If you are happy with your MBA and the professional impact you are making today, do not read any further.
For those that are curious about what led to the headline above, please continue reading! I’d really appreciate hearing what you think about your own experience ( MBA Research Questionnaire ).
The beginning – "When you market to everyone you get no-one"
Starting my own business, I needed to identify my target market segment for Executive Coaching services. Having chosen MBAs moving from specialist to strategic roles, I asked a (very patient) marketing consultant what they thought.
Marketing Consultant: How big is your market?
Me: Don’t know
Marketing Consultant: Who have you spoken to?
Me: No one
Very Very Patient Marketing Consultant: May I suggest some market research….
Starting my own new business, and being MBA educated, this was my first humbling experience – despite your experience, when you start a new enterprise you also need new perspectives. This was the first lesson on ‘holding up the mirror’.
The hypothesis being tested
MBAs with a large gap between their expectation and reality since graduating 2-5 years ago would have sought Executive Coaching.
The market research began with a small sample of MBAs who had graduated within 2-5 years via a short interview asking about their experiences before, during and since graduation. The research evaluated themes of self-direction and support levels, scored between 0-100% to indicate expectation against the reality of completing the MBA.
I was curious to find out whether the aspects of thriving – autonomy, competence and connection (Senka Holzer speaking at WBECS Summit 2021/22 “To thrive we need to feel self-directed, competent and connected.”), were common amongst the participants and where Executive Coaching could add value.
First insight- In the main, participants had no gap in expectation versus reality and exhibited their version of thriving indicators – self-direction, resourcefulness and confidence.
This was the first indication that MBAs are capable of managing change on their own, but there were exceptions.
Rather than – "What have I done with my life" – What have I done with my MBA?
Significant change can result in reflection of where am I now, versus where I thought I would be.
There could be signs that indicate a change is required (either now or in the near future). The following are examples seen by the researcher recently;
Lack of enthusiasm for what was an interesting and challenging role
Limited or diminishing learning opportunities
Clarity of role expectations dissipating
Increasing discrepancies between,
What you are saying
What your business stakeholders are saying
What is happening in your organisation
What is happening in your industry, and
What is happening in your geographic region
In these circumstances it is difficult to decide what, if anything, is in your locus of control to change in order to adjust to the new environment. Could there be power in examining whether the MBA has met your expectation against today’s reality? What would the benefits be if we could spend less time wondering ‘what if?” and make a decision that can be communicated to all stakeholders?
Second insight – The participants may use coaching, but not necessarily to work out the ‘big career move’, or how to get there.
What are the available options?
Where the impact of adjusting is resulting in taking longer to make decisions, and it is more difficult to match options in a new/disrupted environment, how do you evaluate the options?
Using the Conscious Competence Matrix (early attributed to Martin B Broadwell) as a framework first aims to identify where you are in the learning cycle;
When you don’t know what you don’t know - Due to the massive COVID driven disruption and the lack of the usual experts to get us through, I have been seeing that very successful people have been put slightly off balance and have not been able to work out what exactly needs to happen to recalibrate.
Solution – decide if you want to make a change first
When you do know what you don’t know – Having reflected on where you are, you may want to make some changes.
Short term and low importance
Solution - Podcasts, Articles, Books, Short courses, Mentors
Medium term and medium importance
Solution – Group coaching, Peer accountability, Goal development, New Perspectives
Long term and high importance
Solution – Executive Coaching programme matched specifically
When you are aware that you are applying the new behaviours, mindsets etc.
Mentoring, coaching
When you are automatically applying the new behaviours, mindsets etc.
Unconsciously competent in applying the changes. End of this learning cycle.
Third insight – MBAs were confident to make short term changes themselves and may consider Executive Coaching for longer term changes, but the researcher had not considered that MBAs would value group coaching in the interim.
The group coaching option has benefits of bringing together MBAs, already sharing that experience along with accountability and diverse perspectives that mirror the group learning aspect of the MBA. Overall, it is a place to test the theories and gives the freedom to consider without consequences before deploying or developing the ideas further.
Group coaching can be a smaller investment in cost and time to begin the decision process;
1. Decide that MBA has met expectations – nothing further required
2. Small change in role or goals – able to research, resource and manage alone
3. Big change in near future and want to be ready before it happens – ready to invest in Executive Coaching over 12-18 months
© BurtonKing Executive Coaching Ltd
Why have the options?
Where the change is significant, the main observations from the participants’ responses are that;
Overusing strengths (self-directed, resourceful, confident/connect) may result in unexpected outcomes.
Conflicting values due to misalignment may be present, but MBAs may not able to work out exactly where
Gaps have been experienced between some,
Business schools learning provided aligning with career goals
Businesses that hire MBAs not sure how to utilise their full potential
MBAs themselves not clearly able to articulate the value of their transferable skills to give decision makers the confidence to support them
When what has been learnt is no longer facilitating ongoing success, effortlessly (unconsciously competent aspect of the Conscious Competence Matrix), it may be time to stop and reflect or ‘hold up the mirror’. If the change is too significant to complete alone or has resulted in a regression to the unconsciously incompetent aspect of learning (don’t know what you don’t know) there can be a place for coaching.
A word of warning - the strengths utilised to complete the MBA – being great at learning, ‘… don’t guarantee mental dexterity. No matter how much brainpower you have, if you lack the motivation to change your mind, you’ll miss occasions to think again’ (Adam Grant, Think Again, 2021).
The other key issue is that while coaching may be a good option, it may not be the best option for change for the MBA. If you do not want to change you won’t! (e.g. blame external factors, too busy, focus on tips and tactics, continuously delay start – Brubaker, Mitchel, HBR - 4 Signs an Executive Isn’t Ready for Coaching, 2018).
So what
According to this group of participants, MBAs are self-directed, resourceful and confident, therefore don’t need coaching because they are self-directed, resourceful and confident – unless … something has changed.
Depending on the timeframe and importance of the change there are plenty of options to consider before undertaking Executive Coaching. The unexpected insight of this market research is that there could be shared benefits when more MBAs reach their potential and make a huge impact in their chosen field.
Business school have high recognition of successful programme through graduate achievements
Businesses have high recognition of successful operation through graduate achievements
MBA graduates have high recognition of the value of their own transferable skills by future decision makers. Ability to connect back to their education and experience that benefits all parties
© BurtonKing Executive Coaching Ltd
Final insight – This is a small sample, qualitative and subjective view of this researcher – an MBA, Executive Coach and continuous learner. It is also the first attempt at conducting and communicating findings so there may be a follow on article – “Key Tips for the Perfectionist New Business Owner”. 80% of something is better than 100% of nothing!!
Thank you again to all the patient, inspiring, global thinking, purpose driven participants.
What happens next
For those that have made it to the end of the article – thank you for your interest and I would like to invite you to participate in one of two pilot group coaching programmes starting in August and September.
If you would like to;
1. Participate in the pilot group coaching programme – please fill out the Register Your Interest form
2. Find out more details, ask about the research or participate in the later pilot group coaching programmes, please fill out the MBA Research Questionaire
I appreciate learning about your MBA experience and how the true value of an MBA education is transferrable in business so that the decision makers have a ready-made business case to say YES.