Once upon a time your MBA was the gold standard; a guarantee for eventual and all-but inevitable success in your chosen profession. Today the starting line has moved; an MBA is still crucial for the well-rounded, would-be consummate executive, but no longer the gold standard by which success is currently measured.
Even those reliable old yardsticks by which past business success was calculated – hard work, seniority and massive overtime – no longer ensure you the success you desire today. Many men and women have built their fortunes on these skills alone in the past, but times are changing at a critical pace, and it is important that you keep up. There are thousands of MBAs awarded every year, and the cookie-cutter approach to business success has evolved. How are you going to be different from every other MBA in the country when it comes to finding your path to success?
Here are some things you can do to rise above your MBA, make yourself relevant and prepare for the real world:
1) Never forget that the world is changing: With the increased used of technology, business models are adapting, corporations are changing their strategies, industries are rising and others are dying. Make sure you know where you fit in this bold, new world and don’t assume that you are living the same life you would have lived in 1989. The textbooks used in your MBA courses might have worked for business models in the 1990s, but they may become obsolete in the new millennium.
2) Remember that it’s not what you know, it’s who: Never underestimate the power of networking when it comes to rising up the corporate ladder. Knowing the right person can make the difference between being in the position you deserve and allowing an undeserving competitor to take your place at the top. Establishing relationships and nurturing them can make difficult accomplishments much easier, since doors will open up with the right connections.
3) Experience matters more than credentials: Rather than assuming you’ll get the right job because you went to the right school, you must understand the importance of the bottom line in corporate America. If you are proven as someone who can get the job done, that’ll go a lot further than simply having certain letters on your resume. Get the experience at any cost, and prove yourself to be a game changer.
To read more about Avoiding Your MBA being DOA, please visit www.corporateclimb.net to purchase an advanced copy of How to Play The Game At the Top and receive free access to the How to Play The Game At The Top 101 Course.
ABOUT FENORRIS PEARSON
Fenorris Pearson is the CEO of Global Consumer Innovation, INC (www.globalconsumerinnovation.com) and one of the youngest people ever to be a VP of two fortune 50 companies (Dell and Motorola), a feat he completed before turning age 40. An avid Philanthropist, Fenorris is currently serving on three boards: Alonzo Mourning Charities located in Miami, FL, Imagine Schools of Central Texas located in Austin, TX, and SIFE: Students In Free Enterprise. To find out more information visit www.corporateclimb.net. To contact Fenorris for speaking engagements, please call (901) 413-0203.
Tags: black business, entrepreneurship, mba