Since the advent of business and hierarchy of employees within a company, management has been a position that is sought after by those entering the workforce. Working hard will help you advance along the path towards management and, with time, the executive team, however, adding the element of education will decrease the time it takes to achieve you goal. It will also provide you with more opportunities for success. The knowledge that a business program can provide augmented by your diligent work and life experiences will make you competitive in the marketplace. Pursuing leadership training is the next natural step in the progression of your career goals.
Accounting, economics, and change management skills are ones that you will gain from a business curriculum, but perhaps some of the most important material you will learn centers around the process of management. Consider the best manager you’ve had in your career to date. Compare and contrast that individual with the worst manager you’ve had. What differentiated the two? Which styles did one employ that were effective in reaching you and your team and which had the opposite effect? What skills did your best manager embody that you would like to emulate and which would you like to avoid? Anyone who has experience working can perform this exercise: there are good and bad managers in every industry.
A business career will educate you on management styles and methods,helping you to identify which approach is intrinsic to you. Learning about your personal style in an academic environment rather than on the job saves you from a lot of the missteps that are characteristic of new managers and provides you with a more polished and confident approach earlier in your career. This will influence your ability to persuade employees and garner a high level of confidence from them.
A business curriculum will expose you to leadership styles such as situational leadership, which requires the manager to adjust their management style to the situation at hand. One of the most important skills a manager can possess is the ability to discern what is needed at any given point in time. The principles of situational leadership allow managers to tailor their responses based upon the need that presents itself in a given situation. The decision to employ managerial strategies such as telling employees how to perform a task, delegating responsibilities to complete projects, participating alongside the team as they complete their work or assigning support to do so, or offering guidance to capable employees in need of instruction, are integral to a manager’s effectiveness. Being able to discern what behavioral approach is necessary in a given situation, whether relationship-oriented or task-oriented, is something that takes time to understand. A business program will allow you the flexibility of forming a solid style before stepping into a role and into the spotlight of subordinates and executive level managers alike. For those already in management positions, a business curriculum will solidify their accumulated knowledge in a wide range of applications, firming accounting, finance, and economics principles in tandem with applied work experience. A business degree can positively impact your current and future business goals, adding credibility to your developing business skills and backing your experience with a solid educational foundation.
Making the decision to go to college is one that should not be taken lightly. It is a defining moment that will alter the trajectory of your career. Getting a business certificate or degree can improve you marketability as a business professional and assist you in climbing the ladder to success. You’re at the crossroads. Choose wisely.