You invest considerable time, energy, and money in achieving your MBA, envisioning that these three letters on your CV will pave the way to the career of your dreams. An understandable vision given the pop culture view of the value of an MBA. A vision however that may prove elusive in the absence of a strong and guided career and coaching strategy that commences on Day 1 of your studies – not Day 1 after completion.
From the start of your MBA course (or even earlier), it’s critical to complement your foundational MBA knowledge and experiences with many of the required subtleties of securing a significant opportunity beyond your current role. Some include:
- Clearly (and succinctly!) showcasing the value you bring, your problem-solving proficiency, and your outcomes orientation.
- Demonstrating your communication skills, decision-making prowess, strategic thinking mindset and skillset, and your leadership competencies.
- Articulating and positioning your personal brand in a way that is powerful and memorable.
- Having the confidence and interpersonal skills to share your value and negotiate a salary that reflects your value in interview conversations and panels.
To fully leverage your MBA investment, the Macquarie Business School (MQBS) provides an opportunity to expand your mindset via deliberate, staged, and meaningful in-curriculum and extra-curricular career-focused experiences. By complementing the curriculum with specific coaching support, useful frameworks, and strategies as well as an enhanced understanding of how to progress your career, you are better resourced than ever to make significant change happen.
In collaboration with two of Australia’s leading career and executive leadership coaches, Kate Boorer and Fiona Pearman from Quantum Impact Group, MQBS launched a unique program called MQBS Momentum a significant part of the school’s broader MBA and postgraduate career development offering.
The program balances two forces. The benefits of 1:1 executive coaching, and at the same time the benefits of peer-to-peer accountability for action in group-based environments. MQBS Momentum combines the best of both worlds, featuring both Group Coaching Cycles and Individual Power Coaching. This combined approach provides you with practical tools that help activate the mindsets and leadership capabilities to amplify your MBA experience and value. This approach to coaching enables you to translate your education investment to real-time value in the workplace.
How does it work?
Transformation Cycles – by using a six-weekly timeframe, students have multiple touch-point experiences for exploring and embedding the coaching frameworks. Cumulatively, the cycles create momentum for mindset shifts and behavioural change.
Multiple Interactions – A combination of live stories and examples with broader thought leadership and frameworks supports participants to develop greater self-awareness, embed new skills and ensure a deeper understanding of any roadblocks and barriers that may be undermining their progress. There are opportunities for participants to learn from each other, create networks and support each other with accountability or alternatively share some part of their challenges with Kate or Fiona in a more personalised environment. This program cadence increases both engagement and accountability with a focus on the importance of taking action to achieve their goals.
The areas of focus include:
- Building brand and profile by positioning contributions and achievements in the visibility of key stakeholders and decisions makers
- Increasing resilience through greater self-awareness including proactively addressing roadblocks and barriers
- Understanding how to connect, network and engage with stakeholders to apply for opportunities on projects and new roles
The results
MQBS students have been highly engaged in the process, with more than 100 students attending the transformation cycles and an Net Promoter Score of 9 (out of 10). Feedback is obtained at multiple points throughout the cycle and included:
- “I love how clear my action plan is now! It was helpful framing the session to focus on that one burning question as it made me reflect on what was high on my priority list.”
- “I loved the session where the coach was able to let me know my shortcomings and set a plan for me to work on.”
- Others mentioned “targeted and pragmatic advice”, “drafting a plan to achieve job clarity” and how “directions to available resources” equipped them with the right strategies and next steps, “there is no confusion on what I need to do to execute next.”
- “Having a step-by-step plan to break down fears and roadblocks and ensure my impact is as I intended.”
- “The coach understands and has ample industry knowledge and gave me clear directions with supportive comments.”
The impact of the program is evident from the feedback provided by students. Through activating their mindsets and leadership capabilities, their MBA experience and investment at Macquarie Business school is being significantly amplified. So, don’t wait until you complete your MBA before spending measured time in working through and developing your career options. The time is now to make a move for tomorrow.
