Most students applying for advanced MBA programmes in the US and other markets, think of the course as a stepping stone to their personal success. While this is certainly true, executive education courses have much more to offer than just individual growth – they also benefit the companies that hire or currently work with the managers who enrol for these programs.
Here’s how a senior management development program grooms future leaders and why companies can look forward to effective leadership:
* It teaches managers to introspect.
A good manager is one that fulfils the job description, a great manager is one that goes beyond what the job entails to assess himself/herself in terms of the company. Introspection and knowing one’s key strengths and abilities are important for managers. An executive education course teaches students to assess themselves, work in teams (and thus, assess others) and realise their latent leadership skills. The course also grooms their leadership capabilities that companies can benefit from.
* It teaches how to lead and work with a team.
A manager leading a team will certainly get results by issuing orders – but empathetic leadership is always better than autocracy! Working with the team in a spirit of cooperation can help managers complete projects on schedule, with optimum efficiency and best results. The manager learns to lead from the front, accept collective responsibility for errors while assigning praise to all, from the executive education program. Moreover, the program equips you to work with teams from other departments or offsites, where manpower and resource management are most important.
* It encourages out-of-the-box thinking.
The senior management development program encourages innovation and creativity. By means of classroom lectures, field visits and group projects, students are exposed to several real-world best practices and common business problems. This exposure compels students to ponder over the solutions already applied, and to question and investigate if better solutions or tweaks could be administered. Creative, out-of-the-box thinking is a veritable boon that employers seek from their managers.
* It imparts industry experience that can be applied to the workplace.
The projects assigned as part of the executive education program simulate real world business issues. By working on them and comparing their own solutions with those already put in practice, students get different perspectives on problems that plague companies. Moreover, the coursework is administered by industry veterans and big names in the business. Their inputs and expertise on dealing with current market trends, makes a positive difference to the student’s perspective – in turn, it is applied in the workplace setting to solve operational problems.
Thus, the senior management development program creates future leaders by providing an environment of learning, growth, innovation and the right skills.