Over my career I have worked with hundreds of MBA students. In recent years at Trevecca, we have onboarded hundreds of MBA students each year. As a trained social scientist and arm-chair anthropologists, this has given me a front-row seat on understanding why some MBA students flourish and others struggle. Here are some of the insights that seem most apparent.
- Active Learners - Not all students are active learners. Some students take a passive approach to learning. Maybe they learned this as undergraduates or maybe it is just their personality. Regardless, active learners take responsibility for their own learning and typically out-pace their passive peers.
- Grit - Those of you who know me probably knew I would mention this. I am a fan of Angela Duckwork who wrote an aclaimed book entitled Grit (Click Here). Her research highlights that progress and completion are not so much about talent as about passion and perserverence to get to the finish line. Sometimes people ask me how I completed a PhD and have stayed married for 40 years. This simple answer is that I didn't quit. I don't want to overlook the credit that goes to my dear wife, Cheri, and the Lord's amazing grace in my life.
- Continuous Improvement - This is not just a business term. I have found that some students actively improve their work almost every week. Other students seem to make the same mistakes over and over.
- Time Management - Students do better when they manage their time better. I did a study and realized that the best students don't tend to turn in their work late, they turn it in early. Average students tend to turn in their work on time while poor students will sometimes hand in their work late. The greatest predicator of students failing to complete an MBA program is handing in late work.
- Attention to Detail - I am not the most organized person but I am at least adequate when it comes to attention to details. Better students are able to juggle due dates, APA writing, and proof-reading their work.
Hope for Everyone
If we look at Duckworth's research on grit and resilience or read Heidi Halverson's book, 9 Things that Successful People Do Differently, we have reason to take hope. Why? Because people can change and grow. Virtually everything that is needed to complete an MBA degree can be learned with enough time, attention, and hard work. Be encouraged that you to can make progress!
Rick Mann, PhD is Professor of Leadership and Strategy and MBA Program Director at Trevecca Nazarene University. His is also Managing Director of ClarionStrategy.com.