How studying an Executive MBA in the UK helped me become a better business leader

Maja studied across both campuses, which she said expanded her network as she was able to work with students who were studying on the full-time MBA programme. 

“I made really good friendships with people I maybe wouldn’t have gotten a chance to meet. For example, I’m considering opening an office in Dubai. One of my good friends from the course lives there so instead of having to go through recruitment, I can pick up the phone, ask her for her opinion and have an immediate answer.

“It’s useful because you know that you trust that person and it makes a big difference when making business decisions.”

According to Maja, one of the biggest benefits of studying at WBS was the opportunity to study abroad. “I went to Finland for a design thinking module which was highly interactive. We visited a chocolate factory where we analysed the marketing and packaging aspects, as well consideringhow to implement design thinking in reality.

“Some of my classmates did their international module in China and told me they learnt a lot about their growing economy and cultural differences in business interactions” she said.

As WBS offers different specialisms according to your area of interest, Maja targeted one which she felt would provide the skills required to help her pursue her goal of becoming managing director.

“The specialism provided a good foundation for thinking about what it means to be a leader. We were debating questions such as can you be taught to be a good leader or are you born one? We also looked at case studies and discussed some of the moral dilemmas that comes with being someone in a position of power.”

Maja found the business knowledge gained through her course particularly helpful when she moved to a startup company during her degree. 

“Every module on the programme feels as though you’re being thrown into a different scenarioin the real world. For example, you’re put into different groups for each project whether it’s accounting, marketing, or statistics about oil prices, and you have to figure out a solution and make it work. 

“It’s been great preparation because working in a startup requires taking on multiple roles. So, when you’re used to going into group projects, sometimes without a lot of familiarity of the topic, and you’re forced to find a solution, you eventually become very resilient and efficient intackling difficult problems.”

Maja also notes that the elective modules were innovative in terms of the learning experience. “Our teachers would go above and beyond to find interesting ways of processing information.

“We had one module on governance where we recreated a board experience, and we each had a set role, either for or against the argument presented. It’s extremely useful because you start to understand how your team members approach arguments and their thinking behind it.”