Can an executive MBA program teach leadership? A UNC Kenan-Flagler graduate proves the case.

Before starting an executive MBA program, I thought an MBA was just a piece of paper. What could I learn that I wasn’t already getting? My school experience was humbling – I was stretched further than I ever imagined.

I had been in the workforce 20 years when my senior officers asked me to consider getting an MBA. In addition to getting a great business education, Deere sends high performers through an executive MBA program to see how far their managers can stretch. They watch how you handle your business and empower your staff while going to school, because it gives them insight into your potential to move up in the organization.

The depth I gained in finance, strategy and analysis amazed me. Instead of looking at decisions from just a marketing and sales perspective, I learned to take a general management view, thinking through the impact on the whole organization and our marketplace.

My perspective of teaming and networking also shifted. At work, I’m usually the guy who’s leading the team. But we’re all peers at school, so I learned to be a good team member also. My core team came from different industries, disciplines and work styles, giving me appreciation for functional skills, like finance, that I lacked before. Now I know what to look for when pulling together my own cross-functional teams at work – and I’ll be a better leader.

About 14 months into the Program, Deere stretched me even further by offering a substantial promotion that required me to move my family from North Carolina to Atlanta. Fortunately, the commute from Atlanta to Chapel Hill was easier than I expected. I’d fly in early Friday morning for class and the flight home Saturday afternoon gave me a jumpstart on my homework.

Since graduation, my career continues to progress. At Deere, senior managers often are asked to consider an international assignment to expand their global experience and awareness. That would allow me to benefit from another payoff from the Program. Through case studies and discussions, professions shared their own real-world knowledge and leveraged the global business experiences of the students in the class. While I was in the Program, IBM’s PC division was bought by a Chinese corporation, so I learned about global change management first hand from my IBM classmates. I’ll be able to put all this knowledge to good use.

My executive MBA experience was one of the most challenging experiences of my life – and one of the most rewarding. The folks at UNC understand that business is about managing relationships. Beyond the academic rigors, the faculty and staff know that it’s the ability to form strong networks and build teams that will make a difference in advancing our careers. Everything they do is focused on making sure we’re successful.