From Middle Manager to Top Executive

QS TopExecutive looks at how an Executive MBA can take you up to the next step of the career ladder and the ways in which it can get you there.

For ambitious middle managers, that elusive top position may at times seem frustratingly out of reach. But embarking on an EMBA will provide you with the skills and confidence to turn your ambition into reality.

Show your boss what you’ve learnt

It’s often talked about, and rightly so, that one of the main advantages of an Executive MBA is the immediate implementation of newly acquired knowledge into the workplace. By working and studying simultaneously, what is taught in the business school classroom one week can be applied in the ‘real world’ the next.

As you apply your EMBA learnings, colleagues, and more importantly your superiors, will be able to see exactly what you are capable of and the skills the EMBA has equipped you with. What’s more, they’ll be able to see the benefits your EMBA experience is bringing to their business, which could fast track you up the managerial ladder.

Open your eyes to a fresh new perspective

As you progress up the career ladder it’s important you take a broader perspective with you. The Executive MBA’s helicopter view of business management will provide you with highly valuable skills that allow you to assess the implications of multiple dimensions of the business.

Climbing up the next rung will require you to exhibit a better understanding of all aspects of the business, how they interact with one another, and the potential for growth and development. The combination of your previous experience, specialist skills, and your newly acquired Executive MBA will not only enable you to view things in a broader perspective, but with a fresh, new perspective as well.

Get the real benefit of hindsight

The business world is constantly changing and evolving. However, our constant need to be one step ahead, developing the ‘next big thing’ and continually making improvements means we’re always looking forward, rather than back. While that may not necessarily be a bad thing, most of us will at some point in our lives have referred to the benefit of hindsight.

The Executive MBA will enable you to really benefit from hindsight by providing you with the ability to reflect upon the situation at hand. The art of reflection will become a natural part of your everyday, professional working ethos, thus equipping you with additional skills to move your career forward.

Bring about results and make an impact

Travel can open your eyes to a whole new world; an Executive MBA can open your eyes to new opportunities. Granted they may have been sitting there for a while, and it has taken your EMBA to make you see them – but that’s one of the many benefits of the degree and yet another way it can help you progress up the career ladder.

The qualification will also give you the confidence to bring these opportunities to fruition. By generating new ideas and having the knowledge from your EMBA to turn them into potentially profitable outcomes, you’ll not only show you have initiative, you’ll be able to make an impact.

Redefining you

A common reason many candidates look to the EMBA is because they’re feeling stagnant in their work. Promotions may seem out of reach, or there are others in line before them. Sometimes it could be that their employer simply doesn’t recognise their talent. If this sounds like your situation, it’s time to redefine yourself with an Executive MBA.

By embarking on an EMBA, not only will you add to your skillset, you’ll also add a few extra letters after your name, and with the confidence and added educational ability the EMBA provides you with, your employer may suddenly realise they’ve got talent on their hands.

Now, what was that about a promotion?