Training ourselves

Throughout my professional career, the globalization of business and education have been very important topics for me. My work in this field has been divided between IESE, the school where I earned my doctorate in business administration, Harvard Business School, and the school I founded in China, the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). My responsibilities there led me to make decisions on important issues.

For example, I came up with the idea of ​​inventing the executive master's program in English, the Executive MBA, when IESE launched its campus in Madrid. In the capital, there were many executives who hadn't completed a master's degree because a good program would have required doing so in Barcelona, ​​Paris, London, or Boston. It was the first program designed for executives with ten or more years of experience, and to make it compatible with their work, it was offered on weekends. It's been a success, and most business schools have launched it.

Staying prepared requires listening to good experts and reflecting

The evolution of the economy requires that these programs take into account political developments, which undoubtedly have a significant impact on economic developments. Leading business training schools understand that good managers need to stay up-to-date and see the levels of other managers. Participating in our programs can reveal these aspects, and if they participate in international programs, they can see how American, Chinese, European, African, and Latin American managers react and what their level is.

Companies must train their executives, but for some high-level executives, attending programs at top-tier international business schools may be much more appropriate. On many occasions when I've had to teach sessions in Spain, America, or China, it's been a great opportunity for me to learn from high-level executives, explaining their recommendations for important business cases discussed in class. It's certainly been an opportunity for them as well.

What's crystal clear is that we need to focus on our education and keep in mind that we're going to live a long time and can't expect to receive anything from the government. The number of older retirees continues to grow, and the number of young people willing to work and pay a lot of taxes isn't increasing. In the US, this is quite clear, and workers and managers have insurance for their entire lives that pays them upon retirement. There are also teachers, doctors, and consultants who organize to delay their retirement because they're in good shape, but, above all, because they love their jobs and want to keep up to date.

Every day we receive information about courses and conferences. Let's consider this information and remember that we must stay well prepared, and that requires listening to good experts and reflecting on what they do and what they recommend.