When you see those MBAs around you who appear to be “automatic winners,” look beyond their diplomas.

Does an MBA Matter?

Over the years, I have noticed that people with an MBA, irrespective of the providing institute and with less experience and less salubrious CVs than myself, land bigger jobs, especially in the top-level executive and leadership positions. This puzzles me. What is it in an MBA that qualifies a graduate to be an automatic winner?

There is no question that an MBA puts a stamp of approval on your forehead. People like credentials, and although some MBAs have more prestige than others, any MBA separates its “owner” from the pack. A puzzling phenomenon to you, maybe, but nothing new. 

But you have to understand something – the impact of an MBA is really only good for a year or so. It helps a graduate get a higher starting salary or land a better job out of the gate, or both. And it creates something of a little halo effect. MBAs are presumed to be intelligent and capable; their bosses watch them hopefully, and in many cases, give them extra opportunities to contribute and grow.

In short order, however, an MBA’s performance kicks in, and in the vast majority of organizations, that is all that comes to matter. The MBA excels or sinks -- and the advanced degree becomes forgotten either way. In business, your only real credential, ultimately, is your results.

So when you see those MBAs around you who appear to be “automatic winners,” look beyond their diplomas. We would bet that they are doing a lot more than carrying around a piece of paper. Most likely, they are over-delivering on performance and buying into the values of the company, demonstrating them with their everyday behaviors. On top of that, they are very probably exuding a positive, can-do attitude, taking on tough challenges with a healthy mixture of optimism and realism. Finally, they are almost certainly making the people around them look good too, by sharing credit and building the team. In other words, we would bet they’re moving the company forward in some meaningful way or another. They’re making a difference.

Don’t get us wrong. We’re definitely not discouraging anyone from getting an MBA. It’s a credential with heft – it does help critical thinking and introduce you to important managerial concepts best taught in a classroom by a smart professor and debated by high-powered peers. It does get you a better starting salary and more early visibility. But an MBA’s leg-up only lasts for a finite period, after which performance takes precedent.

So look again. The “automatic winners” you see around you probably aren’t automatic at all. They’re successful not just because of a credential they received graduation day, but because of their performance ever since.   

 

This question and answer originally appeared in Business Week magazine on January 09, 2006.
Back to top

• The Value of an MBA

Sorry There are no videos available for this page

• Does an MBA Matter?
• Job Search Expectations
• Interviews with Impact
• Alma Mater Matters
• Making the Right Choice