Great Expectations: Dealing with the Pressure

The Executive MBA brings with it a range of expectations – from employers and industry, family and friends, and from the EMBA graduate him/herself.

Most students entering the world of EMBAs will have to make sacrifices and concessions to meet the challenging demands of the program, financially, professionally and personally. Therefore, it’s only natural that those affected by the EMBA candidate’s decision to pursue a business school degree have expectations of the candidate in question, upon graduation.

So, how can students prepare themselves to meet these expectations once they have completed their Executive MBA?

Returns on investment

The greatest level of expectations for post-EMBA results is perhaps from the graduates themselves.  After all, you want a return on your investment.

Statistics from a 2010 Executive MBA Council report revealed 37% of EMBA graduates surveyed expected a promotion in their company, figures which reiterate the common expectation that an EMBA degree is linked with better jobs and higher salaries.

It is one of the basic ROI calculations most prospective EMBA students make before beginning their Executive MBA journey. But not everyone prioritizes purely financial gains. Ashley Arnold, Director of Recruitment at Henley Business School, says the school emphasizes the growth and development of their EMBA students rather than financial gains. “What is important is that graduates are able to take all that is offered during the program and build new frameworks with which to create solutions and make business processes easier. This creates new and fresh ideas – an invaluable asset for any EMBA graduate,” he says.

Business expectations

Given the requirement of Executive MBA programs (a minimum of five years management experience), EMBA candidates are typically older and more experienced than their full-time MBA counterparts. As such (and as a result of the significant financial investment – far greater than that of the full-time MBA), EMBA students have higher expectations as to what want to achieve from the degree.

The vast majority of EMBA students (roughly three quarters according to the 2012 GMAC Global Management Education Graduate Survey) intend to make internal or external career changes upon graduation, based on the much greater levels of business acumen they expect to have acquired upon graduation. EMBA students generally want better insights into all operational aspects of business life in order to be able to fast-track their careers.

Responding to pressure

But what of the expectations of employers, colleagues and loved ones who have supported the EMBA student throughout their business school experience? They too are likely to expect changes - and improvements - post-EMBA.

Employers, specifically those who have sponsored an employee through an EMBA program, are likely to have clear expectations with regards to their return on investment. They will want the newly qualified EMBA employee to bring added value to the business, from a greater ability to identify and take advantage of global opportunities, to more creative and innovative approaches to business problems. Employers also expect to see higher levels of communication skills and leadership qualities in the EMBA graduate. But these newly acquired skills are rewarded. As the EMBA Council reports, 68% of EMBA students receive greater levels of responsibility from their employer than previously held.

Similarly, colleagues may anticipate their recently qualified EMBA workmate to display better team building and management skills. They may also expect to benefit from new and creative approaches in their own day-to-day business operations.

Expectations of friends and family are likely to be of a different nature. Having supported a husband, wife, partner, son, daughter or friend through the time-consuming and arduous process of the Executive MBA, they are likely to wish for simply more time with their loved one, once the EMBA journey is over. All these varied expectations exert different pressures on the newly qualified EMBA professional, but if anyone is equipped to handle the challenges of raised expectations, it’s an EMBA graduate.