Curiosity and conversation as catalysts for transformation

When Laura Glaab ’22 MBA was asked to interview a business leader she admired as part of her Leadership course, she thought it’d be a one-and-done assignment. Little did she know how much this assignment would influence the rest of her time at Kellogg and beyond. What began as one interview grew to 50, and two years later, Glaab continues to grow her network and learn from the experiences of others. 

With motherhood catalyzing for her to pursue the Executive MBA (EMBA) at Kellogg, Glaab reflects on how the program not only opened doors but also provided invaluable career resources that supported her career transition.

What motivated you to pursue an EMBA at Kellogg, and how did you envision it helping you pivot your career?

I applied for an EMBA at the end of March 2020, but earlier that year, while happy in my education leadership role, I planned on slowing my career down. I had started exploring options for part-time work, but motherhood changed everything. Within hours of meeting my twins, I knew I didn’t want to slow down instead, I wanted to level up. I wanted them to see me continue to grow, learn, and try new things.

The district is often also the largest employer, meal provider, and the most extensive transportation system in a community, so school leadership is much more like business leadership than most people realize. Leading in education means managing a budget, bootstrapping communications and HR, answering to stakeholders, leading a board, developing a marketing strategy, and being trusted with the country’s most valuable asset — our children. And most education leaders are just like me: taking on these complicated roles with little training.
 
I knew an EMBA would provide the academics that traditional education programs can lack.  I also knew it would dramatically change and increase my network.  I knew a lot of teachers and principals, but Kellogg introduced me to people leading tech companies, insurance groups, manufacturing organizations, government, banks, start-ups, hospitals — you name it.  

I didn’t know what I wanted to do next in my career, but I knew an EMBA would radically change my awareness of different sectors, roles, opportunities and ideas.

 
What specific elements of the Kellogg EMBA program were most instrumental in helping you successfully pivot your career?
 
There is no way to overstate all the ways the Kellogg EMBA supported me in my career and continues to do so. Even two years after graduation, Michele Mesnik, my career coach from Kellogg, still answers the phone when I call. During my EMBA, I would meet with her weekly to dissect my interests, passions, and network. This helped me dip my toes in the waters of new roles.

From the initial coffee chats with organizations to negotiating my pay and role, my coach was my champion and a source of support. Career and life transitions are hard but having someone who has experience with professional transitions and is willing to say, “Laura, I know you, so let’s think about this together…” is powerful in ways I can’t describe.

Kellogg alumni events continue to introduce me to new, life-changing people.  I recently met Matt McCall through an alumni mixer, and he let me share a work woe with him.  He said, “You know, Laura, growth only happens in the hard moments. And that part of you that is seeking certainty? It’s just your ego.”   

My cohort was impressively diverse and supportive.  In our group of 60, there were leaders from various industries who were more than willing to share their stories, provide introductions and support. I learned from oil company executives, foundation leaders, doctors, lawyers, consultants, company presidents, controllers, and a burrito restaurant chain founder in India. 
 
There was this one time that I was considering a new job, and I texted GP Mishra ’22 MBA because he’d done a similar role somewhere else. Within minutes, he was on the phone with me, discussing the opportunity and preparing me for the interview — and probable offer. Based on that conversation, I decided to pass on the opportunity and looking back, it was absolutely the correct choice for me, but I couldn’t have known that or been brave enough to pass without GP’s help.

This year, I was considering some new moves, and I called Meghan Wenrich ’22 MBA. She shared about her own career transition and talked through my ideas. Anytime I call someone from my cohort, EMBA 125, they show up. I received great advice, insights, and end up thinking, “Wow, I wish I’d called them sooner.” 
 
What were the most significant challenges you faced in pivoting your career during or after the EMBA program, and how did Kellogg's resources and support systems help you overcome these challenges?
 
I faced two considerable challenges in my career shift.  The first was that I didn’t know what I wanted to do.  During Kellogg, I shifted from being a public school manager to a leadership role at an AI Edtech company. The role and the company were nowhere near my list of prospects when I started the program.

My career coach developed various exercises to uncover my interests and abilities. If you're familiar with Ikigai, she created a deeper and more individualized version to help me consider and narrow a list of companies and opportunities. As someone with many interests, Michele was crucial in helping me find opportunities, tailor my strengths, and move forward in this challenging transition.
  
The second challenge I faced was communicating my strengths to an organization that wasn’t a school.  I was well-versed in “education” speak but needed to translate that to business.  My classes, professors, teammates, and case studies helped bridge this gap, while conversations with education leaders who had transitioned to new roles provided deeper insight.  It took a lot of “trial and error” to communicate my story and abilities effectively, but I got there because of the help of my cohort, classes, and colleagues.
 
What advice would you give to someone considering an EMBA with the goal of pivoting their career? And what should they prioritize when choosing a program and navigating the process?

Gone are the days of checking an EMBA box simply for a promotion in the company you’ve been with for twenty years. From the application process to graduation, Kellogg consistently presented itself as a place for change. 
 
The professors are all committed to helping students grow. Nancy Qian ensured I had late-night statistics help as a new mother trying to keep up, and I still do her power pose before I take on hard tasks Even now, I use the material I learned from Jeroen Swinkels’ strategy class regularly in my job and life. David Schonthal gave me advice during the capstone event that I resurface during times of tribulation. Every class I took at Kellogg changed the way I look at life, the way I think and the skills I carry with me.

Great coaching makes a significant difference in career transitions, and the coaching at Kellogg is unmatched. It’s individualized, deep, and goes far beyond a script. Making career and life changes is hard for everyone. When I was looking for a new role, it felt lonely, but my coach navigated this transition with many people. She used their experiences and stories to help guide me with empathetic and meaningful approaches.  
I found the more time I spent learning about people, companies and ideas, the more success I had.  When I was focused on getting something from someone (e.g. a job, an introduction, etc.), the harder the hill was to climb.

As with anything in life, you become who you surround yourself with. If you are hoping to make a career leap or life change, make sure you find a program that values the changes you seek. People with similar aspirations will be attracted to the same programs.  In many ways, I got incredibly lucky with my cohort, my coach, and my classes at Kellogg.  In other ways, it’s just what the school’s EMBA offers to anyone entering the program.

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