As an MBA student, educating yourself on industry trends and supplementing coursework with business news will help prepare you for your career after graduation.  When podcasts arrived on the scene, only a small population of U.S. adults were aware of the medium. In 2021,  over 80 million Americans currently listen to podcasts, with expected growth through 2024. 

Throughout 2021, managers and employees adapted to changing predictions, updated regulations, and restrictions, resulting in a much more challenging year than anyone could have anticipated. The "Great Resignation” took place and the number of people in the workforce declined swiftly. Employees quickly developed new ways to perform their roles efficiently, resulting in new expectations from their employers.

When you search for the essentials of organizational development, you will find a list that includes a clear business strategy, strong leadership, transparent and consistent communication, a motivated workforce, and a stable financial portfolio. Seems easy enough, right? Let’s factor in what the organization consists of — human beings. Human beings are complex — we each bring different strengths and challenges to the table, which ultimately impact the future of an organization.

There are many ways to update skills or learn new skills. If you are unsure how to proceed, ask yourself: What do I need, or want, to learn; how much time am I able to invest; and how much money will I need to spend? If you have multiple needs or interests, determine which are most pressing and which are long-term educational goals. Then, consider how you can effectively meet your needs, in terms of educational requirements, and the time and money you can afford to invest. You might sharpen some of your skills with a little time and/or money.

Good leaders know and embrace their leadership style. Yet, many who wish to take on roles in management and other leadership positions are unaware of the impact of their leadership style or the fact that they can change it. Understanding the common leadership styles will help you pinpoint yours—and it can help you decide if you want to make a change. Here are the most common styles of leadership.

Close your eyes and imagine a leader. Did you think of a general? The president? It’s not unusual to associate leadership with power, but to gauge effective leadership, I’d argue that power will only take you so far on the battlefield, in the Oval Office, and, yes, even in the workplace. In order to achieve sustainable success, managers need to embrace a humanistic model, which emphasizes compassion, the value of each individual, and respect.

Here are 15 personality traits that I believe are key to humanistic leadership:

In any field, it is important first to think deeply about what really interests and excites you. In choosing to get started in the field of human resources, this reflection is important. There are many different functions of HR, such as staffing and recruiting, compensation, employee development, labor relations, management, project management, IT (human resource information system or HRIS), and account management.

Owning your own company means being your own boss. Not only do business owners get to choose their professional path—they get to determine the direction of their company as a whole. Many would say that becoming a small business owner is the epitome of the American Dream.

If you want to be a business owner, where do you start? Here’s some advice and a few tips on how to start your own business, no matter what type of business you are trying to start.

Deciding between which type of graduate degree you want to pursue can be difficult. Between an MBA, MS, MA, and more it can be tricky to choose what’s best for you. However, according to Johnson & Wales University’s Karen Silva Ed.D., the MBA is the “gold standard” when it comes to graduate degrees related to business. “It covers all areas of business-operations; decision making, marketing, leadership, finance, accounting, ethics, etc, therefore individuals obtaining this degree have a well-rounded approach to business management,” she said.