How to ensure executives don’t fall behind

Technological disruption, economic uncertainty and the pressure to demonstrate sustainability mean that experience alone may not be enough for executives, so many are returning to formal study.

“For generations, the cultural mantra was simple: once you’d made it to the C-suite, learning was a choice. Senior leaders had ‘made it’; education was for climbing-the-ladder juniors,” says Bryson Pather, teaching, assessment, learning and innovation manager at Regent Business School.

“That narrative is falling apart. The world’s most admired leaders are humble and inquisitive. They do not revel in the afterglow from past success but are forever looking to improve.”

He advises:

• Formal study allows leaders to interrogate assumptions, a process that is rarely allowed in the boardroom;
• Executives have access to the newest research, so they do not have to revert to the old way of doing things;
• The cross-pollination of perspectives dismantles siloed thinking;
• Executives will get the chance to adapt global best practices to South African problems;
• Executive education is about accelerating, not mending, careers; and
• When they return to their companies, their new knowledge can be used to create new strategies.