5 Vital reasons why you should be undertaking a Mini MBA!

5 Vital Reasons for Undertaking a Mini-MBA

Matthew was becoming increasingly frustrated in his role as a manager of a large division at a manufacturing company. He felt as though he had reached a career ceiling and had been advised by his mentor to gain some form of business qualification so that he would have more opportunities for progression. He felt he was not quite ready to undertake an MBA as he thought it was a huge time commitment and it might be a step too far for him.

Are you too looking for the next step forward in your career? Are you seeking to gain a more complete and well-rounded sense of the business environment without the commitment of intensive study? These are two of the main reasons we hear from our many applicants who understand the benefits of gaining a business management certificate or as we like to call it, a Mini MBA. 

Here are the 5 vital reasons that you too should be undertaking studies towards a Mini-MBA:

1. Gain credibility and to increase your sphere of influence – in the fast-paced business world, those who have subject matter expertise, but who do not speak the language of business, finance and marketing are at a severe disadvantage. Your broader understanding from a holistic perspective of the ins and outs of how business functions and the inter-relatedness of different spheres is essential if you want to fully engage in meetings and have your views recognised.

This is what the mini-MBA provides – the complete overview of all aspects of the business cycle so that you gain the confidence to be able to convey your interpretation and standpoints in order to be able to influence others. You are empowered with the language, jargon and insight in to the functioning of organisations so that whether you are in the public or private sector, you gain key leadership skills.

2. Set yourself apart with a valuable addition to your CV – Research indicates that those managers who hold an MBA have a competitive advantage when it comes to career progression *1 - and they also make a serious difference to the organisation’s results. There is no question that besides the perceived prestige attached to holding higher level qualifications, your organisation benefits as you are able to deal more effectively with challenges that continue to arise.

There is obviously the advantage of possibly receiving higher remuneration – and research indicates that those who do hold higher level qualifications can earn up to 40% more than those who do not.*2

3. Take a small step towards a full MBA – A full MBA is a massive commitment in terms of time, workload and energy. Some of our applicants for the mini-MBA tell us that this management certificate is less daunting and will give them an opportunity to evaluate whether they are indeed suited to the full MBA.

Because of our link with the highly regarded Southern Cross University there is the opportunity to get advanced standing in the full MBA and this creates an attractive option. The business-school style environment of the mini-MBA also provides you with a sense of the lecture style and group work that is expected in the university business school setting.


4. Try out your skills in a simulated environment – gain the theory and the practice – What participants value highly in the mini-MBA is the ability to mix both theory and practice in terms of management and leadership concepts and strategies. It is an excellent way of learning the important theoretical models and then by working in a simulated environment, you are called on to make decisions that determine the successful outcomes of the business.

It is not often that we have the luxury of hindsight when it comes to making judgment calls and in this mini-MBA simulation, you have the advantage of playing out challenges, dealing with change and understanding the broader implications of the decisions you make. As top leaders well know, if the incorrect decisions are followed, the path to organisational success becomes far more difficult – yet, it is so tough to always make the right call, given the highly complex nature of organisations, the pressures and stresses of the business world and the inter-relatedness between all aspects of the economy.

5. Network with other managers and leaders – One of the key leadership skills is to have a wide and diverse network that is not restricted to your own sector of the marketplace. The top-level professionals in the mini-MBA program are drawn from all sectors and are equally keen to establish business relationships and connections.

You have the opportunity to mix with like-minded managers who are able to provide examples, lessons learnt and experience to ensure that you gain insights and establish long-lasting networks that could be useful to you at stages of your career.

As you work in teams through the different challenges of the program, you develop a common bond that stands you in good stead in your career. 

For more information on the mini-MBA offered through Management Consultancy International, please call 1300768550 or email info@mci.edu.au

Have a look at a short video of the simulation that you will participate in during the program - 
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYJ-son79ag&feature=youtu.be
Source:

ww.cesim.com
 
*1http://www.businessweek.com/business-schools/the-mba-advantage-07112011.html


*2 http://www.topmba.com/articles/news-and-features/mba-pay-averages-40000-more-undergraduate

SHRM De-brief - Re-imagine the workplace

Here is my final debrief from the Society for Human Resources Management Conference in Atlanta this year and there was so much talk about the future of HR and our role as HR practitioners in re-imagining the workplace.  Given that we are living through so many dramatic and unforeseen changes, it is more critically important than ever that HR demonstrates that we are the leading profession in the business.
"As HR Professionals, we own our seat at the table.  Now we must take our seat at the head of the table!"  says SHRM President Hank Jackson.  And I could not agree with him more!
The rules around the workplace are changing so rapidly and these can make or break an organisation's success.  We do not have a "Google Map" to guide us over the next few years but we do need to keep our eyes open for the mega-trends and these are:
1. The growth in the population and the disparity between rich and poor.
2. The explosion of information fueled by social networks
3. The skills gap - how to train and recruit a workforce with the right skills for where we are right now
4. The global and flexible workforce
5. Disruptive innovation which involves products and processes that are so fundamentally different that they can overwhelm even profitable organisations.  What sounds like science fiction today could put you out of business tomorrow if you are not adaptable.
As Hank put it:
"Our success will not be measured simply by how well we connect HR departments to new ideas and new innovation.  But rather, our success will be measured by how well HR professionals lead their organisations into the future!"

Patrick Lencioni rocks the conference

MCI is a great fan of the practical materials developed by Patrick Lencioni and so it was a real privilege to see him in action!  For those who have not yet made use of the superb Lencioni material, please attend the MCI Diploma of Management program or ask us to conduct a session specifically based on this material.
What did Lencioni have to say, given his many years of experience in management development?  His advice was practical and easy to implement:
He asked us to rate just how healthy our organisations are.
While this might be usual for some of us, Lencioni believes that this is the most important question that we can in fact ask.
"I don't think it can be over-stated.  Organisational health is the single greatest competitive advantage for an organisation."  He said that it is just about free and it is accessible to any leader who really wants to utilise its force - but not many do.
Sometimes business leaders place way too much focus on the so-called Smart side of the business - this includes strategy, marketing and finance.  But not enough time is spent on the healthy side of the business - which is measured through minimal politics, minimal confusion, high productivity and low turnover.
Lencioni was consulting to top airline and one of the most profitable companies of the past 32 years, South West airlines and asked them why they thought that other companies did not follow this strong emphasis on organisational health.  The response was that perhaps other companies think that this all beneath them.  They consider these things inconsequential or too soft.
Lencioni emphasised that it is not about doing things that build great egos in the business.  It is about doing the things that need to be done to ensure organisational health.
So:
- Always over-communicate with all team members.  When they mock you about what you are saying over and over again, you know you have done a good job...
- Allow conflict to emerge so that it is fine to debate and argue and talk things through
- Create clarity in the company about what everyone does and where the business is headed

As this was a massive American event, they even brought in the marching band!  Enjoy an extract of just how you can create energy in a room!

SHRM Part 2 - Learning from Malcolm Gladwell

Another exciting keynote speaker at the SHRM conference was best-selling author and thinker - Malcolm Gladwell.  He is just so clever, insightful and forward-thinking.  He is able to extract principles from situations so that we all benefit from seeing things in a different light.

He made the very clear point that the Millenials are different.  HR needs to appreciate this and know how to build on their strengths - and help them deal with their weaknesses.

He pointed out that the civil rights movement in the USA has many similarities with the Occupy movement and the way in which these movements operate gives us a clear indication as to the differences between the baby boomers and the millenials.


The civil rights movement had a strong hierarchy and leadership.  It was also a highly disciplined organisation that had a guiding ideology.  This contrasts with the Occupy movements of the past year where there was no clear leader, where the ideology was no clear and where the organisation lacked discipline.  These 2 movements are very different in these ways.
The Occupy movement, as is favoured by this current generation, was highly social and very networked.  "Hierarchies are not Millenials' default notion, " says Gladwell.  "They have gone as far from the hierarchy as imaginable."

• Millenials prefer not to learn from expert sources - they learn from their peers on Wikipedia.  The days of the large encycolpedias are over.
• Millenials learn chess - they don't take lessons.  They go on-line and find players from all over the world with whom they can play
• They have a "profoundly different attitide towards authority and towards expertise."

When comparing the hierarchy and the network, one form is not necessarily better than the other.  They are simply different and when the hierarchy or the network is best, is based on the situation.

For example:
Many students are dropping out of engineering, sciene and maths.  The courses are difficult and to master them you need to learn from expert instructors and practice discipline by learning on your own.  This however is not suited to the paradigm that the Millenials have and it is not the paradigm that they are bringing in to the workplace!

At other times the social network plays an important role.  Think about the role that the social network played in organising the Arab Spring.  However, this political revolution led to political uncertainty because there was no time to build the kinds of systems and structures that were needed.

SO:
"The current generation has stumbled on an incredibly powerful and important model for changing the world and dealing with the workplace - All of us can learn from this generation when it comes to the network.  But networks can start revolutions, they cannot finish them!  It is up to us to remind the Millenials about the importance of the hierarchy."

 That certainly gives us some food for thought when it comes to dealing with the different generations in the workplace.

Society for Human Resource Management Conference 2012

I know I always sound enthusiastic - but truly this was a conference to beat all conferences!  I will do a few blogs over the next month to share some of our key insights and learnings.  When you have listened to amazing keynote speakers and also participated in over 10 concurrent sessions, there is so much to share....

Jim Collins - what can I say!!  He is such a strong speaker and he has the research to back up what he says.   I loved this quote from his presentation: "The single most important strategic pillar of any enterprise is people."  He said that he has spent the past nine years studying why certain companies thrive in times of chaos and uncertainty whilst others do not.  His conclusion - "It all begins with people".
He emphasised just how important it is to pick the right people and to ensure that all the key seats are filled by the right people.  He admitted that this is sometimes up to luck and you might not really know if it is the right person until you give it a try.
The successful companies that he studied that he compared to others who were not great, made conscious decisions and had good discipline.  They also had a high amount of Level 5 leaders as well as highly capable individuals and competent managers.
The X factor that Collins says differentiates Level 5 Leaders from the rest is that they have humility.  There is nothing wrong with having a good dose of what he called "very healthy confidence" - examples being Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.  But their ego and ambition is channeled in to a cause or a purpose.  "No single leader by him or herself can make a great company."
He went on to say that leaders also need to have the following key behaviours:

• Fanatic discipline.  By this he did not mean bureaucracy.  He said that bureaucracy is for undisciplined people.  He referred to the story of Roald Amundson's successful 1910 - 12 South Pole expedition and how this was so different from Robert F Scott's unsuccessful, fatal mission.  "It is all about the twenty mile march" - a metaphor for having the discipline to pursue results and not go too far.
• Empirical creativity.  He said that creativity is a natural human state but discipline is not.  How can we find this rare combination so that we amplify creativity and not destroy it?
• Productive paranoia.  He warned us to  prepare for bad stuff before it happens.  The ultimate hedge against uncertainty is who you have on the other end of the rope....

Collins advised us to have a to-list that features the following:

• Banish the word 'job' and replace it with 'responsibilities'
• Start a 'stop doing' list and have three top priorities at most
• Commit to challenging all leaders to become level 5 leaders - we need a level 5 leader generation!

Gamestorming breakfast session

What an amazing session this morning with over 50 learning and development and HR professionals who were exploring the different tools and techniques that are used to create more meaningful meetings where everyone participates and contributes.  MCI is always keen to share our methodologies with everyone in the community so that standards are raised and innovation emerges.
The group from private and public sectors was invited to look at the key challenges that are facing businesses right now.  The tables went through a process of individual brain-storming, followed by creating an affinity map and finally completing a template to demonstrate how in such a short space of time, ideas can be floated, organised and converged in to some real discussion and solutions.
The post-its, brain-dumps and templates reflected the following challenges facing organisations right now:
Top of the list seems to be change management!  I think our next session has its theme...
Next on the list was management and leadership and there was a great deal of discussion around what was within the sphere of influence and control of the group and what was not.
Some of the solutions suggested included:

• Raising the profile of L and D and HR in the organisation
•  Focus more on recruitment and retention strategies
• Lift engagement scores - measure before and after
• Ensure that you know what you are recruiting for - have guidelines in place
• Get clarity on organisation's vision
• Train more managers and create leaders
• Look at flexible work arrangements

Here are some photos of the templates created and they provide an indication of some of the key issues that are top of mind across many industries:

Strategic Planning that works

The MCI team has just returned from our incredibly successful team strategic planning event at Fraser Island.  It got me thinking about the ingredients that ensured that this event was so successful and why such positive ideas were generated, most of which are practical and can be implemented almost immediately - or at least within 3 - 6 months.

The recipe for strategic planning success:

1. Involve everyone. I am always amazed at how much some team members know and think about, even in areas that are not generally their field of expertise.
2. Fun activities are essential.  Play has often been shown to be a key factor in generating creative thinking and innovative solutions so don't be afraid to engage hands-on, minds-on thinking with games and different    physical activities.
3. Start by setting out the cold, hard facts.  This is very much Jim Collins-type thinking and it does set the parameters of the discussion.  There are factors in our environment that are beyond our sphere of influence or control and these have to be laid out clearly at the outset.
4. Set the ground rule:  no-one in the room can use the phrase "Yes, But.."  Everyone focuses on YES AND thinking.  This means that no ideas are bad and even within unworkable ideas, there are grains of thinking that could be transformed in to positive, workable ideas.  When team members are working in an environment where no ideas are laughed down, the amount of ideas generated is greater.  And the quantity at that stage is important if you are looking for anything of quality to emerge.
5. Set up a theme and preferably something that is competitive.  There is nothing that generates more ideas than a spirit of competition....
6. A great venue away from the office and phones and email is also a good idea if possible.
7. Establish clear goals about the reason for the planning session so that there is some form of urgency to the conversation.  Demonstrate how these ideas will make the difference to profitability or other success factors.
8. Make sure that you follow up.  We have already drafted our action plan and it has been circulated for comments and finalisation.

Please like our facebook page to see more photos from the event.
 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Management-Consultancy-International/115635468452415.

Let MCI help you ensure that your strategic planning event does not feel like a waste of time.  Make it a  worthwhile session that leads to real results!