This year I participated in the Crummer Certification in Business Management Program known as the Rollins Mini-MBA.  This executive program was created by Rollins 35 years ago to offer leaders, managers, executives and business graduates a practical foundation in the relevant concepts of business management, utilizing their renowned MBA professors and curriculum.  It also serves as a launching pad for those pursuing the full MBA program.  The classes consisted of interactive discussions, problem-solving exercises, case studies and lectures from the varied expertise of the Rollins Crummer staff.

See the full list of management skills courses, as well as the professors who teach them on the Crummer website.  Each course offered fresh insights to topics I studied in college or interactive approaches to some of businesses’ hairer problems such a people, innovation, and change management.

Some of my favorites:

• Exploring Your Mini-MBA Mindset & Change Management with Bronwyn Hoffmann – These were the first two classes of the program and left a huge impression on me. Bronwyn spoke on the importance of utilizing Emotional Intelligence, especially when it comes to cultural changes in organizations as change ultimately comes down to behavior.
• Innovation with Dr. Pete McAlindon – Pete captivated our class with the story of his invention, from the drawing board to the product and how he diversified later on.
• Aligning Processes to Organization Strategy with Dr. Keenan Yoho – Keenan brought humor and energy to a serious topic, focusing on how to connect current strategy to the long run as well as the importance of addressing bottlenecks first and fast.
• The Engaged Enterprise with Dr. Keith Whittingham – Keith spoke on multiple topics in his two classes surrounding organizational engagement and giving your company a larger purpose. His classes connected businesses to the larger picture and led to great discussions in class.

As a recent graduate, I recommend the Rollins Mini-MBA to any leader or manager at your company who has high potential for growth and is looking to garner their knowledge about business overall.  By far the best part of the program for me were the relationships I built with my fellow classmates. Not only was I able to connect with a diverse group of people in a variety of industries ranging from technology to healthcare, but I was surrounded by people who had a huge desire to be present, learn and get the most out of this program.  It created a very engaging atmosphere in the classroom and forged friendships I will keep.