Tag Archives: work-life balance

MBA Admissions, MBA Essay Resources, MBA Essays

How To Get Your Company On-board With Your MBA? Good Tips From The Judge School, Cambridge

I came across a little gem for getting company buy-in and maybe even financial support for your MBA, on the Cambridge Judge School site.

View the specific Judge School page here, alternatively the fuller pdf document, which remarks “even if you’re not sponsored you’ll need to secure your employer’s understanding and support.

“Therefore, in preparing to join an Executive MBA programme one of your priorities will be to seek support from your employer, possibly financial support, but definitely the support to allow you to commit the time required.

“You’ll need to demonstrate how your employer will benefit from you gaining an MBA.”

The text is oriented towards EMBA applicants, and obviously references Cambridge Judge specifically, but the observations are widely relevant to managing employer perceptions anywhere, for all forms of MBA, at any business school.

Note also that many of the topics overlap with those you need to attend to in writing good MBA admissions essays.

Some highlights from the text:

Know your company

This is your opportunity to demonstrate to your employer that you have thought about the value of an Executive MBA from the company perspective.

Areas you might like research or discuss with your employer:
 Has your organisation ever sponsored employee education in the past? What is their policy on this? Do any of your competitors sponsor Executive MBA’s? Have any senior managers taken an Executive MBA or similar course? What benefits did previous employees gain from their Executive MBA? What were the benefits to the organisation? How might your colleagues/ line managers/ subordinates support you? How can you obtain buy in from your manager as well as HR?

Know your chosen programme

There are a number of Executive MBA programmes available – it is important that you are able to show why you feel the Cambridge Executive MBA is the right programme for you and your organisation.

You therefore will need to be able to address the following questions:
 Why is the Cambridge Executive MBA right for you personally and professionally? How do you expect to benefit from the programme (improved performance, networking opportunities)? Which courses are going to make your more effective in your current role? Which course will directly benefit your employer? What individual project can you carry out that will help you/ your organisation? How will the Cambridge reputation add value to your career and organisation?

Know yourself

This is probably the most important section for you to consider as a complete understanding of your motivation for undertaking the Cambridge Executive MBA will be vital when discussing the programme with your employer and may influence the type of support you require.

Why is this the right time for you to start an Executive MBA course? How will taking this course improve your performance? How will you balance work, study and the other aspects (family/partner) of your life? How do you plan to make use of your personal and professional development?

Ethics & Community, MBA Adcom, MBA Admissions

Cost Accounting the INSEAD Way

Although it is still the off season for MBA admissions, and I keep a low profile at this time of the year, I couldn’t help myself from posting this piece of balanced “what-it’s-all-about” thinking from an INSEAD class:

 

The MBA admissions angle: as go professors so go admissions committees, and be assured on this particular topic that MBA Adcoms don’t offer places to one-dimensional workaholics. While you, the applicant, are frantically seeking to prove yourself professionally, they on the other hand are looking for applicants who can balance work, leisure, family and community (both while at school and after.)

From the video:

“It’s a cost to not be home to support your spouse when they are ill.
“It’s a cost to not be able to see your child taking the first step.
“It’s a cost to losing your health while you climb the corporate ladder.
“It’s a cost to not spend enough time with your parents while their clock ticks away.

“Money falls from the sky! It will find you. (So don’t fixate on it.) Be generous with your time, energy, ideals. Do the right thing. Be decent. Create value.”