Women and the Executive MBA – the Positive Impact of an EMBA

Dawn Z Bournand identifies ten reasons why an EMBA is a perfect choice for women executives today. Through extensive interviews with women alumni, admissions officers, professors and deans, we find out why QS TopExecutive this is the case. 

The changes for women in the majority of the world in the last century have been more than a little awe-inspiring. Over the course of history there have been standout women such as Catherine the Great, Florence Nightingale, or Marie Curie who received their deserved accolades. Yet, these women were few and far between and for the most part women, up until just a few decades ago, did the noble but underacknowledged job of staying at home and caring for the family. Modern times have called for different measures though and between the need to expand personal horizons and society’s ever growing taste for material things both heads of the household working outside of the home is now the norm and not the exception.

Women in the workforce are commonplace and in many countries the ratio of working women to men has nearly met parity. Though reality has changed, mindsets have not always followed along; this goes just as much for the women themselves as it does for their male counterparts. Women are finally beginning to hit their stride though and female role models are beginning to show up in powerful ways. From women running countries such as Germany’s Angela Merkel and Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff to female CEOs such as Pepsi’s Indra Nooyi and Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer taking the helm at major corporations, women wanting a high-flying career have it a bit easier and the terrain is becoming less and less foreign.

The question remains though, how do women best prepare themselves to step into leadership positions, to create the famous work/life balance and to establish fulfilling relationships with the people in their working lives? Programs, books, workshops and websites exist by the thousands to respond to each of these questions but for professional women seeking to burst through that pesky glass ceiling, one of the most all encompassing solutions can come in the pursuit of an Executive MBA. Not only is the education top-notch, but female role-models are plentiful, networking is a friendly affair and the life balance skills get fully tested and refined while obtaining this prestigious degree.

Still need a bit of convincing? Here are ten solid reasons why an Executive MBA is the answer for women ready to make a positive impact on their careers and the world around them.

1. Benefit from a flexible schedule

James King, Director of Recruiting and Admissions for the W.P. Carey MBA points out, “With an EMBA program, time away from work and foregone salary is minimal. In our program for example, students meet every other Friday and Saturday, thus reducing the amount of time away from work. This also virtually eliminates foregone salary because EMBA students are working professionals. In fact, students can be promoted within their organizations while still attending the EMBA program.”

2. Practice what you learn

Kerry Watts, Durham University 2009 EMBA alumna found the time at work in between her EMBA classes allowed her to find out just how the theories being taught were (or were not) being put into practice in her workplace. “Being able to work and study at the same time brought a realness to the subject being covered, she says.”

3. Meet mentors and role-models

Tanja Levine, Executive Director at Hult International Business School emphasizes, “Women do not seem to have enough access to inspiring female role models who manage to do it all. It is important to show women that it is possible to devote attention to work, to MBA/ EMBA studies, and to family/friends. At Hult, we provide students with insights from other women role models on how to best multi-task and prioritize, and also how to activate a support network – at work, at home and through a dedicated networking association.”

4. Get a broad business base

Shio Hwi Lim, Asia Pacific Executive MBA, National University of Singapore, 2011 EMBA alumna shares, “The EMBA had an impact on my career almost immediately. It widened my scope from a technological background (Ed. Note: Shio Hwi’s first degree was in electronic and electrical engineering) to all aspects of business, including financial valuations, analysis, investments, business innovations and strategies of different business landscapes. It laid the foundations for me to analyze and read real world business execution, and aggregated the exposure and knowledge in business and corporate environments into visible results.”

5. Break through that glass ceiling

Laurie Kirsch, Senior Associate Dean and EMBA Professor of Business Administration at the University of Pittsburgh, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business asserts, “Many women in the workforce don’t think they have enough time for an EMBA degree. The Katz Executive MBA Worldwide program is designed so they can still balance their work, family and personal lives. Our female graduates have received promotions or switched companies after earning a degree. The feedback we constantly hear is that the EMBA education not only puts them on equal footing with their male counterparts, it also gives them the confidence to take on greater responsibilities within their company.”

6. Take time for you

Hult’s Tanja Levine explains, “With this huge step you are showing everyone that you too have value and that your dreams and desires need to have importance too. One current story is particularly interesting to me. A 42 year old female from the UK, who was previously CFO at Natwest bank went through a very ugly divorce and is now taking care of her four kids while freelancing on the side. At first she was hesitant about being able to manage her family situation, work and her studies, but she is now determined to enroll in the 2012 EMBA class. She told me, ‘I am doing this for myself. I will do this EMBA as it is an investment in my future life and it will not only pay out for me, but my children are also so proud that I am doing this now. I always wanted to be a role-model for them.’ She plans to set up a successful company of her own after the program, she wants to rotate to Hult’s Shanghai and Dubai campuses to acquire the global skills she will need later to go international with her own company.”

7. Ask for help

Natacha Dagneaud, Kellogg-WHU 2009 EMBA alumna advises, “No need to visit Cirque du Soleil...All the women I saw at the EMBA were excellent jugglers. They had created a support system around them with the help of family, work colleagues and classmates. My tip to you is: during the EMBA, learn to delegate and to empower. This also applies to your family, kids, relatives... They can live without you for a while. Take this time out for you.”

8. Practice leadership skills

Ellen Falbo, Duke University, The Fuqua School of Business 2011 Global Executive MBA alumna observes, “The Duke network strengthened my leadership skills. I was able to observe other leaders in my class, their styles and how they handled challenging situations. When working, you rely on a defined leadership hierarchy, but in our team, no one had true authority and different leaders would emerge based on the task at hand. For example, in one course, a team member asked to serve as team leader for a particular project, even though that project was in a space where he had limited experience. I happened to have more experience in that area, and had to learn (through trial and error) how to give the team the benefit of my expertise while still allowing my team member to lead that project.”

9. Build a global network

Larissa Yakoveleva IE Business School 2009 EMBA alumna notes “In my intake I had a very interesting group of people with very different backgrounds from all over the world – 25 nationalities in total. I have kept in touch with my friends for my EMBA but I also use the network to understand the situation in countries where I would like to work. I believe I will be able to use this EMBA network for business purposes in the future as well.”

10. Prove it to yourself

Michelle Wright, Ashridge EMBA alumna and founder of Cause4 confides, “The EMBA workload can feel like a juggernaut at times. By the second year I had six essays of 4,000 words, a 10,000-word organizational development project and six three-hour exams to prepare for. This was on top of starting my own business, a three-day-a-week consultancy commitment supporting FTSE 100 companies in cultural sponsorship – and maintaining a semblance of family life. There’s not much capacity in this scenario for when life intervenes. I learnt a lot about how I respond to pressure. It was a great training ground for managing a fast-growing start-up, where you do everything from client acquisition and delivery to running the payroll.”

Feeling inspired? Ready to fill in that EMBA application? An EMBA really can change your world and even though it will require great dedication, a healthy dose of discipline and ample use of delegation, aren’t you worth it?