On_year_on:Rise_EMBA_2007.qxd 20/02/2008 17:20 Page 37
One Year On
What motivated you to pursue your EMBA?
(Moritz Hartmann (MH) – Kellogg-WHU) I felt that I had a lack of academic business knowledge compared to my colleagues at the time. In order to advance my career to a
higher level, I knew I had to upgrade my technical and strategic managerial skills.
(Michael Kerlin (MK) – RSM Erasmus) I wanted to realize my personal development goals and the RSM EMBA seemed like the perfect program to support this within my
career framework. I had specialized in the areas of accounting and financial management and was keen to develop the knowledge and skills that would allow me to move
into other aspects of business, and acquire a commercial edge and develop my leadership skills.
(Stephan Sieber (SS) – Rotman Omnium) My primary driver was to update my general management knowledge and capabilities. I was therefore looking for a program that
covered all state-of-the-art topics in general management in an integrative way. The second driver was to work on my network and to expand my vision by learning from
people working in other industries and from other regions and countries. It was important for me to find a program with an international scope and a good mix of participants
from different industries.
Did your company suggest this, or did you persuade your company and if so how?
(MH) I’d only been with my company for a couple of months when I made the decision to apply for the Kellogg-WHU EMBA program, so naturally I had to do a good job
convincing my manager! It was a normal negotiation process: I outlined the benefits, ensured my commitment to my job and my company during the program, and then
discussed the costs.
(MK) I suggested the EMBA to my company director as part of my career development and I was fortunate that he agreed to full sponsorship. The company recognized the
added value the EMBA would bring to me both personally and professionally. It did require a degree of commitment from my side, but I saw the sponsorship essentially as
part of my employment package so it was not really a difficult commitment to make.
(SS) In 2005 I was nominated as “high potential” in our internal talent management program at SAP. The EMBA was not an integral part of this program but I used our talent
management process and my ranking in it to persuade my superior to agree to my EMBA program.
What are the realities of juggling professional responsibilities with family commitments and academic pursuits?
(MH) The message from my company was quite simple: I could pursue the EMBA as long as my participation didn’t affect my work output during the course, and that any
future career development would be based on my performance, not simply because I had a new qualification. Expectations have to be clearly stated beforehand from all
parties, including your family and your employer. It’s important to know what your commitments will be before you start the program.
(MK) Getting the most out of an EMBA requires a serious level of commitment. You need to manage conflicting priorities and learn to sacrifice. I was very fortunate that I
had the support of my family at home and my boss at work. It also helps to keep in mind that though the EMBA takes two years, you will continue to reap the benefits
forever!
(SS) On the job side I would say that you have to be successful in your current position. One of the qualities of a successful manager is that the business continues to run
without them, and this requires that you plan ahead: I had been in my position for almost two years when I started the program. In these two years I developed and coached
one of my employees to be my deputy. When I started my program he was ready to run the team during my absences as stand-in. When I finished my program he was ready
to take the team over. Six months after completion of the last module I moved into my new role and he became my successor. Of course pursuing an EMBA requires a lot
of understanding and tolerance from the people around you, but it is only for a limited time. All in all I would say that it’s a question of organization, and this cleverly done
definitely helps you manage the challenge .
How steep is the learning curve when you’re back in the classroom after all this time?
(MH) Learning in the EMBA environment is totally different to how I remember it from my undergraduate days! Many sessions turn into class discussions, where participants
share their experiences and the professors assume the role of moderator. The learning experience is also a lot more intensive, because all the students are very committed to
participating in the knowledge transfer process.
(MK) I had just completed my post-graduate accounting qualification when I entered the program, so hitting the books again was not as steep as it was for some. However,
the quantity of learning materials and the pace of the lectures took some getting used to. The professors were excellent at presenting new and difficult concepts but I really
had remain focused and prepare adequately.
(SS) The Omnium program contained a lot of practical and group work besides the traditional classroom lectures. This allowed us to get back to classroom-mode step-by-
step. Of course at the very beginning it was unusual to sit in class for eight hours a day doing basically nothing other than listening, but to be quite frank, after having been
away from the classroom for six years, and working in management positions, I very much enjoyed it to be more on the “consumer” side. That helped but I did not have the
feeling that the learning curve was less steep because of that. The lectures were very interactive and enhanced with lots of group-work exercises.
What concrete skills, techniques or knowledge did you acquire from the course that you were able to immediately apply in your company?
(MH) This is very much dependent on the professional background one brings to the classroom. I chose the Kellogg-WHU EMBA program to learn on the subject of Marketing
in particular, something Kellogg is famous for, and I was very satisfied with this choice. Some of my newly acquired knowledge could be immediately applied to my daily
work; but the cross-functional focus of a general management EMBA program really pays off once you closely interact with all the levels of your company, e.g. with the senior
management team, or if you assume responsibility for new functions or divisions.
(MK) Organizational behaviour skills were possible to immediately apply as it was mostly a matter of attitude and approach to issues. The EMBA helps you to develop a way
of analyzing issues and situations and selecting the right tools to apply to it.
(SS) I would say that the quick wins were mainly in the area of leadership. This has been a prominent part of the program and we had lectures on leadership in several modules.
The good thing about the leadership topics was that they have always been connected to other management disciplines (e.g. leadership in transformational situations,
leadership in the area of business ethics etc.). For me working in a very dynamic environment and also in emerging markets has been a great experience. This and the
integrative approach to different management topics has helped me a lot to succeed in my daily life because I am able to face everyday challenges in a different manner.
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