"A debut guide offers advice to prospective and current MBA students.
This manual is not about applying to MBA programs or exploring their typical curriculums. Instead, the goal of the book is to create an awareness of the kind of change that may occur by pursuing an MBA.
Dagenais, a Canadian executive coach, and Francis, a San Francisco communications professional, define the “intentional MBA” as “being mindful and purposeful in using your skills of observation to take in information and respond in the most thoughtful way.” This kind of broad definition allows a wide swath for the direction of the book. On the other hand, the premise could just as easily apply to someone who may engage in experiential, on-the-job learning rather than pursue an MBA.
Regardless, for those interested in MBA programs, the volume provides sensible, relevant counsel. Six chapters each cover a specific aspect of what might be viewed as the before, during, and after of an MBA program. “Get Ready,” for example, discusses the potential return on investment (both monetary and personal) of an MBA. This chapter includes a helpful “career-path assessment model” and presents “three essential considerations” to help guide prospective MBA students.
“Planning” provides a comprehensive strategy for building a business case to convince an employer to fully or partially fund an MBA and allow time away from work to pursue it. “Learning” suggests a somewhat unconventional technique called “the ‘step-through meeting,’ which is a series of meetings with you and a senior leader who is two levels above you in the organizational hierarchy.” The authors fully explain this novel concept, supplying a detailed example and encouraging its use.
To relate the content to a wider audience, the authors include helpful anecdotes about three fictional individuals—a young marketing manager who has not yet applied for an MBA, an engineer who is pursuing the degree to change careers, and a middle-aged vice president who already has one. The text is augmented with useful tools, and the authors freely share their own related experiences. Informal and informative; covers the non-scholastic personal and career implications of an MBA."
--Kirkus Reviews
This manual is not about applying to MBA programs or exploring their typical curriculums. Instead, the goal of the book is to create an awareness of the kind of change that may occur by pursuing an MBA.
Dagenais, a Canadian executive coach, and Francis, a San Francisco communications professional, define the “intentional MBA” as “being mindful and purposeful in using your skills of observation to take in information and respond in the most thoughtful way.” This kind of broad definition allows a wide swath for the direction of the book. On the other hand, the premise could just as easily apply to someone who may engage in experiential, on-the-job learning rather than pursue an MBA.
Regardless, for those interested in MBA programs, the volume provides sensible, relevant counsel. Six chapters each cover a specific aspect of what might be viewed as the before, during, and after of an MBA program. “Get Ready,” for example, discusses the potential return on investment (both monetary and personal) of an MBA. This chapter includes a helpful “career-path assessment model” and presents “three essential considerations” to help guide prospective MBA students.
“Planning” provides a comprehensive strategy for building a business case to convince an employer to fully or partially fund an MBA and allow time away from work to pursue it. “Learning” suggests a somewhat unconventional technique called “the ‘step-through meeting,’ which is a series of meetings with you and a senior leader who is two levels above you in the organizational hierarchy.” The authors fully explain this novel concept, supplying a detailed example and encouraging its use.
To relate the content to a wider audience, the authors include helpful anecdotes about three fictional individuals—a young marketing manager who has not yet applied for an MBA, an engineer who is pursuing the degree to change careers, and a middle-aged vice president who already has one. The text is augmented with useful tools, and the authors freely share their own related experiences. Informal and informative; covers the non-scholastic personal and career implications of an MBA."
--Kirkus Reviews
