Authentic leadership: A matter of degree

What differentiates a successful leader from an effective manager? Cross­-functional knowledge and strategic thinking, certainly. But leadership also requires the emotional intelligence to guide stakeholder relationships. The competence to ethically exert power and influence. The confidence to make decisions with less­-than­-perfect information. And the courage to embrace change.

Colorado professionals like you learn – and practice – this powerful combination of skills in Olin’s Executive MBA (EMBA) program.

Measurements, assessments, and feedback are incorporated into the curriculum. As a student, you will revisit benchmarks on a regular basis to strengthen your personal leadership profile and to better develop other individuals within your organization.

Authentic leadership creates value, especially in a thriving market like Denver.

Competitive advantage in the Mile­ High City

Founded by gold prospectors in 1858, the “Mile ­High City” has long admired adventurers and risk takers. Not surprisingly, it attracts businesspeople looking for greener (and higher­altitude) pastures, and entrepreneurs looking for the right environment to launch a new product or service. The area is home to a wide range of innovative companies in industries such as aerospace, technology and telecommunications. As enterprises become global and more complex, or flatter and more agile, they need executives with C­-suite­-level abilities.

“Olin prepared me for the next step in my career by making me a more­effective leader,” says Casey Dugan, director of pharmacy services for Children’s Hospital Colorado and a 2012 graduate of Olin’s EMBA program. “Now, I have stronger ‘soft’ skills and a better understanding of organizational behavior and change management.”

Chris Lindley, CEO of Endorphin, is a member of the Executive MBA program’s first Denver cohort, which graduates in May 2015.

“For me, entrepreneurship comes down to one thing: taking action,” he says. “Olin’s Executive MBA program has given me the confidence and tools to chase my dreams – specifically, reorganizing and growing my business.”

Highly rated by prominent business publications

Part of internationally recognized Washington University in St. Louis, Olin Business School brought its top-­ranked Executive MBA program to Denver in 2013. The program promotes excellence and innovation in management education and is highly rated by prominent business publications. U.S. News & World Report ranks Olin’s Executive MBA program at No. 12.

Taught by top-­tier faculty

Some of the brightest minds in business teach Olin’s EMBA courses. Known for their management expertise and research productivity, Olin faculty members are widely published and cited in influential academic journals. More important from your viewpoint, professors bring their study models and methods into the classroom – fusing theory and application and giving you real-­time strategies for tackling organizational challenges.

Case studies, computer simulations and group exercises and projects accelerate learning and team performance. First­-year courses lay the foundation of business fundamentals in a “learn­-today, apply-­tomorrow” methodology. The second year focuses on important management themes: innovation and creativity, growth and sustainability and global and emerging markets, which stretch you to think and act at an enterprise­-wide level.

The EMBA curriculum leverages Olin’s global partnerships, and shared ideas, customs and practices lead to interesting discussions on international business and to multi-cultural perspectives that improve competitiveness. In addition, these relationships increase your professional network and create amazing career opportunities.

Midway through the program, you will attend a week-long, one-­of-­a­-kind residency in St. Louis on formal and informal leadership. Near the end of the program, you will participate in an eight-­day residency in Shanghai, where you will meet with senior-­level representatives from multi-national corporations and tour high­-performing companies. Most important, you will engage and study with your counterparts in Olin’s Shanghai­-based program, a partnership with highly regarded Fudan University.

An expanded global footprint

Olin’s EMBA program offerings have grown in the past 30­-plus years. The Washington University in St. Louis-­Fudan University Executive MBA program was established in 2002 and became China’s first joint venture in management education. The Financial Times rates the program at No. 7 worldwide.

Olin added an EMBA campus in Kansas City in 2010 and extended its domestic reach again with the Denver campus. These domestic locations offer first-­year core courses only. You will begin the Executive MBA program with an orientation in St. Louis at Washington University’s Charles F. Knight Executive Education & Conference Center and return to St. Louis for the leadership residency and the second-­year, theme­-based curriculum.

More than 8,000 miles away in Mumbai, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay­Washington University in St. Louis Executive MBA program will launch in April 2015. It will be the first program in the world to confer an EMBA degree from both an Indian and an American university.

The 20-­month Denver Executive MBA program format focuses on convenience. Classes meet monthly for three­day sessions (except for the residencies). First­year courses are held at RubinBrown’s offices at 1900 16th St. in Denver.

(Editor’s note: This sponsored content was provided by Olin Executive MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.)