By Sarah Zimmerman and Elise B. Zito

Some say leaders are simply born with a keen sense of leadership. Those who aren’t natural born leaders, however, are wondering if it’s possible to gain that edge by giving it the old college try – literally.

“Learning how to interact and motivate people has become a top requirement within many of today’s MBA programs," says Stacey Blackman, herself an MBA graduate and a self-employed admissions consultant in Los Angeles, CA. “MBA’s have evolved, recently shifting focus from hard skills [accounting, marketing, management training, etc.] to ethics and leadership."

As any career-minded individual can attest, the ability to lead is a desirable asset in today’s workplace. According to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC)’s 2005-6 Corporate Recruiters Survey, employers cite strong leadership and communication skills among the most important attributes they look for in MBA graduates, as well as those most in need of strengthening.

“Leadership is important on every level of business,” says Paul Ostewski, assistant professor of business at Wheeling Jesuit University (Wheeling, WV), which recently shifted its MBA program’s focus from hard skills to soft skills.

“Organizations live and die with their people, therefore, many companies are following the new mindset that people are not replaceable parts, but rather are appreciative of individual and intrapersonal skills,” he says.

And so begs the question: Can you learn to lead?

Learning by Example
MBA program officials are stepping up their game when it comes to creating programs that target not just technical talents, but personal attributes as well. As Blackman notes, MBA curriculum has historically stressed the aforementioned “hard” skills of business, and though topics such as accounting, marketing, and Management training are vital for a solid business skills set, Blackman points out that today’s workforce is following a nationwide trend of placing equal importance on the “soft” skills of business, such as personal interaction, team strategizing, and yes – leadership.

As GMAC’s survey report states, “Soft skills are an extremely important part of the selection criteria for almost two-fifths of the employers surveyed. Such skills in leadership, communication, and interpersonal relationships are deemed highly attractive.” MBA programs across the country are following suit, offering an array of courses based on such qualities.

Wheeling Jesuit University’s MBA program consists of three leadership-oriented classes -- Leadership Skills, Organizational Behavior, and Managerial Policy and Strategy. Although foundational study is encouraged through reading assignments in one of the courses, the other two encourage skill-building through lectures and case study analysis. Ostewski does this by discussing mission statements in his class. “I show the class Enron’s mission statement, which is wonderfully written, and discuss how leadership makes the difference between what is written on paper and what actually occurs in an organization,” he says.

Virtual Real-World Training
Refocused MBA programs like Wheeling Jesuit's are attracting all types of students, from full-time employees to those with family responsibilities. “We see a large number of students come through our program who are working full-time,” says Eric Goodman, Ph.D., dean of Kaplan University’s Graduate School of Business. “In fact, more than 90 percent of those enrolled are working full-time and balancing family responsibilities with coursework, and a quarter to a third of our students have learned about us through their employers.”

Goodman is responsible for the 2006 launch of one of the most innovative online learning programs for MBA hopefuls. Kaplan University teamed up with Newsweek magazine to create the Kaplan University/Newsweek MBA Program, which has already attracted several students with its emphasis on current events and business trends. Fran Cain is one such student, currently working toward her MBA while maintaining a full-time work schedule as an I.T. Systems Manager for a California-based insurance company.

Although she is only four weeks into the program, Fran says she is beginning to look at things in her professional life from a different perspective. Primarily, she is noticing the incredible importance of leadership skills in the workplace. “I think leadership skills are extremely valuable,” she says. “I can already look around at some of those in positions of leadership in my office and better gauge and recognize how the way they decide to do things affects others and the company as a whole.”

In addition to extensive self-assessment exercises, Fran’s coursework involves a great deal of reading, writing, researching, online discussions, and group or team projects. Fran is currently working on her first team project, in which she is holding online meetings with a small “team” of her fellow students from various places, including Tennessee, New Jersey and Germany. Overall, she says, her classes focus heavily on learning through experience, incorporating virtual exercises in leadership such as a marketplace simulation, as well as the opportunity to gain insight from Newsweek magazine reporters and executives into the curriculum.

Resourceful Leadership Training
Franklin University (Columbus, OH) offers an online MBA program focused on creating proactive leaders, using several activities to ensure its students receive the same degree of education and interaction as in-class programs. “We try very hard to come as close as possible to making sure our online students are having the same experience as our in-class students,” says Sherry Mercurio, director of public relations at the college. “Our students have a lot on their plates, and we need to make things as accessible and flexible for them as possible.” Online tools include chat room discussions, e-mail, bulletin board postings and discussions, audiobridge teleconference calls, and team interaction.

Alongside Franklin’s interaction-oriented courses, the school also provides students as well as the community with the Franklin University Leadership Center. Believing strongly in passing along the skills and attributes of a leader to others, the online center provides students with several resources to develop and enhance their leadership skills.

Leadership Lessons, a collection of articles addressing current leadership topics and written by faculty and students as well as select business, education, government and community leaders, can be emailed to students on a monthly basis for their research and perusal.

The Leadership Center also houses online audio recordings of various speeches and presentations given by some of today’s top leaders. “We have a very strong focus on ethics, accountability and leadership – it’s ingrained in all our courses,” says Mercurio.

Well-Rounded Leaders Are Key
As you move toward your goals, keep in mind that most companies remain interested in solid business knowledge, in addition to personable competence and team strategizing. Strong work experience coupled with clear leadership qualities are becoming a must, making these innovative MBA programs an increasingly sought-after way to learn to lead.

“Employers today are looking for effective leadership and communications skills,” says Goodman. “The ability to manage and work well with others, as well as to articulate your thoughts both in person and on paper is becoming increasingly important.”