![\"Headshot](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/andrew-ballard-headshot.jpg\")
Ballard has been teaching the course for eight years, and spring quarter 2022 marks its 18th iteration. In that time, he has connected more than 500 students with more than 100 different companies and organizations. \u201cWe always work with one nonprofit, one government agency and one business,\u201d Ballard said. \u201cI pair students with the different partners based on their common interests and concentrations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But he pairs the teams of students in a completely different way. Upon enrolling, each student takes a personality test, and Ballard uses the results to organize the teams of students based on their differences, not their similarities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI purposefully put students together who, on paper, would not work well together,\u201d he said. \u201cI actually try to create as much tension as possible because in the corporate world, you can\u2019t control who you work with, and you need to be able to work with people of all different personality types.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alumna Tejaswini Parvatkar \u201922 said that working under pressure is one thing, but working well under pressure is something entirely different. \u201cNow that I have entered the corporate sector, I understand why Andrew tried to create as much tension as possible to mimic the corporate world,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWorking with different people who have different skills requires you to create and support an ecosystem that accepts, supports and encourages everyone. These fundamental values help teams to work effectively,\u201d she said. \u201cIt creates a safe atmosphere that does not shatter under pressure because, at the end of the day, you are bound by a common goal.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From classroom to consulting <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ballard\u2019s curriculum is designed to provide students with real corporate experience while still in college. During the quarter, they work as consultants for local and national businesses that are faced with various challenges and opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe students are tasked with developing project management plans and managing a multi- functional project from start to completion,\u201d Ballard said. \u201cIn the process, they develop highly important consulting skills that will stand out on their resumes when they graduate \u2014 including finance, management, marketing, operations and situation analysis, as well as customer and competitor research.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n In years past, students have helped stagnant organizations reach new growth, provided businesses with sound investment advice based on extensive research and even helped expanding restaurants decide on new locations. \u201cThe Business Consulting course provided a platform to gather and apply knowledge toward real-world problem statements and goals,\u201d Parvatkar said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe course\u2019s framework was critical for understanding how interconnected the corporate sector is across multiple functions and showcasing how one decision can impact other. This is especially important while providing solutions,\u201d she said. \u201cThrough my job interviews, I was able to demonstrate this insight, and it helped me stand out.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only does the course help students to stand out against their competitors in the hiring process, but it also makes them exceptional employees and, more importantly, people. This is in part because of an unorthodox activity that Ballard facilitates in his class which reminds his students of what\u2019s most important and how they should live their lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The students find this clarity by eulogizing themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The idea came to Ballard after he had to write a eulogy for his best friend. \u201cHis death absolutely destroyed me. We had been friends since seventh grade. We were in each other\u2019s weddings and at the hospital when each other\u2019s children were born,\u201d he said. \u201cWriting his eulogy was just about the hardest thing I had ever done, but I realized when the day comes that we die and someone is talking about us, about our lives, they aren\u2019t going to say \u2018Yeah, you know that person worked 75 hours a week\u2019 or \u2018they got this big promotion.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey will talk about the impact we had on our families, the lives we improved,\u201d Ballard said. \u201cAs students go out in the world, I don\u2019t want them to lose sight of what\u2019s really important.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, he has them write their own eulogy and encourages them to think about how they would need to live their lives to be remembered in the way that they hope. When they finish writing, he has them choose the top three characteristics that would be most important for whoever writes their eulogy to say about them \u2014 and those three things become their north star. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have them write those three things as bullet points on an index card and encourage them to take it with them wherever they go,\u201d Ballard said. \u201cAnytime they need to make a big decision, whether it is personal or professional, I tell them to run it through that north star lens and the choice will be clear.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Writing her own eulogy made a significant impact on Parvatkar. \u201cAs a daughter, a sister and a friend, it helped me become an active listener and empathize by understanding how others think,\u201d she said. \u201cAs an employee, it taught me the true meaning of accountability and taking responsibility when I helped provide solutions and solve problems.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Her north star includes: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ballard\u2019s methods of teaching are perhaps non-traditional, and that is largely because his experience as a student wasn\u2019t a cookie-cutter one. In third grade, his teacher informed his principal and his mother that he had an intellectual disability because he couldn\u2019t, read, spell or do math as well as the other kids. His mom, however, didn\u2019t believe he was mentally disabled, so she had him tested. It turned out he had a severe case of primary dyslexia, a genetic dysfunction that doesn\u2019t improve with age. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor the rest of my time at school, I experienced relentless ridicule and humiliation, even from three of my teachers in the third, fourth and eight grades,\u201d Ballard said. \u201cBy the age of 16, I dropped out of school because I just couldn\u2019t see life getting any better. I contemplated suicide.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now a teacher, he strives to give students a better experience than the one that he had. \u201cIn many ways, I was set up for failure,\u201d Ballard said. \u201cI want to do everything I can to ensure that students are successful when they leave here.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n His efforts have not been without reward as he recently received an email from Parvatkar telling him that she landed a job at one of the largest consulting companies in the nation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe said that this class was the most important class of her academic career \u2014 I almost started crying,\u201d Ballard said. \u201cI was so excited, my wife told me to print it and hang it in my office!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Parvatkar now works as a change management consultant for enterprise transformation with Capgemini Invent. \u201cAs a student, this class provided me freedom to work with real-world examples while harnessing creativity. This combination, especially when you are a student, helps build various knowledge areas,\u201d she said. \u201cAs a professional, this class was my first peek at the corporate environment. Knowing what to expect, even at the beginner\u2019s scale, provided me great comfort while exploring the unknown post my graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She still lauds Ballard for his impactful teaching style and genuine concern for each of his students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAndrew was inspiring as an instructor and as a human. I can say this with confidence that through Business Consulting, I was able to gain experience and inspiration for my personal life as well,\u201d she said. \u201cBy helping our client through project plans and working closely with other students, it made me a better human, it highlighted the importance of giving back to your community, and at the end of the day, that is what contributes to everyone\u2019s true north.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Andrew Ballard’s business consulting class prepares students not just for a successful career but, more importantly, for a fulfilling life. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[209,202,229,197],"tags":[],"school":[417],"class_list":["post-22355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-campus-news","category-faculty","category-news-releases","school-school-of-business"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"Contact Us","email":"test@uwb.edu","phone":"(206) 999-1234","box":"Box 358500","address_line_1":"18115 Campus Way NE","address_line_2":"Bothell, WA 98011-8246","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\n![\"Ballard](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/bbus-491-s-22-team-2-photo.jpg\")
Writing their own eulogies <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Living an intentional life <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Students succeed <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Alumni flourish <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Alumna](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/tj.jpg\")