Great leaders are not born, they’re made. While allowance may be made for natural talent and ability, there is some truth to the edited adage in that a person’s leadership potential is realised over time through the acquisition of knowledge and experience.
And while experience can really only be gained in the field, acquiring knowledge can be a valuable experience in itself that can help one become a more effective leader.
But before you put forward the valid argument of simply being unable to spare the time from your busy managerial schedule, reconsider: it is possible to get the knowledge you need, and it doesn’t have to take entire semesters to get it.
What you take away from an academic course specially designed by business leaders, for business leaders, is bound to stand you in good stead throughout your career as a successful manager.
THIS IS WHY SEVERAL COMPANIES SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR KEY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL.
These companies consider this support as an investment toward enhancing overall efficiency and productivity. Many entrepreneurs, as the chief managers of their own companies, pursue professional development for the same reason.
As managers continue to take on greater responsibilities, they will be expected to step up their performance in order to carry them out. Depending on what point these managers have reached in their careers, their experience and previous education may prove insufficient for developing the necessary capabilities, on the job.
This especially holds true in financial services, digital media and communications and other industries where technology is increasingly coming to the fore, and business models continue to evolve because of it. Industries and entire economies are likewise becoming more and more linked, across the region and worldwide, compelling key management to stay up to date with international business trends.
TO HELP BUSINESS LEADERS KEEP UP, MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMES HELP TO FURTHER ENHANCE THEIR MANAGERIAL AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS.
These include
- Project management
- Communication
- Interpersonal relations
- Decision making
- Problem solving
- Business ethics
- Identifying and leveraging business opportunities
They also help managers to become more confident in leading teams of the top performers within their organisations. These programmes often have a significant and lasting impact not just on the participants’ managerial styles but also their characters and personalities. Many of these managers go on to build formidable track records for themselves as well as their companies.
Professional development also brings participants up to speed with the latest techniques in business areas such as human resources, marketing, IT and innovation. While all this may seem rather general or universal in nature, there are programmes that address the needs of specific industries such as human resources, healthcare and built environments.
These programmes offer diversity in terms of the learning experience, combining theory with real-world application, and lectures with interaction between fellow managers. Participants from different business and cultural backgrounds are often asked to share their own views and experiences, as they find solutions to problems presented in case studies, together.
Participants have much to gain from the industry practitioners and instructors who will be speaking to them in class. Among these instructors are professors with impressive business credentials of their own. Far from being typical classroom lecturers, these instructors often act as moderators who know how to guide discussions among the participants.
Many of these programmes are likewise geared toward doing business in international markets, which includes learning from the top managers of overseas companies. This is particularly important as today’s companies are often composed of multi-ethnic teams and deal with clients abroad. Participants also learn to understand business operations in the context of the local and global economy.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT REWARDS NOT JUST THE INDIVIDUAL WHO PURSUES IT, BUT ALSO THE ORGANISATION THAT SPONSORS IT.
Such an organisation boosts its employee retention rates, as well as its image as an ideal employer able to attract and retain top talent. By supporting the development of its managers through education, these organisations also benefit from having more driven, forward-thinking and motivated leaders armed with the latest in innovative thinking and business practices.
Sponsored participants are generally on the look-out for technology, techniques and tools that may be used at their organisations. Upon completion of the programmes, they are keen on applying what they’ve learned. In so doing, they share their newly acquired skills and knowledge with their peers, thereby enabling their teammates to benefit from the programmes, as well.
And in sharing the same classroom with other managers who are key decision makers at their companies, participants gain business contacts that may prove useful in the long run, particularly those from businesses overseas. This opens doors for the participants’ organisations to work with various other companies.
Sponsorship of the participation of managers in management programmes counts towards the training of employees under the IRAS’ Productivity and Innovation Credit Scheme. This means that organisations who sponsor their managers’ education may qualify for significant tax deductions.
Because of the many advantages to be gained in sponsoring professional development, some organisations actively nominate their managers for participation in management programmes. Other companies remain open to sponsorship applications from their managers who wish to pursue further studies.
SINGAPORE NEEDS YOU TO BECOME A BETTER BUSINESS LEADER.
The 2017 Index of Economic Freedom identifies Singapore’s private sector as a prime source of economic resilience and competitiveness. The Business Times has reported on Singapore’s vision of all its factories as the most globally competitive. As the competition continues to heat up in every sector at home and abroad, organisations look to their leaders to find ways to maintain their competitive edge.
In response to this need, SMU Academy offers Human Capital, Management & Leadership courses to help members of key management realise their full leadership potential. These courses cover management skill development, human resources analytics, international HRM trends, and finance essentials, among others.
Managers, administrators and other managers who bear significant responsibilities within their organisations stand to gain tremendously from the Academy’s programmes, as do professionals aspiring to hold key management positions in the future. Entrepreneurs and next generation business owners are likewise highly encouraged to attend.
Designed with the schedules of busy managers in mind, each module of the Academy’s courses lasts only one to three days. Depending on the course selected, programme participants have between two to five years to complete all the modules to earn certification. Get in touch with SMU Academy and find out how you can take steps toward becoming the best business leader you can be, today.
