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The
worldwide economy is starting to emerge from an enormous shock to its
system. As this recovery takes place, one thing is certain. An improved
economy will not mean a safe return to old and comfortable ways of
doing business. Managers should be turning to the question of strategic
adjustments to what the new economy will bring. It is a moment
tailor-made for executive education.
Executive
education is an efficient way to make a direct impact on the practice
of management. It is a tool that can be used by organizations of all
types as they adjust to the new economy. But as with so many other
things in business, the old, comfortable ways of approaching executive
education will have to change as well.
Probably
the most common mistake made by those who participate in an executive
education program is to view it as little more than an event in which a
person goes to a program, experiences it, and goes home. Properly done,
an executive program is a three-part process—the preparation, the
program itself, and the follow through.
How Should I Get Ready for an Executive Education Program?
To prepare for an executive education program, the first step is to ask
and answer some basic questions. Why am I coming to this program? What
has motivated me? What are the problems or practices in my organization
that need a fresh perspective? This framing of the issues should not be
done in isolation. The participant’s boss and colleagues should be
fully engaged so that they know what the focus of the program will be
and help shape the way that knowledge will be used when the participant
returns.
This
holds true even if the program has more to do with personal development
than a functional area like finance or marketing. For example, a lot of
people come to the Kellogg School’s leadership programs recognizing
that the program will be addressing material that is highly personal,
such as their leadership style or what motivates them to achieve. But
even in this case, the participant should start the process with a
conversation with his or her boss. “Let’s talk about my next position.
What do I need to know? What skills do I need to prepare myself? Are
there deficiencies in my performance now that I need to address before
advancing?”
I have occasionally
come across organizations that are rigorous about preparation for open
enrollment programs. It is heartening to learn of cases in which
participants meet in advance with their supervisor to focus on why they
are attending and what will be done as a result.
What are Some Strategies for Getting the Most out of the Program Itself?
The way a program is experienced should be molded by the preparation.
The members of the faculty, while they are prepared to teach, are also
open to questions that can shape the content. If you are prepared for a
program and know what you are looking for, you will be in a position to
seek out the information you need. It is a much more active approach
than sifting through the material provided to see what is useful. In
this way, an executive program can be tailored to the needs of each
group of participants. Also, since a large part of the program is what
participants learn from one another, good preparation will lead to
great conversations among peers.
Let’s
suppose, for example, that you are having a supply chain problem.
Perhaps you are not getting the quality that you need or you are having
trouble controlling costs. When you’re in a study group with
participants from other companies from all around the world, you are in
a position to say: “This is a problem I’m having in my company. Are any
of you having this problem as well? And if you are, how are you
handling it?” I have seen this happen time and again, with information
being freely shared when good questions are asked.
What Should be Done when I am Back on the Job?
When an executive education participant returns to the workplace, there
should be a thorough debriefing, coupled with a plan for putting
insights into action. The participant should be very clear about how
she or he will be asked to report back regarding what was learned. A
participant will be more fully engaged in the material presented in an
executive education program knowing that it will be the subject of a
formal debriefing meeting with their boss and 30 other people. The
objective of that session should be specific decisions about how to put
the best of what was learned into action as quickly as possible.
Despite
the worldwide shock to its system, the economy will recover. But it
would be a mistake to assume that when the recovery comes, old patterns
of behavior will yield the same old results. That is why this moment -
which I hope will ultimately be seen as the start of the recovery - is
an opportunity to look at all kinds of new ideas, develop new
strategies, and find solutions to problems in a highly focused way.
That is where the true value of executive education can be found.
But
remember. The program itself is only part of the process. What happens
before and what takes place after can make all the difference.
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