At Booth, we believe that your development as a leader will impact your career—and moving forward in your career will take strong leadership. That’s why leadership and career support are intertwined and connected throughout your EMBA journey.
Graduates of the Sokolov Executive MBA Program report increased confidence in their ability to navigate ambiguity, lead teams, and solve any business problem.
Your Booth experience will strengthen your analytical skills, foster a flexible mindset, and empower you to think strategically about your career at every step of the way.
“The Global Career and Leadership Development (GCLD) team at Chicago Booth provides leadership coaching and career expertise to support students throughout their program. I set up bi-weekly calls with a coach on the Booth team. These sessions gave me the confidence to explore opportunities in areas beyond my professional expertise and consider jobs that could be potential ‘career pivots.’”
— Atri Sen, EMBA Student, Chicago
Our Global Career and Leadership Development (GCLD) team oversees the required Leadership Exploration and Development course (LEAD) as well as optional programs designed to help you become a better leader, which in turn will advance your career.
Specifically designed for executive-level students, the GCLD team’s offerings combine classroom experiences with skill-building workshops, personalized coaching, curated discussions with alumni, and career support. Our global approach builds your cultural competency and prepares you to adapt your leadership skills to new challenges.
You’ll enjoy lifelong access to global industry expertise, individualized coaching, and leadership and career support. All of our EMBA career and leadership programs are tailored to meet the needs of executive‐level professionals with unique aspirations, capabilities, and perspectives.
Leadership Exploration and Development, or LEAD, is a required course for all Chicago Booth MBA students. Within the Sokolov EMBA Program, LEAD is a series of integrated career and executive-level leadership experiences designed to augment your classroom learning with action and insight skills. Built on the leadership principles articulated by professor Harry L. Davis, LEAD was one of the first experiential MBA leadership development courses at a major business school. Combining workshops, networking opportunities, industry insight discussions, and one-on-one coaching, LEAD helps you build self-awareness as a leader and integrate those insights into an intentional, lifelong process of career-focused leadership development.
The LEAD course includes:
Define your professional goals and craft a plan to achieve them through one-on-one executive coaching. As an EMBA student, you’ll have access to a talented team of executive coaches located in Chicago, London, and Hong Kong who will help you optimize your leadership and career potential. Topics often discussed include executive presence, self-awareness, networking, interviews, managing internal and external transitions, market awareness, and resume/CV reviews.
The Global Executive Connections (GEC) program is an annual event designed for EMBA students to access high-level business leaders in today’s most exciting industries and functions. These executives share their knowledge and experience through candid conversations in hour-long, small group discussions.
Throughout your Booth experience, the GCLD team will support your career and leadership journey through a variety of co-curricular opportunities that empower you to define your goals, generate new insights, and prepare for lifelong experiential learning. For example:
This ongoing program is designed to bring some of Booth’s most successful, eminent alumni to engage one-to-one with students. The Distinguished Executives-in-Residence (DEIRs) share the wealth of knowledge they have acquired over the course of their careers, providing mentoring, guidance, insight, and related support.
Career Clinics are monthly workshops designed to boost career agility and help Chicago Booth alumni and students create and achieve rewarding career management goals. Lasting one hour each, the workshops are delivered in a group setting around topics such as executive presence, career pivots, salary negotiation, LinkedIn, and interview techniques.
This quarterly series provides a safe space for discussion around challenging issues in leadership. Topics could include failure, accountability, inclusivity, gratitude, and positive psychology.
In addition:
No matter which of our global campuses you choose, you’ll have lifelong access to a dedicated team of knowledgeable industry experts, advisors, and coaches who will support you at every step of your career journey. For example:
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Cindy McGee Manieri, ’17 (EXP-22), has used the lessons and network from Booth in her work as a global communications lead at Biogen.
A Network in Biotech
As an Executive MBA student at Booth’s Hong Kong campus, Saranya Sriram, ’20, developed the skills and confidence to lead.
A Strong Executive Presence
Andrea van den Haak, ’21, shares how an EMBA from Chicago Booth helped her pivot from engineering to a more business-focused role.