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The Management Value of your Executive MBA

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By QS Contributor Updated May 29, 2018
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An executive MBA helps to round off a manager's skills

How does an EMBA help candidates develop their managerial skills? Chuck Tanner, American baseball player once said that there are three secrets to managing. "The first secret is to have patience; the second is to be patient; and the third most important secret is patience.”  But is that all there is to it?

Understand both sides

“The best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants them to do, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.”
Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the USA

A key element of your EMBA is working on group projects. Some of these you’ll lead; others you’ll be a team member. But experiencing both of these roles stands you in good stead for developing your management and leadership skills. Professor Nick  van der Walt, Dean and Executive Director of Hult International Business School, Dubai Campus says an EMBA will teach candidates how to work productively as part of a team. “You will gain experience in managing conflict within groups. Ambiguity is something you will learn to manage and you will find it easier to communicate with different cultures and people from a variety of industries.”

Act with confidence

“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”
Albert Schweitzer, philosopher

A good manager leads by example, but they need the confidence to do so. Handling the pressure of tight deadlines, being proactive and responding quickly in situations are integral skills required by those in management positions. During your time at business school, you’ll be placed in situations that require you to call upon your resourcefulness. You’ll need to exhibit all of these skills and to do so with confidence, but you will have the support of your EMBA peers around you who will help prepare you for such situations in the real world. Marianne Vandenbosch, Graduate Program Director for the McGill-HEC Executive MBA program in Canada says one of the true values an EMBA gives candidates is courage. “The courage to act, commitment, responsibility and the willingness to lead.”

Look ahead

“Effective managers live in the present but concentrate on the future.”
James L. Hayes, President, American Management Association

A good manager knows the importance of strategic direction. That doesn’t mean to say they neglect what is happening in the present, but they can multitask and think ahead. An EMBA will equip you with the skills and foresight to be able to see the correlation between an existing project and new opportunities, and to act upon them at the appropriate time. This is because an EMBA will not only give you a renewed enthusiasm for your work; it will also enhance your perception and intuitiveness, characteristics at the core of every good manager.

These attributes are particularly important during times of economic change . Steve Seymour, Director of MBA programs at Ashridge Business School in the UK says: “Studying for an Executive MBA, in which students have the opportunity to practice and apply their new skills in real organizations during the program, helps develop the confidence and aptitude needed for the changing economic landscape.”

Communicate

“The art of communication is the language of leadership”
James Humes, Speechwriter

In 2009, Google undertook research among their staff to learn what employees valued most in a manager. The answer? Communication. They wanted bosses who gave them one-on-one time, who helped them with problem solving, and who took an interest in both their professional and personal lives. Similar results were unearthed in a 2010 survey by Leadership Management Australasia (LMA). The survey looked at what makes a good manager and among the 22 characteristics were clear communication, listening, respect, involvement and support.

Communication has quickly become a sought-after soft skill that many employers look for in a manager, but business schools have recognised this and ensure EMBA graduates will leave with extensive communication skills that not only allow you to communicate with your peers, but with your staff and your managers, all within a multicultural environment.

Business sense

“A man is known by the company he organizes”
Ambrose Bierce, Writer

For many candidates, the attraction of an EMBA is the helicopter view it provides of business. Throughout your studies you will acquire a greater insight into all aspects of your organisation, therefore allowing you to get a better understanding of how each of the different areas work together. Natalie Bauer, Assistant Director of Admissions and Recruitment for the Executive MBA program at the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University says the school integrates global management broadly across the business disciplines. “We develop a global business understanding in our students by embedding global business cases and issues in the core curriculum. We take this approach to mirror the reality of business today; you need an integrated global perspective in each discipline from accounting to finance to supply chain to marketing.”