoint. I thought that the
military had taught me everything that I needed to know. I had dealt with stressful situations
in combat, I had dealt with leadership challenges in the past, and I thought that there really
wasn’t a whole lot I could improve on, but I was amazed at how much Kenan-Flagler continued
to develop my leadership capability and bring me to the next level, and really set me up
for success. I was amazed at the growth that I had made. My family members comment on it,
my husband comments on it, because they’ve seen the growth that I’ve had through this
experience, and they’ve been shocked at how far that I’ve come.