Participant Story
“Dare to Be Amazed!”
Keep Learning! Innovate!
Whether we are entrepreneurs or top executives, our work agendas are packed with recurring meetings, delegations, conferences, strategy sessions, or various events. We are booked. All this time, our most important role stays the same: we lead teams of people, we want them to be efficient, motivated, and to develop. To develop professionally, to be directly involved in the growth of the business, to innovate, even. The most successful businesses rely greatly on innovation, and innovation emerges in teams where there is freedom to experiment. I am talking about those teams who find and experience curiosity and continuous learning as values in the companies where they work. And we, as organizational leaders, have a duty to create the framework for people to develop, so that their efforts can be seen in a healthy organizational culture, in the relevance of the brand, and in financial results.
Well, I recently discovered that an important part of the solution is so close and so simple: I went back, we went back to school!
I am talking about an executive education program initiated by the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca (UBB FSEGA) and created together with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), for managers and entrepreneurs in Romania: https://econ.ubbcluj.ro/executive-education/
Together with part of the Brandocracy team, we decided to enter the Executive Education program created directly as a partnership between UBB and UNC, by UBB FSEGA and UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, a program organized over two weeks, in Cluj and Chapel Hill (North Carolina, USA). Yes, I know, we also have very busy schedules, we have a myriad of projects, we are EMBA graduates, we are consultants and trainers with over 15-20 years of experience, our clients keep writing and calling us and we need to attend very important meetings. However, we find continuous learning to be just as important. The fact that we found the solution that practically solves what we sought in an efficient way, in terms of time and knowledge, made us decide on the Leading and Managing Innovation program of UNC & UBB FSEGA Executive Education. The courses are taught by professors from the two universities, with the special participation of American experts – entrepreneurs and executives – who contribute with case studies of internationally renowned brands. Our colleagues participating in the same program were professionals from Romanian companies, but also from international companies that are also locally present. Thus, we had valuable networking, very good interactions in working groups, exchanges of ideas, and good practices. At the same time, we enjoyed the informal activities and relaxation moments, remarkably organized by our hosts in Cluj and, then, Chapel Hill, representing excellent occasions to consolidate the information we got from the classes.
In the USA, the eight days spent at the Rizzo Conference Center, the campus dedicated to participants in executive education programs at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, meant access to fresh information about strategies and concepts newly launched on the market. We analyzed and worked on case studies brought before us by executives from Apple and PIXAR, or by professors who also have their own innovative learning businesses. During the visit to the impressive campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – the first public university in the United States, founded in 1789, we also entered the basketball museum – which held in a place of honor Michael Jordan’s equipment; we learned that he started his professional career at UNC. The program also included a visit to two of the innovative businesses in town – one even run by a faculty team, and we spent our free time admiring the neighborhoods with those houses typical of the southern United States, the residences of student fraternities, but also the numerous green spots, spacious, intended for relaxation and sports. We were practically provided with a very good ecosystem that delivered the knowledge and the right atmosphere to learn how to lead teams toward innovation.
The whole concept is designed so that the information is immediately applicable in business. There are two weeks of effective learning, where theory comes only as a basis for discussion and alignment of terms. We received the support materials in advance, before the courses started. Practice, discussions, case studies, and applications, including on our own companies, are the essence of this executive education program – short, efficient, to the point, and accessible to experienced professionals. The program was initiated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Răzvan Mustață, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration from UBB Cluj and Prof. Wayne Landsman from UNC. We had the pleasure of being accompanied on this delegation and learning experience in the USA by the rector of UBB, Prof. Dr. Daniel David, who joined us with his team.
An airplane pilot would never ask himself such a question, because the answer is obvious: yes, he would continuously improve himself, for himself, and for the safety of the passengers. But what if managers and entrepreneurs thought the same way and invested in themselves first, for the safety and comfort of the entire “crew” in business? Well, to pilot strong companies and brands, there is now, in Romania, this solution that offers entrepreneurs and visionary managers specialized modular courses, in an executive education system. The time assigned, the financial resources, and the people involved are the “expenses” we made. It was absolutely worth it. We learned first and foremost for ourselves. We also learned for the colleagues who accompany us in our projects. We learned for our clients because they are the crew we are responsible for. They will now benefit from even more openness and the innovative analysis, recommendations, and growth options that we will bring to their businesses.
Anca Rarău is an entrepreneur, the founder of Brandocracy, a branding and marketing strategy consultant, a member of Romanian Business Leaders, and Honorary Consul of the Republic of Lithuania in Romania. After being part of the executive management of Banca Transilvania and, then, BCR, where she led the marketing teams for 14 years, Anca opened her own business, Brandocracy, a HUB of professional skills and expertise in marketing and branding. Anca has been a member of Romanian Business Leaders (RBL) since 2016, and one of the initiators of the first RBL branch, in Cluj, in 2017. She coordinated the first rural branding project for the villages of Vultureni (In harmony with nature) and Bobâlna (Where courage makes history), part of RBL’s contribution to the development of entrepreneurship in the countryside, within the framework of the ”Antreprenorești – Adoptă un Sat” (Entrepreneurville – Adopt a Village) project. She is also the local leader of the “Vreau Să Fiu Antreprenor” (I Want to be an Entrepreneur) Cluj program, one of the first RBL projects, which has benefited more than 30,000 high school students nationwide. Anca is a member of the advisory board of the MERITO project, through which RBL recognizes and rewards the best teachers in the country.
This article was featured in the 2024 edition of the MBA Guide, published by Revista Cariere. Read the full edition here.
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