How online MBA students optimally learn executive presence

09-09-2024

Mitch Daniels School of Business online master’s students can develop most skills online, but developing a presence is best learned by doing.

Students who signed up for the optional MGMT 590 Executive Presence recently traveled to West Lafayette to spend a weekend with residential graduate students, online faculty and staff. They learned leadership with empathy and core values.

This 1-credit hybrid course helps professionals across industries improve their communication skills across diverse audiences. Through hands-on practice and active listening, this program enhances every participant’s credibility and helps them grow as effective leaders.

When the summer module students elected to take the course, they agreed to invest a weekend at Purdue’s main campus. Participants arrived for the week of mandatory on-campus programming in early August.  Faculty and staff welcomed them at Lafayette’s oldest brewery, Thieme & Wagner, with networking over appetizers and dinner.

Because the course is hybrid, it is split into a virtual component leading up to the face-to-face encounter. Participants had already engaged in interactive discussions, completed leadership assessments and developed strategic communication skills tailored to diverse team settings.

Over the three days of in-person learning, participants interacted with peers from all over the country—from Kentucky, California, Indiana, Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Florida and South Dakota.

They learned to connect across differences, not just distance, and to give and receive feedback.

In the course, students learned how emotional intelligence, which begins with emotional awareness, affects how leaders manage themselves and others. Emotion is contagious, and good leaders show up to work with intentional emotional management.

Motivated to successfully communicate with clients, colleagues, board members and shareholders, Daniels School online MBA students honed skills in dealing with difficult people and evaluating personal communication competencies.

"I enjoyed the last few days attending an Executive Presence course at Purdue University. The key takeaways for me were the power of caring, speaking from the heart and fostering psychological safety within your teams—when these elements are in place, the possibilities are endless!" — Suzy Spector, online MBA

On day two, David Teeter, vice president for talent and organizational excellence at Wabash, gave a talk entitled “Observed Presence of Emotional Intelligence and Empathetic Leadership,” which gave invaluable insights into the nuances of effective leadership and communication.

 "I tell everyone that I am doing my MBA online with Purdue, but I am so happy I came this weekend because now I REALLY feel like a Boilermaker!" –- Mackenzie Jones, online MBA

On day three, Earl Major, vice president and head of human resources at Delta Dental of Michigan, spoke at lunch on empathy versus sympathy and feeling comfortable in expressing emotion in the workplace.

Beyond the academic immersion, the program offered a comprehensive campus experience that included tours of Mackey Arena and Rohrman Field, a meet-and-greet from Purdue Pete, rides on the Boilermaker Special and meetings with faculty not directly involved in the immersive weekend. After a Purdue Traditions excursion - walking through the University Bookstore, sitting in the Class of 1950 classroom, visiting the Neil Armstrong statue for good luck and stopping at iconic spots all over campus, participants enjoyed free time for self-guided activities like a course faculty meet-up at 9 Irish Brothers, a stop at Harry’s Chocolate Shop or visits to downtown Lafayette’s unique shops and attractions. It also included a networking dinner at Lafayette’s RedSeven, all of which built connections and Boilermaker memories.