While anyone can be a boss or a manager, not everyone can be a leader. It requires an understanding of team building and knowledge of the company environment, as well as the people on your team. MBA candidates acquire a great deal of confidence to go along with their learned knowledge of basic leadership skills. In addition, working on projects and with classmates enhances skills such as cross-cultural understanding and teamwork. All of these skills can be used whether leading a small group or a whole organization.
Critical thinking is said to be the process of actively and skilfullyanalysing information in a business situation and generating an optimal solution. Graduates of an MBA program will have the skills to take a problem presented and come up with a detailed, analytic solution. Managers and supervisors want to find people who have solutions and come to them with a plan for a situation they may see as a potential problem. According to Forbes, critical thinking is a leadership skill required by90% of the jobs created since 2010. MBA programs are designed to encourage students to look at the bigger picture, to break down a problem and find strategies to help fix a problem. Employees with this skill can help companies to navigate through issues that may arise before they become crises.
MBA graduates coming to work for a company bring a number of contacts and connections with them. This could bestow upon the company clients, customers, and valued employees during the time the graduate is with the company. It is important not to underestimate the value of this network. The network acquired is also indicative to the personal skills obtained by the MBA candidate. This shows their experience working with multiple cultures and different personality types; it is another indicator of their leadership skills.
At the end of the day, it is the person and not the degree you are hiring. While an MBA degree is a highly regarded asset, the candidate needs to fit your organization. An MBA graduate usually implies a person who is self-motivated and ambitious but that is not always the case. The whole package needs to be taken into consideration. With that being said, an MBA graduate can be a huge asset to any company. They bring an invaluable set of skills to the table that should be taken advantage of by companies to get ahead and compete in the market.
Ashley Herbert