Behind every great company success — every new product that skyrocketed into becoming a household essential, every brand with global name recognition, every innovative piece of technology that changed our daily lives — behind these achievements, there is a story of excellent leadership.

Though it is challenging to make direct, quantitative claims on the correlation between leadership and a company’s bottom line, Jack Zenger, CEO of a leadership development firm, found that extraordinary leaders (specifically, the top 10%) can more than double a company’s profits, in comparison to the other 90%. Companies that invest in leadership development strategies or their employees can net significant productivity improvements. In other words, companies that invest heavily in good leadership are proven to reap the benefits.

How can you become a masterful leader, and quantify your own value? Learning about the qualities of a great leader, while studying the theory and practice of leadership, is a match that can help you climb into the pilot seat.

First, you should find out where you want to fly. Though many peoples’ minds go straight for “CEO” when they are asked to consider leadership in an organization, leadership comes into play in all departments and at all levels of the structure. Considering marketing? Sales? External relations? Human resources? Depending on the department that you can see your future self with, you’ll want to build your career in the direction that interests you most. A passionate leader is a good leader, and your satisfaction with departmental and organizational vision is key to both your own success, and that of your team and company.

Don’t just take our word for it – the Journal of Leadership and Management in Engineering states that the top three essential leadership characteristics are passion, persistence, and patience. Top leaders are skilled facilitators. They do not act alone, but rather, prepare, train, and guide their “army” towards a shared goal. There must be depth to a leader’s passion, defined by persistence. Patience is characterized by an unwavering attitude. It’s not always easy to wait, but good leaders know that patience is essential.

Those core values are nothing without academic preparation. Yes, leadership is learned by doing, and your career will benefit by learning the ins and outs of a company’s operations. However, rising to the top is equally about understanding the theory of leadership. Whether you’re new to business and looking to rise quickly, well on your way but would still like to expedite your growth, or in a pivotal moment of career change, a foundational education in leadership will help. A Master of Science in Organizational Leadership can allow you to enter the workforce at a higher level than those peers without a Master’s in Leadership, and give you strategies to gain a Manager, Director, President, or “Chief”-level title.

An online program that gives professionals like you the opportunity to study while continuing to work is the most ideal method to achieve theoretical and practical experience as you work towards becoming a true master in leadership. There are numerous career benefits from Goodwin College’s MSOL, including:

• Learning effective and advanced organizational leadership strategies
• Understanding how to increase workplace productivity with data collection and research tools
• Developing your team with successful talent acquisition and performance management

These outcomes will directly translate to increased success at your current workplace, or will allow you to demonstrate your potential to generate value at prospective workplaces down the road.

Many adults feel that they aren’t able to go back to school and earn a master’s degree because they can’t make the sacrifices that they think are necessary. Unfortunately, this means they often miss out on a fast-track method to increase personal earnings. And in turn, their company is missing out on equal benefits of their new talents. What if we told you that you could both keep your job and study online or in a hybrid format, and learn the secrets to mastering leadership in as few as 20 months part-time?

U.S. News reports that an online education is a great choice for working adults because of four main points:

• Coursework flexibility
• Increased earning potential
• Instant relevance to your current job
• Career growth potential (whether taking a new job, moving up at your current job, or changing career paths)

There’s no time like the present to earn a Master’s in Leadership, and start incorporating all kinds of new benefits into your personal and professional life! For more information, call Goodwin College at 800-889-3282 or visit us online.