Unlocking potential: How international business school helps HR specialist find her voice and purpose

To describe Stephenie Teo's experience at ESSEC Business School as life-changing would not be an overstatement.

Prior to her studies in 2014, she had more than 10 years of experience working in the finance industry as a learning and development specialist and was well-versed in the ins and outs of her domain.

However, working in a male-dominated international environment, she often felt she lacked the confidence to let her voice be heard, especially during management meetings.

"I used to be very self-conscious about my Singaporean accent, about what words I should or should not say during a meeting," she says. "I was also very unsure and afraid of what people thought of me, and reluctant to take on leadership roles."

Determined to take herself out of her comfort zone to upskill, deepen her critical thinking skills and grow her confidence, she enrolled in the ESSEC & Mannheim Executive MBA Asia-Pacific (EMBA) programme. The 15-month-long programme is designed to equip established and up-and-coming leaders with the expertise to handle leadership challenges and sharpen their strategic thinking and innovation skills as well as the ability to lead teams through change.

As part of her studies, Teo was assigned a leadership coach, which would prove to be a turning point in her career. "Through coaching, I've found my voice and learnt that it's important to be confident of who you are," she says.

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That also gave her the confidence to start "putting [her] hand up for more responsibilities and leadership positions".

She later went on to lead a team, and spearheaded the creation of an innovation centre at her then-employer.

A vibrant learning environment

As an avid learner, Teo believes it is important that everyone - especially senior executives - constantly upskills and reskills.

"Technical skills are easy to train, but finding people with the right growth mindset is always the challenge," she explains. "Companies always want people with the entrepreneurial mindset to push boundaries and the interpersonal skills to influence without authority."

This is especially relevant in today's context, where the intricately-linked business and geopolitical environments bring about new challenges and opportunities for companies.

Teo observes that leaders can no longer work in isolation within their own domains. "If leaders are not able to have an international mindset and enterprise thinking, the strategies they adopt will not comprise the necessary nuances to manage cultural differences," she says.

On this front, she believes ESSEC is at the forefront of providing the ideal conditions to foster a culture of learning and growth - from its demographically-diverse student cohorts to the study trips and site visits that bring modules to life. This was why she knew ESSEC was the school for her, despite the myriad MBA options available on the market.

The hands-on learning opportunities reinforce this advantage. For example, an entrepreneurship module was conducted in Babson College in Boston, an elite school specialising in entrepreneurship. There, she learnt how to think in a more "multidisciplinary" way and convincingly pitch business ideas.

Another module, which focused on doing business in China, brought her and her classmates to Fudan University and opened her eyes to the politics and intricacies of navigating the business landscape in the country.

A dyamic, international culture

Teo, who pursued the EMBA while juggling a full-time job and caring for her two children, says she greatly appreciated her learning experience at ESSEC - even on those occasions when she needed to wake up at 4am to complete her coursework. She attributes this positive experience to the vibrant culture at school, where classmates, hailing from across the globe and employed in various sectors ranging from hospitality to logistics, enriched classroom discussions and activities.

"All my professors were very insightful, and because most of my classmates came from very diverse backgrounds and cultures, there was a lot of richness to our discussions."

As someone who used to shy away from speaking up, she also appreciated the welcoming, inclusive environment that gave her a safe space to contribute to the discussions.

The small class sizes enabled her and her classmates to quickly become friends, says Teo. Their friendship endured even after the course ended and they have continued to stay in touch.

"I know if I need their help to link me up with someone they know, they would do it without hesitation," she adds. "Likewise, I would do the same for them. Even till today, we still exchange ideas and seek advice from one another."

Ahead of its time

Even though it has been almost a decade since Teo completed her EMBA, she says the modules she took continue to be relevant even in today's work context.

As Director, Culture and Employee Experiences of a financial institution, Teo is not only involved in looking at how workplace processes create a positive work environment but also how she can structure teams to help them be more efficient.

Modules that were part of her EMBA, such as design thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship were ahead of their time, and have helped increase her business acumen. This, in turn, afforded her a big-picture lens when dealing with organisational development matters in her workplace.

"Organisational design is more than just about human resources. In the finance sector, for example, I also have to understand sales, finance and investments. If I understand the lay of the land, my business recommendations to streamline models would have much more credibility," she explains.

But perhaps most rewarding of all was how, through all the leadership opportunities she put herself forth for, she has found her purpose and leadership identity - to train the next-generation of leaders.

And if she had only one piece of advice for anyone navigating their careers, it would be to have the hunger to constantly upskill and reskill.

"Don't just think about it from the perspective of career growth, but also for your own fulfilment," she says. "This fulfilment will allow you to navigate every environment, no matter where you decide to go."

More information here about ESSEC Business School.