There are a lot of self-defined leaders out in the professional world. This might be because there are also a lot of different ways in which to lead! Management Study HQ, a resource compiled by corporate management experts, dives into no less than eleven types of leadership styles. From Directive to Participative, Bureaucratic to Laissez-Faire, all the way to the inspirational title of Transformational, there are so many methods of managing teams, strategies, businesses, and organizations.

Whether you decide to head into the corporate field, education, manufacturing, nonprofit, or government, there’s a good chance that you’ll meet leaders of who use an array of styles. You’ll also learn about past leadership, and how they positively influenced your company or organization. Hopefully, in time, you’ll grow into the leader that you want to be. However, you can’t get there on wits alone. An organizational management degree will help you formulate your personal leadership brand and lift you to the top of your team, through both measurable, and immeasurable, steps.

So, how do you start out at a new company within the upper levels of management? Or, how do you get that leadership promotion, and take on more responsibility? The question you should be asking is this:

What are the unifying characteristics and knowledge basis that employers are looking for in prospective leaders?

Standing out from the rest are those individuals who don’t just talk the talk. An organizational management degree (synonymous with an organizational leadership degree or MSOL degree) shows hiring managers your passion for leadership, and brings your application status from “aspiring but under qualified” to “experienced and accredited.” Not only will an MSOL degree offer you notable results in the form of classes passed and lessons learned, but there are many additional ways that it will enhance your value. So, the answer is simple: accredited knowledge and valuable experience.

What are the core takeaways from the study of organizational management?

At Goodwin College, the MSOL curriculum is rooted in the following topics:

• Foundations of leadership
• Organizational communications
• Data analysis
• Talent and performance management
• Innovation management
• Organizational change

These topics are strengths that every organizational manager should understand in and out. Case studies, like this Forbes analysis done on celebrated historic leader Alexander Hamilton, exposes his management techniques. The following top 10 tips come straight from the source, and they include a lot of familiar subjects from our Goodwin College curriculum checklist:

• Conduct consistent and clear communication
• Understand your assets
• Be open to criticism
• Address problems as soon as they occur
• Encourage innovation
• Clarify expectations
• Collect data and gather information

Like all good leaders, Hamilton honed these skills during his ten years spent tracking inventories and shipments in the mercantile business. Though these lessons ring true in our current era, today’s world is slightly different from 1789. For the 2000 millenia, hands-on experience should be partnered with an organizational management degree to add the most value to your CV.

What soft management skills will I develop through experience and my MSOL degree?

Goodwin College’s MSOL program is designed to help you become a competitive job-market candidate. In a people-forward position like being a manager, balancing relationships can be just as important as balancing company finances. Soft skill development can really affect your career, making it important to focus on strengthening your communication, punctuality, teamwork ability, personal organization, and problem-solving skills, just as much as your technical ability. From The HR Digest, a global human resource department journal, we hear that these soft skills can sometimes be even more important to employers.

How will a MSOL program help me with networking?

We know that setting you up with a lattice of peers is an important facet to supporting your career outcome, no matter which sector your choose. That’s why we underscore the personal connections that you’ll walk away with from Goodwin College’s MSOL program. No matter whether you take online or in-person courses, the organizational management degree program encourages student exchange. You’ll spend time building a network of peer professionals, and by learning about other students’ work experiences, you’ll gain an understanding of new career options.

A Master’s organizational management degree allows you to highlight your talents. Exercise your soft skills to convey the core of knowledge that you’re walking away with! With Master’s in Organizational Leadership and Management, you will learn the best of both worlds: leadership communication and management expertise. Find out more about Goodwin College’s MSOL program today by calling 800-889-3282.