Assignment #2: Executive Mentor Program

Recently, my Introduction to Business class was introduced to their mentors. I have a mentor, whose name is Carl Neuenhaus. He is a pretty neat guy. He told us about his life and his accomplishments. He made us laugh and he made us sit back and think. My group and I are very proud of his efforts to connect with us because it worked. He was down to earth with us and did not try and "sugar-coat" things.



I learned that in the Executive Mentor Program, there will be times of business and times of pleasure; but, isn't that was business is truly about? We will have time to have fun and time to get things done. I learned that my mentor, Carl, has lived a full life. He explained to us about how he cut his index finger off and it was quite a funny story. He describe it as... "I was showing someone how not to use an electric saw" ...and he reenacted it. I was pretty funny. He told us that he had three children, one of which choked to death by a hot dog. That was the sad part of the whole meeting. But, he picked back up by telling us about his first experience in New Orleans, and we were off to laughing again.

From the Executive Mentor Program, I hope to really understand the life of a business person. I want to know how hard it is to balance out work and family life. I want to know and understand all the pros and cons of business, to fully get a grasp on what it is I am getting myself into. I want to know the bad and the good, not just one or the other. I fully believe that Carl, as he wants us to call him to make him feel a little younger, can teach not only me, but all of us this.

The Executive Mentor program can definitely add to my journey in becoming a successful business person. The reason being that when I get in between a "rock and a hard place," I can look back and say, "Well, Carl had it worse than me, and he overcame everything that fell in his path." I will look back on this experience as one that changed my freshman year at Loyola University. I will also look back on this experience as the program that got my career rolling, because I know he will teach us how to be a responsible and valuable business person.