Developing future leaders

Concordia’s new EMBA set to prepare the next generation of executive leadership

What will tomorrow’s business leaders be like?  Perhaps more importantly, how can HR ensure these leaders will have the skills they need to succeed?
 
The next generation of leaders will have a holistic approach, a broad range of competencies and an entrepreneurial spirit, according to business educators behind the new executive MBA program at Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business (JMSB).
 
“These leaders will be able to understand, work and excel simultaneously in spheres which, in the past, may have been seen as mutually exclusive,” Stephane Brutus, Associate Dean of Professional Programs at JMSB, says. According to Brutus, they will be as comfortable on the global business stage as they are in the offices of a local community organization.
 
Brutus and his JMSB colleagues have come to refer to the archetype of the well-rounded leader as the “complete executive” – a notion that is at the heart of the newly revamped John Molson EMBA. “We wanted to design an EMBA that leveraged the unique expertise found at JMSB in support of developing the complete executive,” says Brutus, “and with this new program, I am confident that we’ve succeeded.”
 
Integrating traditional business fundamentals with contemporary and leading edge concepts, the program is based around four themed terms: Mastering the Fundamentals, Integrating Globally, Thinking Outside the Box, and Leading Change. Each term culminates in an experiential integrative module that ties together the learning of individual courses in a multi-disciplinary and, at times, competitive real-life experience. The integrative modules include a business case competition; a structured, for-credit international study trip; a Dragons’ Den–style venture capital competition; and a high-level business consulting project that captures the learning gathered in program.
 
“Our program takes a holistic approach to developing the next generation leader,” says Zsolt Kekesi, director of Executive Programs Development.  “Tomorrow’s leaders will be both self-aware and very adept at creating strong, mutually beneficial partnerships.  Both of these elements are built in to our program’s structure, so we can give our students the tools to expand their self-awareness and the means to forge personal and business-centric relationships.”
 
The program also gives learners the opportunity to meet and learn from prominent business and community leaders through JMSB’s Executive Connects Series.
 
“We believe that the best way to build well-rounded leaders through executive education is to have a well-rounded, multi-faceted program,” Kekesi says. “This thinking is certainly reflected in our John Molson EMBA which features one-on-one professional coaching and prominent guest speakers from the business community. And we’ve gone a step further by including a unique opportunity to get personalised guidance from exercise specialists, dieticians and health experts so that our students can also prepare for the physical demands of leadership.”
 
 
 

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