World-leading business and personal development author, Brian Tracy, wrote that business “is a competition between those who know more and those who know less.”  And he added that the very best business leaders are those who are “continually increasing their levels of knowledge and skill.” (Source: Create Your Future)

It’s true.  To develop your business and personal life you need to continually develop your knowledge.  More importantly though, you need to convert that knowledge into valuable skills.

The need for knowledge and skill development is one reason why globally, executive and business education is a US$500 billion industry.  And the flagship business education program is the traditional MBA.

Popular with both inexperienced graduates and seasoned business leaders, the MBA is not cheap.  Ivy league schools like Harvard and Stanford charge more than US$100,000 for their MBA, while most other programs cost around US $50,000.

But there are some problems with the traditional MBA, particularly for the owners and employees of small to mid-sized businesses.

Firstly, the traditional MBA has a strong corporate and public sector focus.  This is one reason why the program is very popular with public service employees, corporate executives, and those wishing to pursue a career in either of these two sectors.

Next, students are often taught a theory-heavy and corporate-focused approach to subjects like strategic planning and marketing. That’s fine if you plan to work for a large corporate or government department and enjoy pontificating over theory.

Thirdly, in the traditional MBA there is a strong teaching emphasis on the so-called “hard skills” or quantitative subjects such as finance, accounting, operations, statistics and economics. 

And fourth, most of the lecturers and professors of MBA programs have little in the way of practical business experience.  They teach theory and, in terms of actual experience have not had skin in the game or have put their money where their mouths are. 

Unfortunately, many MBAers – including executives and business owners doing an executive MBA – get hit with a dose of reality when they compare theoretical MBA learning with the real world.  That’s because in the real world the hard skills and complex theory are actually not the key to success.

The fact of the matter is this. You could be a technical genius with an IQ of 160. But if you don’t have much in the way of creative skills, personal leadership and soft skills, you are not going to get very far.

Let me tell you about Strategic MBA – for important skills they don’t teach enough at business school. 

What is Strategic MBA?

Strategic MBA is an education service dedicated to strategic management.  It includes workshops and seminars, whiteboard sessions, fireside chats and speeches on strategic management. Sessions are delivered online and in-person.

Strategic MBA is perfect for you if you:

• Understand the key role strategy plays in performance improvement.
• Want to learn innovative techniques to help you to be better at analysing and developing strategy.
• Want to be a better strategic decision maker.
• Have an idea for a new product or brand and want to see if it is worth pursuing.
• Want to be better at executing strategy.

If you answered “yes” to any of the above, then Strategic MBA could be just what you need.  But to be doubly sure, check out these warnings, designed to discourage the wrong people from inquiring.

With Strategic MBA there is….

No pie-in-the-sky academic theory.  So if you are looking some theoretical nonsense from a business school professor who has spent most of his or her working life in a university, Strategic MBA is not for you.

No corporate or government department bullshit.  Do you want to learn all the overly complex systems and associated buzzwords found in many corporates and government departments? You won’t find it in Strategic MBA.

No motivational hype.  Need a motivational pep talk? If so, Strategic MBA will help you to become more motivated.  But, there is no over-the-top motivational hype, so do not read any further if hype is what you’re after.

Seriously though, if you’re just looking for a Tony Robbins-type speaker who rants at 100 miles an hour, jumps up and down like a dog on heat, and gets the audience into a state of euphoria with lots of chants and cheers…then Strategic MBA is not for you..

No get rich quick schemes. Searching for that next “big thing” that’ll make you filthy rich in next to no time?  If so, Strategic MBA will make you very disillusioned.  That’s because you will learn that success requires a good strategy, hard work and a long term commitment.

No airy-fairy, law of attraction pseudo-scientific nonsense.  Are you one of those people seduced by the idea that you can attract your way to success?  Do you worship at the altar of the law of attraction, magical thinking and new thought schools of success?  You will not be a good candidate for Strategic MBA.

Ultimately, Strategic MBA is for serious business leaders only.  It strips away all the unnecessary theory to the essential core, giving you solutions that still have a strong theoretical foundation, but are also extremely practical and powerful.

When training, our primary role is that of a teacher and instructor. In other words, we impart skills, knowledge and ideas, as opposed to screaming out motivational hot air or spewing theory.

So here are some promises. Firstly, there is no convoluted jargon, or complex theories and models, which is so prominent in business school and corporate courses on strategy.

Next, there will be no hype or b.s that many motivational speakers like to use. And third, we will not be boring old farts.

What we’ve done is take important strategy and performance theory, stripped it down to ordinary, everyday language, and then combine it with real-world practicality. You won’t need an IQ of 180 to understand what we’re going on about.  And, you will know how the stuff you’re learning can be applied to your business and life.

There is plenty of opportunity for dialogue. In a workshop format for example, the workshops themselves are customized to meet student needs, and are designed for smaller groups, with typically fewer than twenty participants in a training session.

And there is flexibility of design, with the content able to be structured in 60 minute to multi-day sessions.

How to use Strategic MBA

Outlined below is an overview of The Strategy Modules, which highlights subject areas and skill modules for Strategic MBA.

 

What to do next?

Firstly, select an area or areas you want to develop or upskill.

Next, contact us to discuss workshop objectives, format options and budget

With regards to format, you can choose from the following:

1. Breakout session (90 minute-2 hour workshop)
2. Workshop (1/2 day to multi-day)
3. Keynote speech/lecture (20-60 minutes)

And fees?

Good news is, we have a bunch of free options such as our mini-workshops, where we introduce various components in the Strategy System.

As for paid services, fees for workshops start at $5,000 for a one-off workshop or speech through to $10,000+ for a multi-day training event.  Workshops are also part of our Strategy Coaching and Consulting services.