Motivating teams, providing business direction, guiding outcomes and ensuring the organisation’s goals and vision are met – these are just some of the reasons why leaders play an important role in any organisation. Understanding what it takes to be a great leader and developing the required leadership skills will help you become the high-performing leader you want to be.
Here, we discover the MBA leadership skills you’ll harness with the proper postgraduate qualification. More importantly, we’ll discover how an MBA prepares you for leadership roles now and in the future of work.
Team leadership skills and styles
A leader is an integral part of any organisation. However, no single type of leader or team leadership skill is more effective than another. Instead, a good leader understands that the team – and situation – should shape their leadership style.
Diana Arlett is a transformational coach, public policy specialist and MBA graduate. In her experience, influential leaders aren’t the ones who believe they’re superior to their team.
“The best leaders are the ones who listen to their team carefully, taking the information into account,” she says. “They are open to learning about other people’s perspectives.”
Team leadership skills – like those earned with an MBA – can be applied to all leadership styles. These are just a few examples of modern approaches and why adaptable skills are critical.
- Servant leadership: These leaders prioritise and support the needs and interests of their staff above their own.
- Democratic leadership: Also known as participative leadership, these leaders guide while encouraging feedback and input from their team.
- Transactional leadership: In a style that involves reward and punishment, these leaders provide goals for the team and offer something in return if they achieve them.
- Authoritative leadership: Leading with authority and assertiveness, these managers demand obedience from their team and subordinates.
Regardless of style or approach, having a broad understanding of people management is essential for effective leadership. This understanding is exactly what you can get with an MBA.
Leadership and MBA: why the qualification counts
When combined with real-world experience, a postgraduate qualification in business can prepare you for any leadership position. An MBA is ideal for those seeking to strengthen their business skills, access better job opportunities and position themselves as a preferred candidate. Notably, many MBA programs focus on leadership and management skills.
“I learned a lot about leaders through my MBA,” Arlett says. “It provided another layer of depth and confidence to my leadership. You can look at the different styles and realise which is the most effective way to lead.”
An MBA also provides valuable skills you can apply in other positions, not just leadership. “As well as learning how to lead teams, it taught me how to play a better role as part of a team,” Arlett adds. “I learned about the complexity of decisions made by management, the factors that come into play to inform decision-making, and how to share information with others.”
Other competencies covered in a general MBA include strategic thinking, communication and interpersonal skills, risk management, innovation, finance, marketing and more.
Completing an MBA — and mastering these development areas for leaders — reveals a world of new possibilities for graduates.
What can I do with an MBA in leadership?
Armed with the knowledge an MBA provides, graduates will feel confident about meeting the challenges – and opportunities – that leaders face. You can develop the skills needed to oversee and lead others to achieve organisational objectives.
Whether you're exploring a career in project management, general management or a C-suite executive role, the leadership skills you gain from MBA programs can help improve your chances of landing your desired position. These skills are usually transferrable which allows you to apply them in leadership roles across various industries.
MBA programs typically contain units that are specifically focused on leadership. For example, CQUniversity's online Master of Business Administration (Leadership) offers the People, Leadership and Culture unit, which focuses on the behaviours of people, group dynamics as well as organisational and leadership processes. These elements play a role in organisational effectiveness.
The online Master of Business Administration Sustainable Leadership course from Charles Darwin University includes the Resilience Management and Leadership unit as an elective. In this unit, you will explore how modern management and leadership practices can contribute to building resilient organisations. You can develop your leadership skills by learning about effective organisational structures and various management styles.
The University of Sydney's Master of Business Administration (Leadership and Enterprise) contains the Leading in a Digital World unit, where you gain an understanding of how technology is utilised by leaders and managers. This involves critically assessing contemporary technological trends involving big data and AI.
With a postgraduate qualification in business, your leadership style can adapt to your organisation's needs. Moreover, a commitment to continuing education ensures your leadership skills remain relevant well into the future.
CQUniversity’s Master of Business (Leadership) is an online program designed for entrepreneurs, business owners and corporate managers. This course allows you to gain insights into the strategies, practices and key communication skills underpinning effective business leadership. Delivered entirely online, this program offers you an affordable, fresh and compelling graduate educational experience. You will not be bound by term dates or submission deadlines, allowing you to study when it's convenient for you.
The curriculum covers essential business functions and emphasizes leadership in contemporary business settings. This course will develop your capabilities to identify opportunities, resolve problems, create innovative solutions and be entrepreneurial.
The Master of Business Administration Sustainable Leadership program will guide you through how businesses can operate both profitably and in a manner that supports society, the economy and the environment.
You can gain core MBA competencies and the essential knowledge and skills required by sustainable enterprises and businesses of the future. This includes learning how to develop effective sustainability and CSR strategies, design and implement sustainability initiatives, and provide sustainability disclosure and reporting.
The Master of Business Administration (Leadership and Enterprise) is a postgraduate coursework degree that will develop your business knowledge, critical thinking, problem-solving, analytical and communication skills.
You will complete core units in personal and interpersonal skill development, business knowledge and skill development, and building future enterprises, along with a design-led strategy capstone unit.
Lead effectively with an MBA
Ready to progress your career and embrace the challenges of a leadership role? An MBA can help take you there. You can find many Australian universities offering MBA programs that can equip you with the right skills to be an effective leader in an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving business environment. Take the first step and enrol in an MBA course today.