MBA: How Do I Know Where I Want to Work?, with Lia Parker-Belfer

The Sydcast

Episode Summary:

At It Happens: MBA student Lia Parker-Belfer re-enters the workforce with her summer internship at Uber. Dedicated to a career of impact, joining legendary bro-culture Uber is a purposeful challenge, akin to many Gen Z’ers and Millennials who must come to terms with aspirational values in the corporate world. In this episode, we follow Lia, before and after, comparing expectations and reality, to see what she learned about Uber, and about herself.

Sydney Finkelstein

Syd Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He holds a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a Ph.D. from Columbia University. Professor Finkelstein has published 25 books and 90 articles, including the bestsellers Why Smart Executives Fail and Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent, which LinkedIn Chairman Reid Hoffman calls the “leadership guide for the Networked Age.” He is also a Fellow of the Academy of Management, a consultant and speaker to leading companies around the world, and a top 25 on the Global Thinkers 50 list of top management gurus. Professor Finkelstein’s research and consulting work often relies on in-depth and personal interviews with hundreds of people, an experience that led him to create and host his own podcast, The Sydcast, to uncover and share the stories of all sorts of fascinating people in business, sports, entertainment, politics, academia, and everyday life.

Lia Parker-Belfer

Lia Parker-Belfer is a graduate student pursuing an MBA at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and an MPA at the Harvard Kennedy School. Lia grew up in Brookline, MA and received her BA from Hamilton College. Prior to graduate school, Lia was a consultant with Deloitte’s Government and Public Services practice in Washington, DC. During this time, she helped US federal agencies and nonprofit organizations better serve their constituents and customers and work through complex challenges. Lia is currently exploring ways to leverage technology for social good. Upon completing her dual degree in 2023, Lia hopes to work at the intersection of the public and private sectors, advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Lia’s passion for DEI stems from her lived experience as a Chinese woman adopted by Caucasian parents and raised in the Jewish faith. Lia is committed to creating community and fostering cultures of belonging wherever she goes. During her first year at Tuck, Lia founded If You Knew Me, a podcast designed to illuminate surprising connections, broaden perspectives, deepen understanding, and spark rich conversation within the Tuck community.

Insights from this Episode

• The backstory of the “If You Knew Me” Podcast
• Why Lia picked business school
• Why Lia chose Uber to do her internship
• Lia’s constant pursue for an intersection between the private and public sector
• How to build relationships even in remote environments
• How Lia’s internship experience is different or common from her classmates
• Lia’s experience of taking in person classes during Covid-19
• What Lia learned from working on Uber
• How to identify and understand if a job is the right fit for you
• Lia’s future plans of joining technology with social good

Quotes from the Show:

• “I wanted to work at a company where the product I could really see a tangible connection to helping people, and so Uber actually did make a little bit of sense for me when I thought about how it grants people access, transportation and that might not be otherwise available to people and specifically during the pandemic”- Lia Parker-Belfer in “The Sydcast” [12:16]
• “Redefining what that impact actually looks like and I think you can have a day to day in the communities you’re part of, without maybe having that CEO title for example”- Lia Parker-Belfer in “The Sydcast” [21:14]
• “[About serving to your community] The more gratitude you have the more you personally benefit in terms your own personal mental wellbeing and happiness ”- Sydney Finkelstein in “The Sydcast”- [23:04]
• “It was challenging to find opportunities to be in the CSR or social impact space for a summer that is so short and also that’s not in my job title”- Lia Parker-Belfer in “The Sydcast” [37:45]
• “Being an individual contributor doesn’t mean you’re truly alone, and I think I had that misconception because really you are surrounded by resources, you do have a team ”- Lia Parker-Belfer in “The Sydcast” [45:48]

Stay Connected:

Sydney Finkelstein

Website: http://thesydcast.com

LinkedIn: Sydney Finkelstein

Twitter: @sydfinkelstein

Facebook: The Sydcast

Instagram: The Sydcast

Lia Parker Belfer

Email: [e-mail]

LinkedIn: Lia Parker-Belfer

Podcast: If You Knew Me

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This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.