Did you know that although women in the U.S make up 46.9% of the workforce, only 40% hold managerial positions? Even more shockingly, there are more men named John in America than there are women in leadership roles. 

Although American women are doing a lot better when it comes to business in comparison to the rest of the world, with only 29% of senior management roles being held by women globally, clearly more still needs to be done for total equality in business.

That being said, there is only so much you can do to influence others to change, however, what you can do is take all the necessary steps to ensure that your business or your role at a company is as powerful as possible.

Studying

Have you considered the benefits of studying for a postgraduate leadership and management degree?

If not, keep reading to discover how this qualification can help you push forward in your professional career and overcome the key challenges that business owners and managers face today.

What does a Master’s in Leadership & Management entail?

If you choose to study a Master’s in Leadership and Management, you will learn about all the skills and abilities needed for a person to successfully lead a team, group, organization or company; whether that be your own or a business that you work for.

Furthermore, you will:

•   Learn about core contemporary leadership challenges and how to overcome them

•   Explore different leadership qualities and how to apply them to your workplace

• Strengthen your leadership style

• Gain formal recognition in the workplace in a shorter period of time

• Be able to complete your degree in less than two years

• Have the ability to undertake the entire course online

• Have the opportunity to undertake flexible learning

• Be able to advance in your career faster

• Be able to effectively manage your own business

What are the common challenges that leaders face today & how to overcome them?

There are many challenges that managers face today, especially first-time managers and entrepreneurs, with poor or ineffective management having a severely detrimental effect on the whole business.

That is why it is so important that as an aspiring leader you are aware of the challenges that you may face and how you can overcome them with a master’s in leadership & management degree.

Adjusting to becoming a leader

If you have previously worked as a team member and are now moving into a managerial role, you may be concerned about how your colleagues will respond to your sudden elevated status. This is especially pertinent if you are friendly with your colleagues and socialize with them outside of work.

It is vital that you learn how to deal with this change in ranking and a Master’s in Leadership can teach you the tools to effectively communicate with your employees while at the same time keeping your personal and workplace interactions separate.

A good way of managing a team that you used to work alongside is by asking for their feedback. Although it may be difficult to hear criticism, if it is constructive, it can help both you and your employees adjust to you becoming their manager.

Adapting to the changing workforce

Even if you have been in a managerial role before, today’s workforce is a very different place to five years ago or even one year ago. A new generation of workers (Gen Z) want very different things from a leader now, and if they don’t get what they need, you will find yourself losing valuable and innovative employees.

Not only do you have to be able to effectively manage a wide variety of employee types, but you also have to be able to embrace new working practices such as remote and flexible working.

A Master’s in Leadership focuses on contemporary leadership challenges, as well as how you can overcome them and make them work to your advantage in the workplace. You will also learn how to take a step back from your employees and trust them to work effectively and productively on their own, plus how you can help them to do this by inspiring them.

Embracing and encouraging new technologies

To have a successful business in 2020, you need all of your employees to be on board and willing to learn about all the new technologies that could potentially help your business to thrive and grow.

As a leader, you need to actively encourage your employees to be tech-savvy and to welcome any new technologies that you may want to bring into the business.

A Master’s in Leadership can help you learn the skills and techniques needed to drive your business forward, and in turn, make effective changes as and when they are needed.

Inspire forward-thinking

New trends emerge in industries across the board all the time, and as a manager or business owner, you need to be able to encourage your employees to look past today. It is not enough for you to be thinking about the future and ways in which the business can expand, you also need your team, who are on the frontline every day, to be able to contribute to the goals of the business.

A Master’s degree in leadership will not only help you improve your strategizing for the future, but it will also show you how you can effectively inspire and encourage your team to be a part of the business’ future.

The most important element to remember is that in a world that is constantly changing and evolving, you need to ensure that you and your team are continuously learning new things, whether that be new work practices, innovative ways to strategize or embracing new technologies.

A Master’s in Leadership & Management can give you the tools you need to not only stay one step ahead of the competition but also to ensure that you get the most out of your team and create an inspiring and effective workplace.