Most of the top jobs in business are leadership positions. CEOs, CFOs and upper-level managers use strong communication skills, organizational abilities and other forms of business acumen every day. Leadership transcends being able to tell an employee what to do. Managers who are adept at delegating effectively while guiding employees toward career fulfillment can ensure that morale remains high and that employees are inspired to work hard.
If you seek a rigorous Master of Business Administration degree that blends practical concepts, forward-thinking business theory and proven leadership skills, St. Thomas University’s online Master of Business Administration may be the ideal degree to advance your career. The 100% online program is taught by STU faculty and can be completed in 10 months.
Effective leadership can be both taught and learned, and involves a few simple traits:
Communicate Effectively. Never assume that your message is reaching your employees. Having an open-door policy, holding efficient meetings and communicating across multiple platforms (email, in-person, printed memos) are just three ways to ensure that your ideas are reaching every level of your business.
Delegate. Far too many managers take on tasks that could efficiently be executed by qualified employees. Effective leaders delegate strategically while remembering which workers are best suited for which tasks. Delegation also is a great way to boost the self-confidence of a mid-level employee who wants leadership opportunities.
Set Goals. Benchmarks help employees and leaders at the highest levels manage their time. Every job entails some routine and repetitive tasks. Real growth occurs when time is allotted to achieving strategic plans that further the mission.
Recognize Achievements. This topic goes hand in hand with setting goals. It’s easy to become entangled in a loop of goals, work and setting more goals. As each goal is achieved, effective leaders use those moments to praise individual workers while pointing out areas of effectiveness that led to achieving that goal.
Leaders are measured by how effectively they motivate those who work for them. Effective leaders are:
- Approachable
- Trustworthy
- Skilled communicators
- Reliable
- Effective at delegating
- Quick to acknowledge mistakes
- Selfless
- Quick to praise when merited
These “soft skills” are every bit as important as the basic business and accounting skills that are taught through MBA programs. This is one reason why STU’s online MBA is entrusted to faculty members who incorporate their own life lessons so that MBA candidates leave the program with the ability to be effective managers.
St. Thomas University’s online MBA is structured with the working professional in mind. Courses cover a range of topics, including managerial accounting, policy and planning, strategy systems, and strategic marketing. There’s even a course on leadership. Organizational behavior explores how effective leaders harness motivation, communication, interpersonal relations and group dynamics. Students are encouraged to apply theoretical material covered in class to their own organizations.
Learn more about St. Thomas University’s online MBA program.
Sources:
Inc: 7 Keys to Becoming a Remarkably Effective Leader
Forbes: Five Qualities to Improve to Be an Effective Leader
