As happens in life, you start with a clear picture of what direction you wish to take, and then one slight detour leads to another until you find yourself somewhere you never imagined. We all tell our stories as though they are a series of intentional steps, yet we all know when we hear the stories of others that the route was composed of more circles and curves than straight lines. Through this tangled path, at 41 years of age, I became the CEO of a multinational company with little to no formal preparation to succeed in my role. I was terrified.

It is interesting how we process such situations and the questions that we ask ourselves when in this position:

• I have less time now than ever before; how could I add education to this?
• My profession and industry are very specialized. How could I find a resource to take me from where I am to where I believe I need to be?
• How do I even know how to qualify a program as a good fit for what I want to do?

I found myself saying the same thing for each question: Fuqua. Well, first, it probably was a word that sounds a lot like Fuqua but which I can’t write in a blog post… but then it was Fuqua. Why? Fuqua has found a way to create a path for busy professionals like me to test the waters before jumping into the pool’s deep end.

Testing the Waters: The Duke Exec Ed Program

The Duke Executive Education program has advantages for people wishing to expand their business skills regardless of where they are in their careers. As someone who knew I needed knowledge but couldn’t quantify how that could be integrated into my current workload and responsibilities, this program allowed me to take small bites of the educational experience at Fuqua without a huge commitment.

This began with Strategic Business Communication: Impact Through Influence, taught by Professor Daisy Lovelace and Richard Freishtat, associate dean for Executive Education programs. I couldn’t possibly write a recommendation for this class that fully encapsulates my high opinion of it. It was packed with good information to help the participants understand themselves, understand the styles of others with whom they want/need to interact, and learn/practice the application of tools to connect and communicate with others effectively, despite our differences. The combination of Richard and Daisy — and their very different personalities — added greatly to the class.

Moving Into the Swimming Lanes: Leadership Certificate and Executive MBA

I felt empowered after my first executive education class! Within a few weeks, I signed up for the next step in the leadership track with professors Sim Sitkin and Allan Lind. Following that, I enrolled in Fuqua’s Weekend Executive MBA program in which I have just completed my first term. I am also enrolled in another program to earn a leadership coach certification.

In short, Fuqua has already provided an avenue for me to develop professionally and provide material that I could use to “fill in the blanks” in my professional journey.

Lifeguard Whistle: Adult Swim

In the modern “business of education,” it is very apparent that many facilities that offer professional certifications, and even some schools that offer degrees, are selling you a piece of paper, not a proper education. If that is what you want, don’t go to Fuqua. 

The executive education classes are challenging, and the professors will push you. They will move you out of your safe space and challenge you, and you will be in a room with some brilliant people you will be doing workshops and roleplaying with.  I believe that anyone willing to put in the work will gain tremendously from this program. For anyone looking to simply “check a box,” this program is not one to which you can just show up and listen, nod, and leave.

Similarly, the Weekend Executive MBA program is as tricky as it is rewarding. You will be asked to work as a team with total strangers with different backgrounds, different goals, and no clear leader. The professors expect you to do enormous amounts of work outside of the classroom in preparation for classes on topics you may have never even thought about before. The assignments often stretch you in very uncomfortable ways. But, as with the executive education program, if you put in the effort, you will be better equipped to succeed in your business life.