Life after TIAS: visibility within the organization
May 10, 2019 | 1 min read
A blog post written by Daniël Vonken from the Netherlands | Executive MBA alumni 2006-2008.
How has your career developed since the EMBA?
If you would envision a career as a path of multiple directions, many hurdles to be taken and doors waiting to be opened, then my MBA was like getting a Navigation system and a skeleton key at once.
Early career it helped me transitioning from a hard core operations role towards a hard core sales role with immediate span of control. Having the “credibility” of an MBA was certainly a crucial element in supporting that transition.
Secondly, by gaining visibility within the organization through my MBA assignments, I created a track record and was invited to high level projects that normally wouldn’t have crossed my path.
But most importantly, It helped me fast track into marketing and sales director roles in a “sustainable way”.
How do you use what you learned from TIAS?
It is all about content and people!
Obviously from a content point of view, I would argue that almost every day there is a challenge that I can tackle through knowledge gained within the MBA program. Having developed into more strategic and commercial roles for sure I am not an expert when it comes to business valuation or macro-economics for example, but I have gained sufficient knowledge to know what I am looking for and be a solid and trustworthy sparring partner on multiple topics.
More importantly, doing my MBA has broadened my view, to understand my sweet spot and passion while operating in complex settings with support of my fellow classmates. Working with a high diversity of people during the tough time in obtaining an MBA was a great preparation for more complex organisations and stakeholder management in my most recent roles.
My advice to you!
There is time and timing. Appreciate the art of letting time work for you and to a certain extent trust that good things will encounter your path when needed.
Finally, do the right things! When you obtain your MBA you are blessed with a rich view on the world surrounding you and most probably have grown as a person. Make sure you use this knowledge and personality to leverage it for a stronger and better society.
Always stay curious and kind regards,
Daniël
Read more about the Executive MBA