Comments on: Who will lead us during/out of the recession? http://mystrategicplan.com/resources/who-will-lead-us-duringout-of-the-recession/ Keep long-term focus synced up with daily decisions with MyStrategicPlan, the leading strategic planning tool for strategy development and executing strategy. Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:44:15 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Shawn Ryan http://mystrategicplan.com/resources/who-will-lead-us-duringout-of-the-recession/comment-page-1/#comment-3838 Shawn Ryan Mon, 11 May 2009 13:37:52 +0000 http://mystrategicplan.com/resources/?p=1511#comment-3838 Nice post Ed, I think your point is well taken that this is not an either or situation. I like you have both an MBA and a significant amount of operations experience. From reading a number of these articles I think the argument isn't that an MBA is no longer a valuable candidate - but it should not be used as a complete substitute for experience. I had a direct experience with this issue when I was brought into a startup company staffed with Ivy League MBAs who had little plant floor experience. As soon as the business plan went into implementation issues arose and many of the 'MBA only' managers began to wilt. Within the first 18 months almost the entire operations team was swapped out for folks like myself who had experience. The MBA was no longer the only consideration. The MBA itself shouldn't be the scapegoat - but companies need to evaluate if they are properly vetting and supporting their new hires when their primary qualification is only an MBA. -Shawn Nice post Ed,

I think your point is well taken that this is not an either or situation. I like you have both an MBA and a significant amount of operations experience.

From reading a number of these articles I think the argument isn’t that an MBA is no longer a valuable candidate – but it should not be used as a complete substitute for experience.

I had a direct experience with this issue when I was brought into a startup company staffed with Ivy League MBAs who had little plant floor experience.

As soon as the business plan went into implementation issues arose and many of the ‘MBA only’ managers began to wilt. Within the first 18 months almost the entire operations team was swapped out for folks like myself who had experience. The MBA was no longer the only consideration.

The MBA itself shouldn’t be the scapegoat – but companies need to evaluate if they are properly vetting and supporting their new hires when their primary qualification is only an MBA.

-Shawn

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