Pivoting from tactical to strategic – two Business Essentials learning journys

Haskayne Executive Education’s Business Essentials program was designed to give professionals the opportunity to broaden and deepen their business leadership practices expertise and teach foster strategic thinking skills people to think like an executive. To take theory beyond the classroom, the program gives participants learners are required to the opportunity develop an Action Learning Project (ALP) for their business organization based on what they in learned in the program.

 

Marvin Wong, lead operations analyst engineer - Processing, Recovery and Disposal Division (PRD) at Secure Energy, is currently completing his project to enhance the management of capital expenditures in the PRD division. Wong states, “Business Essentials has given me a better appreciation for other parts of the business. It provided practical and actionable insight into the implications of strategy, change management and corporate finance. Right now, there is a high degree of scrutiny on capital spend. My ALP is focused on expansion capital planning. The objective is to help the business minimize risk and maximize returns by being capital conscious and executing the best projects at the right time.  This process is being implemented for PRD, and is something that has the potential to expand throughout the entire organization.”

Patrick Tutty - business development manager at Earth Signal Processing Ltd. states that Business Essentials was the right move in his career. Tutty says that the recent downturn in oil and gas has been challenging.  “The market has changed, so our business needed to change too, but through the use of solid business principles. I am a technical guy, and I needed a business acumen. We considered many options, but it was the quality of the faculty and curriculum and the opportunity to use grant funding which made the program the most valuable and financially viable.” 

Tutty admits that it was somewhat daunting to return to school, but has been pleasantly surprised with his experience. “For the first time in my life, I actually have enjoyed school, and I want to continue expanding my horizons. The quality of the Haskayne faculty is amazing. I now have the ability to express and present my ideas. All the topics really helped me to understand the language of business.  The program was very practical, and I have enjoyed the networking and getting go know the cohort as we learn from each other.”

Technical experts looking to develop a business acumen is not an isolated phenomena.  Students at the University of Calgary who are enrolled in degree programs also see the benefit of having a solid business acumen.  Jim Dewald, dean of the Haskayne School of Business states, "In today¹s very competitive employment market, knowledge and skills provide an important edge. Whether you are engaged in a corporate, government, not-for-profit or social enterprise setting, management skills are pervasive. As a result, we are seeing growing demand for combined degree programs in a variety of disciplines, including law, public policy, social work, engineering and medicine.”

The benefit of the Business Essentials program is that it offers professionals the opportunity to upgrade their leadership skills which can be immediately applied in minimal time with minimal expense. If you are interested in learning more about the Business Essentials program, please attend one of our upcoming information sessions. To connect with a team member in Executive Education, call 403.220.6600 or email execed@haskayne.ucalgary.ca