Appreciating the Learning Objectives of Schulich Mini-MBA Students
Posted on January 21, 2019In these highly unpredictable times, it’s no surprise that executive education programs are more popular than ever.
These programs are aimed at professional people wishing to cultivate new skills, enhance workplace effectiveness and boost job prospects. It is well documented that such programs are mutually beneficial for employees and organizations. What is it that business people find so enriching about executive education in general and the Schulich Mini-MBA in specific?
Part of the effectiveness of a professional development program comes from being conducted outside office walls. Participants need to be able to disengage from the pressures of their regular work environment, so they can fully immerse themselves in the program experience.
They are not looking for textbook teaching. The most effective instructors transform the classroom into a dynamic and participatory experience, where like-minded peers engage in energetic discussions. Students are taken out of their comfort zones to test ideas and question long held assumptions.
Being experienced professionals, executive education students are not interested in reinventing the wheel. They desire to build on what they already know, to capitalize on their strengths, and to apply real-world solutions to the challenges they see every day and anticipate for the future.
Self-knowledge is a part of any learning journey, and executive education is no exception. There is no one right path to workplace effectiveness and career success — each student needs to discover what is right for them. Gaining insight into personal strengths and learning what methods are best suited for one’s own style of leadership and problem solving is all part of it.
The Schulich Mini-MBA is guided by these important qualities. As Program Director Ingo Holzinger has pointed out, the best executive-education experience encourages different ways of thinking and challenges people in ways they don’t experience in the workplace. For organizations and the employees who work for them, the Schulich Mini-MBA is a sure pathway to professional growth and on-the-job effectiveness.
Some source material for this article is from the Harvard Business Review. Get more information about the Schulich Mini-MBA: Essentials of Management (starting Jan. 31, 2019). The program is designed to help managers and leaders gain essential leadership competencies, communicate with other levels of an organization, and gain knowledge and insights in a wide array of business topics.