Forté MBANext

Propel your post-MBA career with professional development and peer support.

Now that you have your MBA, your career trajectory is on the rise. You've worked hard to get here, and you have what it takes to be a leader — but as you level up in the business world, you’ll continue to face challenges and obstacles.

Every woman’s career is different, but many of us encounter similar barriers and biases in the workplace, and we can help each other navigate them. MBANext is a series of workshops and peer-to-peer advisory groups designed to connect women across industries.

REGISTER  
Registration deadline: September 27, 2024

MBANext is a six-week program with weekly workshops exploring topics like succeeding as a first-time or returning manager, overcoming imposter syndrome, and establishing credibility as a leader.

• DATES: Every Tuesday, Oct. 1 - Nov. 5
  Oct: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
  Nov. 5
• TIME: 1 - 2 pm ET. Sessions are recorded, just in case you can't make it live.
• LOCATION: Virtual
• FORMAT: Online. Asynchronous exercises with weekly virtual workshops, a private discussion group, two virtual happy hours, with the potential for in-person networking events in major metropolitan areas.
• PROGRAM FEE: $350 includes FREE one year Premium Membership (a $250 value), including Forté's Executive Coach and Women on Boards series, plus access to world-renowned FranklinCovey's on-demand leadership training courses for self-paced professional development. There is a $100 cancellation fee. Please contact pro@fortefoundation.org.

“With MBANext, I met other MBA women from across industries and geographies and had some real conversations about the workplace. It was great to forge connections with folks I would not have been able to meet otherwise.”

– Rachel Lam, Marketing Manager, Intuit
'22 University of California - Los Angeles (Anderson School of Management)

MBANext is for women who have completed their MBA experience. Your MBA is a tremendous asset, and you'll develop your skills even further as you put everything you learned in management class into practice. But when you have questions, you may be unsure where to turn. Join MBANext to benefit from:

• Interactive leadership workshops designed specifically for post-MBA women on topics such as maximizing your strengths and unconscious bias.
• Peer advisory groups where women discuss issues that arise in the workplace and strategize solutions
• A post-MBA 'Board of Directors' to explore tactics for overcoming the most common leadership barriers that MBA women face

MBANext workshops are led by MBA Alumni who cover the following topics:

Session 1: Strengths - Optimize Your Superpower!

When you are faced with a list of your strengths and areas in need of improvement, is your first thought about how you can improve your weaknesses? If so, you are not alone. Forté will help you form an entirely new perspective as you examine your own realized and hidden strengths. With the guidance of our Accredited Strengths Profile Practitioner, better understand how you can apply these at work to both mitigate your weaknesses and show up as your best self.

Bonus: Use your newfound strengths as the ultimate way to get to know your new MBANext community!

Session 2: Kick Imposter Syndrome’s Butt!

Imposter syndrome seems to affect almost everyone, even those women who we think are among the most successful people we know. In fact, one researcher suggested that about 70% of women will experience imposter syndrome at some point. But did you know that some of the anecdotes to imposter syndrome include sharing your feelings or (gasp!) even your failures? Dive into the multiple types of imposter syndrome and hear how you can best move beyond them in this interactive discussion with members of our MBA alumni community.

Session 3: Crash Course on Establishing Credibility

Your MBA is a key indicator of your intelligence, work ethic and professionalism. So doesn’t it mean that you should be granted instant credibility on your first day in a new office? While it would be great if it actually worked that way, you can at least use this session to learn best practices for gaining the respect, admiration and credibility at work you deserve. Master the "Three C's" of credibility building competencies and determine how you can directly influence others’ impressions of your personal brand.

Session 4: Leveling Up - Manager Style

As a follow-up to the prior week’s topic, dive into how credibility can influence your success in managing a team. In this session, discover what type of manager you are and how to use your strengths to best inspire and engage your team. From expert management tips to examples from MBA alumni, we'll explore how you can best apply all of those great management theories from your MBA program into the work environment.

Session 5: Unlock Your Project Management Skills

How would you describe your typical work day? Project meeting, emails about the project, lunch, heads-down work on the project, another project meeting, etc.? Let’s face it. A lot of our jobs require completing a set of tasks within a specific timeline to meet a specific goal, aka a project whether or not your title has the words “project manager” in it. Hear from MBA alumni project managers about what fundamental questions you should be asking before starting a project and how to lead your team to success. We’ll also explore technology and tips to make your project management in a post-MBA world as smooth as possible.

Session 6: Be in the Know - Unconscious Bias

By this point in your career, you know that we all have some amount of bias, whether explicit (conscious bias) or implicit (unconscious bias). But knowing and doing something about it are two different things. How can we arm ourselves with knowledge, tools and even a network to address unconscious biases that show up at work? Join us this session to learn from MBA alumni about their experiences and best practices. Become an inclusive leader who inspires others to follow their example.

*Ask your manager if your company has professional development funds for its employees. Common practice is that all employees are allotted educational or professional development funds that can be applied towards programs just like this.