You’re ready to advance your career—and your organization—with executive education. Here’s how to make the pitch to your employer.
Effective leadership demands more than experience. It requires strategic thinking, high-level change management and communications skills, and a visionary growth perspective. Hundreds of leaders have built these tools through Tuck Executive Education programs—and so can you.
We understand that Tuck Executive Education programs require a financial and time investment. Many of our participants need employer support to enroll, and getting that support requires making a strong business case. To assist with that, we want to outline some of our programs’ key benefits to you and your organization.
About our Programs
Learn from World-Class Faculty at a Top-Ranked Business School
As the first graduate school of management, the Tuck School of Business laid the foundation for business schools around the world—and we’ve upheld that legacy of excellence ever since. Tuck’s MBA program is consistently ranked among the best in the world, and our executive education participants benefit from the same rigor, personalized attention, and collaborative culture.
Unlike some executive education programs, Tuck’s offerings are led by senior faculty from our MBA program. These professors are thought leaders and active researchers with deep industry experience—and they are also excellent classroom teachers dedicated to their students’ long-term development. In fact, many Tuck Executive Education participants benefit from the advice and support of their professors for years after their program ends.
Build the Tactical Skills to Drive Organizational Change
Tuck Executive Education programs deliver real results, offering principles and tactics to act on from day one. While each of our programs differs in focus, key takeaways may include:
- Insights into your leadership style and actionable, personalized tips to make you a more effective leader
- Change management techniques to create alignment and engagement within your organization, even during periods of transition
- Clarity on digital transformation and artificial intelligence as tools to move your organization forward—and tips for how to handle disruptive technologies
- Advanced communications skills to help you polish your organization’s brand, build engagement, and manage reputation through crises or growth
- Strategic frameworks to help you innovate, execute, and deliver value
- Talent management techniques to help you recruit, retain, and grow your pipeline
Additionally, some Tuck Executive Education programs, such as the Tuck Advanced Management Program, make solving a current business challenge a central focus. Participants don’t just return to their role with new thoughts, but a full action plan to build momentum and work toward a resolution.
Gain New Perspectives from High-Performing Peers
Our selective cohorts and hands-on teaching approach foster collaboration, allowing participants to expand their network and learn from peers at similar stages in their careers. Since our programs are industry-agnostic, these connections can provide an outside point of view that opens up surprising new insights and solutions.
“The collective wisdom of global business leaders can significantly enhance one’s effectiveness and engender lasting benefits for both the team and the broader business. Tuck Executive Education exposed me to a diverse array of thought leaders from various industries and broadened my perspective.”
—Brian Kuster TEE’23, Southern Regional President at McCarthy Building Companies
Take What You’ve Learned Back to Your Team
Completing a Tuck Executive Education program will help you become a better employee and leader—and it will also give you new insights to share with the rest of your team.
Past participants report that sharing the strategic frameworks and methodologies they learned through Tuck Executive Education programs have fundamentally changed how their team approaches problems. Plus, team leaders return with fresh management techniques and heightened awareness of their own strengths and growth areas, understanding that helps teams build trust and become more effective.
“Tuck Executive Education programs not only focus on ways you can personally improve your leaderships skills, but they also give you strategies that you can implement within your organization. They are incredibly engaging and create an atmosphere of community.”
—Greg Hodges TEE’23, Chief Banking Officer at Merchant and Marine Bank
Choose a Program Trusted by Leading Organizations
Tuck Executive Education participants come from every industry and corner of the globe. Our programs are popular with corporations of all sizes, including numerous Fortune 500 companies. Recent attendees have joined us from: Samsung, Stanley Black & Decker, USA Cycling, Orvis, Rolls-Royce, John Deere, Google, Bristol-Myers Squibb, HSBC, the United States Navy, MassMutual, Penguin Random House, and the Irish Stock Exchange.
Making the Pitch
Convinced a Tuck Executive Education program is right for you? Now’s the time to loop in your employer. In addition to sharing the benefits we discussed above, use these tips to prepare for a successful conversation:
- Be specific about why this particular program is the right fit for you at this stage and your career—and why it’s relevant to your role. If possible, explain how the program aligns with your formal development goals.
- Emphasize how the new skills you gain will make you more valuable in your current role and prepare you to take on additional responsibilities. For example, if you anticipate that your role will require an increasing focus on strategic messaging and communication, you might point to specific sessions within the Leadership and Strategic Impact program.
- Do your homework. Be prepared to share specifics about program dates and fees, the enrollment timeline, and any other costs you anticipate (such as travel).
- Highlight the learnings you plan to bring back to your team, and explain how an expanded network and access to peers in other industries, as well as to Tuck faculty, could benefit your organization.
- Proactively address concerns about your absence. Present a detailed plan for managing your workload before, during, and after the program.
Remember, even if your request is denied this time around, budgets and company initiatives are always shifting. Things may change in the future, and reiterating your interest in the future will show your commitment to growth within the organization.
Take the Next Step
Looking for more information about our programs or help putting together a proposal for your supervisor? Take a look at our template justification letter or contact us at tuck.exec.ed@dartmouth.edu. We hope to welcome you to a Tuck Executive Education program soon!
