Five Reasons You Should Enroll in an Executive Education Program

CEOs and senior managers are facing perhaps the most fast paced business environment the world has ever seen. With globalization becoming standard and technology becoming integrated at an unprecedented level, new strategies must be developed faster than ever before. Aspiring CEOs are finding they must constantly stay ahead of the curve. An executive training program is ideal supplemental training to help keep up-and-coming managers prepared for these new challenges.

According to Rochell Weichman, Executive Director of MIT Sloan Executive Training, managers are no longer able to rest on their former degrees, and must be in a state of perpetual learning. Uday Salunkhe, Director at the Welingkar Institute of Management Development, defines executive training as a term that applies to programs offered by business schools, which are generally short-term programs, and are created for entrepreneurs and managers.  These programs are extremely valuable for the CEO-in-training, below are five reasons you should enroll in an executive education program.

Five Reasons to Enroll

1. Build Leadership Skills – According to Weichman, companies that send students to MIT’s program are often key scientists and engineers whom the company would like to place in leadership roles. Any worthwhile leadership development program will primarily focus on executive programs to prepare the students for leading and supervising their employees in a manner that brings out their potential. Relationship building skills are a primary aspect of a good leader, and these skills are imparted and nurtured throughout the course of these programs.
2. Gain Applicable Knowledge – Executive training programs differ from other types of training due to their focus on career building and providing real-world training. Salunkhe states that different executive programs employ different methodologies. Some teach primarily in the classroom, while others employ out of the classroom techniques. The purpose of both methods is to help the student cultivate attitudes and gain knowledge that can be directly translated into their chosen career path. Any theoretical ideas that are discussed are presented in the context of real world application.
3. Enhance Your Decision Making Skills – Since the dawn of the information age and interconnectivity of the world, the pace of business has increased exponentially. Managers and CEOs are faced with important decisions every day. They must be able to face these decisions with a focused mind and make the best move for the company. Executive programs discuss several decision making strategies that allow students to be prepared for the challenges they will certainly face.
4. Be Ahead of the Curve – The world of management is filled with competition. Many would-be CEOs are constantly looking for ways to enhance their credentials. While an executive training program will certainly be a valuable credential, more importantly, it will give you cutting edge training that will directly apply to your future career. Stephen Burnett, Dean of Executive Education at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, states most executive programs are designed with active input from the executive community. Corporations call Burnett and inform him of challenges they are facing, which Burnett uses to enhance and expand the education offered in executive programs. Due to the collaborative ways in which these programs are designed, students receive a collective knowledge from the executive community at large. This gives them an extreme advantage when compared to other aspiring CEOs.
5. Receive Specialized Training – Executive training is a general term used to describe many different types of specific programs. Burnett explains there are many different types of executive training that focus on their own unique area. Governance, general management, sales, not-for-profit, marketing, strategy or technology. Each of these programs provides specialized training that will enhance student’s knowledge on the specialty that is most applicable to his or her career.

Be Prepared For Success

Executive training programs were designed specifically for students who wish to take their careers to the next level. They will learn how to make tough decisions effortlessly, lead their employees admirably and advance their careers intelligently. Students will leave these programs with specialized knowledge that will give them an edge on the competition by having actionable information at their disposal.

About The Author: 

Rob Miller is a contributing writer and senior executive at a leadership consultation company. He is currently writing a book about how to find leadership potential in employees that business execs may overlook otherwise.