The Aston Edge
Sharpen your thinking with a unique personal and professional development programme based on the latest thinking in behavioural science.
The Aston Edge personal development programme is a unique, differentiating feature of the Aston MBA. Acting as a common thread running throughout the entire MBA course, this module focuses on the development of key leadership and personal skills highly sought after by employers. Whether you are looking to enhance your career, or to excel in a leadership role, the Aston Edge can help you take that next step.
The programme aims to:
Empower you to develop your essential skills, leadership practice and career management capacity
Create opportunities for you to take responsibility for your career development and networking in a rapidly evolving work landscape
Enable you to develop your leadership skills, build confidence and enhance your career potential
Encourage you to engage critically with personal and professional development activities, reflective practice, and career theory
Through a mixture of masterclasses, team challenges, speaker events and mentoring, the Aston Edge will transform you into an influencer in your area. The Aston Edge is delivered by key academic members of the University, small and large businesses from different cultural backgrounds and high-profile external speakers representing international contexts.
Executive MBA students recently benefitted from an interactive session with James Timson, learning about his business philosophy and covering topics such as VUCA management and employee development.
The new business world is global, dynamic, complex and fast moving. The Aston Edge workshop topics are carefully chosen to equip you with the skills to excel in this world at any level of business.
You will learn how to:
- Drive innovation and bring others with you
- Master intercultural nuances that unlock business opportunities
- Be personally adaptable
- Manage conflict constructively
- Develop a growth mindset
- Adapt an entrepreneurial mind set in everything you do
- Lead with credibility and confidence
- Coach and inspire others
Our highly experienced career consultants will work with you alongside your MBA studies, to support your personal brand and career development plan. The programme content is tailored to meet your needs and is based on your individual requirements, ensuring that the Aston Edge becomes a powerful and personalised tool to support your career progression.
Such content may include (but not limited to):
- Career management theory, models and approaches
- Influential leadership skills, communication and personal impact
- Leadership and motivation of self and others
- Teamwork, collaboration and conflict resolution
- Network and relationship building
- Professionalism and work ethic
- Creativity and innovation
- Reflective practice
- Change management
- Global and intercultural fluency
- Resilience, habit forming and action planning
- Leadership
The programme will also include the following:
Professional ethics will be discussed within the context of job seeking and integrity in presenting your personal impact in previous roles.
Social issues will include topics such as diversity, inclusion and belonging, as well as discussions on recruitment practices and the impact of global financial, health and political shocks on the world of work.
Sustainability will also be covered through reference to the workplace, such as remote/virtual working, smart cities and the growth of purpose-led organisations and embedding of sustainability into business practice.
The programme allows for the opportunity for individual learning as well as working in teams. Our MBA students come from a diverse range of international backgrounds so teamwork is a great way to learn about different cultures and work with people from all over the world.
By the end of the programme you will be able to:
- Create and implement comprehensive and evidence-based personal career development action plans based on appropriate career management models and approaches.
- Interpret and appraise your personal MBA experience and complementary learning journey in relation to individual career development goals and planning activities.
- Critically reflect on your strengths, limitations and development opportunities in the context of modern workplace requirements and the wider business landscape.
The Aston MBA challenged me to think about business in new and exciting ways. My interaction with professors, fellow students and guest speakers brought me broader perspectives and unparalleled insights into doing business globally.
Katerina Kireitseu (Belarus)
Master of Business Administration
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Hear more about how the Aston Edge module will benefit you in this episode of the Aston means business podcast: