Create Compelling MBA Assignments with Lessons from Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan; one of the legendary icons of the American musical scene, has recently won the 2016 Nobel Prize for his contribution to literature. This is the first time that a songwriter has achieved the Nobel Prize, which has surprised a number of people around the globe. The Swedish Academy has announced that Mr. Dylan is presented with the prize because of his contribution to American poetry. According to the institute, Bob has implemented new expression to the art of storytelling.  While some literature enthusiasts are debating on whether the Swedish Academy has taken the right decision to offer Dylan with the Nobel Prize, most of the prolific authors across the globe are paying tribute to the musical legend. 

No doubt can be displayed about the writing talent of Dylan. But what allowed him to put his hand on the honour that no other songwriter has ever managed to achieve? Here, we have analysed the write-ups of Bob Dylan in order to figure out the important lessons that you can implement in your own works. You might be surprised to learn that Mr. Dylan has a lot to teach to the aspiring managers about communication and writing. 

Be inspired, but never copy

Inspiration is the key to success. Unless someone successful motivates you, you can never feel the rush to reach the height where your idol has been. Bob Dylan inspires millions across the globe and he himself, was inspired by someone that led him to start his musical career. His birth-name was Robert Allen Zimmerman, who started writing songs after being inspired by the poetries of Dylan Thomas. Later he went on to introduce himself as ‘Bob Dylan’. In a number of interviews, Bob has cleared the fact that he is fond of Thomas’s writings and at earlier stages of his life, he used to follow the latter’s writing style. But as time grew, Bob started developing his own writing style and that allowed him to display his uniqueness.

As a management student, you must study the management qualities of the most successful managers and entrepreneurs of the Silicon Valley. In order to learn from them, you should implement their ideas into your own life. However, make sure that you know when to apply your own thoughts in order to overcome hurdles

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Use strong terms

Bob Dylan has been a painter of words. He uses powerful terms and flawless expressions to frame portraits. His songs carry messages that people can relate to, and more importantly, his lyrics allowed the listeners to imagine the scenario that Dylan was trying to explain. Even after 50 years of his first album, Bob’s concerts are sold out based on his charismatic writing. People admire the way he tells compelling stories.

When it comes to preparing MBA assignments, using powerful terms can keep the professors excited about the next part of your paper, without deducting unnecessary marks based on his boredom. Be a storyteller.

Be innovative

Being innovative might be a small term to describe Bob Dylan’s journey. He has evolved over time, transforming into a Rock and Roll artist from Folk and later further changing his genre into Gospel rock has allowed Dylan to explore new cultures. In the process, he has continued to learn and improve his skills, a quality that aspiring managers must learn in order to stay ahead of the curve.

Seek Perfection without being biased

This one is one of the most important lessons to learn from the musical pioneer. Most of the students limit their efforts, since they believe that nothing is perfect in this world. Consequently, they set lower targets, which often lead to mediocre results. Dylan is opposite to what the young generation of the 21^st century thinks. He knows his capabilities and he can go far to accomplish what he wants to and one such example can be traced during his young ages. 

Once Dylan took 40 pages to rewrite his song ‘Dignity’ as he thought the song was not perfect. In the end, he did not even include the song in his album. Thus, managers can learn to seek perfection in every work they do without thinking about the future. Now you may ask, what happened to the 40-page draft of Dylan’s ‘Dignity’. The song later was nominated for the Grammy Awards. Even though he decided to keep the song away from his album, the effort he had put did pay off. Hence, set high targets and jump higher to achieve them.

Success is achieved through failure

Bob Dylan had written a song, ‘Love minus Zero, No limit’, which has a line, “There is no success like failure, but failure’s no success at all.” There are certain moments in life, especially in business school that will de-motivate you and make you question your abilities. Your assignment may not have earned its due respect or may be your professor has rejected your thesis topic for no legitimate reasons. Whatever the situation is, make sure that you keep on learning from your mistakes. Ask your mentors, friends, and professors about what went wrong and more importantly, work hard to rectify your mistakes the next time.

What make Bob Dylan legendary are his evergreen songs that are successful even in the modern era. Bob has a vision that has continued to survive even after decades of its creation. Whenever you are working on your term paper, keep in mind that it does not matter what grades you achieve in your semester, but the impact of your effort is the ultimate thing that matters the most. Try to leave a legacy behind that will allow the future students to improve their writing. Get inspired by Bob Dylan and be the rock star of your own career. Set a milestone that others will desire to achieve and leave an impression that will inspire others. 

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