The impact of Covid-19 has been felt across businesses in every sector. For some businesses, the changes brought about will be long-lasting, for many the future remains uncertain. The pandemic has created a variety of leadership challenges and strong leadership will be required into the future as businesses adjust to a new reality.
TU Dublin’s award-winning Executive MBA programme focuses on developing leaders who are capable of navigating change. We spoke to MBA alumni who are senior leaders in a variety of sectors about the changes they are witnessing and the leadership competencies required for a new era of business.
Sean Murray – chief executive officer, SNAP
When you run a company a holistic mindset is required. CEOs need to be able to navigate change and many CEOs have been tested during Covid. Going forward company leaders will have to marry an understanding of technology with a firm grasp of the operating environment, including changes in the economy, the workplace and the planet. The fundamentals of business taught on an MBA programme remain valid. Leaders need to have a clear, well informed and ‘sense-checked’ strategy and they need to build high performing teams that are comfortable with innovation and change. Leaders need strong communication skills and heightened emotional intelligence to connect with people, build trust and to get people moving together in the right direction. Much of the knowledge you gain from an MBA is applicable across many industries, which I experienced first-hand. You become more skilled and versatile regardless of industry or job, thanks to widely applicable leadership qualities.
Georgieann Harrington – global account manager, LinkedIn Ireland
Through my work in LinkedIn I see first-hand the challenges that organisations are facing in terms of digital transformation. Any change project requires not just management skills but also leadership and strategic thinking. It is essential that leaders in a digital age understand the possibilities and potential applications of new technologies to improve their operations and better serve their customers. At LinkedIn we use data and insights to help our customers understand how to compete in the ever-changing world of work and build strategies for the future. Through deep immersion in strategy, leadership and innovation, the MBA at TU Dublin really helped me to transition to a career in Strategic Customer Management underpinned by deep understanding of data and a similar skillset will be required into the future.
Barbara Skerritt – director, data & analytics business partner, ICON plc
Covid-19 proved to be a catalyst for change within the clinical trials ecosystem. As a business we had to re-invent our approach to research from the traditional setting at clinical sites to a more decentralised setting, leveraging remote monitoring technology and in-home nursing visits. From a business continuity perspective, it was all hands on deck to ensure that we kept abreast of the changing landscape while safeguarding participants and our people. The skills that I found imperative at this time, were data analytics enabling decision intelligence, change management, leadership skills to build mutual trust and to capture diverse opinions to provide the right information to business leaders. My MBA from TU Dublin provided me with a diverse skillset and the candour and courage to provide the appropriate support to my leader.
John Paul Miller, regional success architect, senior director, Salesforce
In business, we are constantly presented with threats to our success or very survival, as well as new and changing opportunities that demand our attention. Some organizations can lack the ability to pivot to a new set of goals, while maintaining that same critical urgency and velocity as before. The ability of an organization to sense the need for change, to quickly assess its current resources and capabilities, and ultimately reconfigure and redeploy those resources to meet new challenges, has become even more important to see our businesses survive and thrive. These 'Dynamic Capabilities,' as Teece named them, are more important than ever. Companies around the world have had to fundamentally rethink their operating models in response to Covid-19, transforming in a matter of weeks, not months. Two decades of experience in technology and business leadership, and the transformative Executive MBA programme at TU Dublin gave me the tools and confidence to stand up to any challenge.
Jane Maher – head of brand communications & partnerships, The Naked Collective
For me leadership is about adaptability because ultimately the only constant is change. With the digital marketing/sales landscape continuing to rapidly evolve, marketing leaders today need to be able to regularly shift their strategic thinking. Enabling the team to be comfortable with the unpredictability of global markets has been key in maintaining our business and our focus. Similarly relationships are fundamental. Business leaders need to be able to display empathy, to understand and connect with their key stakeholders - customers, partners and colleagues. I always look to hire people with a passion for our products and our purpose, because that filters through the business and is a force to be reckoned with when times get tough. The MBA experience has provided me with a 360 business mindset and allowed me to focus on business model innovation and sustainability, truly enhancing my international experience within the premium spirits and consumer goods industries.
The TU Dublin MBA alumni highlight the importance of leaders being able to navigate change, embracing innovation and effectively managing digital transformation. To formulate effective strategies leaders must have an in-depth knowledge of the operating environment, the transformational impact of new technologies and trends related to sustainability. They must also possess strong leadership skills, including relationship management and the ability to build trust with key stakeholders both internal and external to the business.
TU Dublin are constantly engaging with their alumni to futureproof their programmes. In 2021 the Executive MBA programme will feature a new 'Emerging Technologies and Digital Transformation' series, a revamped 'Sustainable Enterprise' module, a new ConnectED Seminar Series and a Global Study Immersion to Silicon Valley.
Discover your own leadership potential with the TU Dublin Executive MBA - www.tudublin.ie