Level Up: Empowering Women Through Strategic Skill Development
A free leadership series presented by the Tepper School of Business, open to leaders of any gender.
Four sessions | Oct. 6, Oct. 20, Nov. 3, Nov. 17
What skills do you need to thrive in today’s ever-evolving, data-fueled business environment? How will you use these skills to solve tough, unstructured problems?
Research shows that women often get feedback on style, not skills. But success in business for all professionals is all about producing results, so our Level Up series explicitly focuses on outcomes. Learn how to have a direct, measurable impact on your organization’s financial targets and strategic outcomes.
In a world hyper-focused on data, you need the analytic skills to develop inventive solutions and the leadership expertise to inspire others to join you.
Taught by the same professors who teach in our top-ranked MBA program, the sessions emphasize experiential, interactive learning based on real-world business cases and challenges. You’ll walk away with the confidence to speak up in a way that matters.
Embrace a more daring vision of your future.
Register Now
Level Up’s four free sessions will teach hard skills in business, strategic, and financial acumen, plus communication, including:
- How can my role advance the top-level goals of the organization? Learn to shift your focus from day-to-day tasks to strategic, long-term thinking. Identify clear outcomes to work toward and how to quantify them to show your contribution.
- How do the figures in an income statement translate into a statement of priorities? Understand the story the numbers tell and how you can use that information to guide your efforts.
- How does a marketing decision reverberate through finance, operations, and other departments? Cross-functional problem-solving is not just a trendy buzzword. Understanding how all the components interlink is key to good decision-making.
- How can you share an idea in a way that convinces others to help you get it done? The ability to communicate complex information is a critical skill for tomorrow’s leaders.
Who Should Attend?
This program is designed for all early and mid-career prospective students who are interested in developing the targeted analytic and business skills needed to excel in corporate, public sector, entrepreneurial, academic, or nonprofit environments.
While the program responds to research regarding the type of feedback women receive in their careers, it is designed to benefit professionals of any gender and all are welcome.
Key Takeaways
Understand the four outcome categories that tell the story of your organization’s health — cash, growth, return, and customer.
Recognize the relationship between your company’s strategy and its outcomes and evaluate how your individual work contributes.
Learn how to interpret and use key financial reports. Analyze how a budget is a management strategy reduced to numbers.
Master the language of outcomes and results. Find out how to build collaboration and consensus around your solutions.
Connect with others at the same career stage as you. Hear what challenges they’ve faced and what’s worked for them.
Determine if the time is right for you to pursue an MBA. Learn how CMU’s top-ranked program can help you confidently move forward in your career.
Sessions
Business Acumen | Wednesday, Oct. 6 | Noon to 1:30 p.m.
The earlier you learn the business of your business – what makes it successful and how your can support and grow that – the better. You need to understand the seven categories that tell the story of your organization’s health and potential — customers+prospects, investors, partners+competition, innovation+technology, employees+culture, growth+return, societal impact — and which of these your work affects. Make sure you can map your responsibilities to key outcomes.
Financial Acumen | Wednesday, Oct. 20 | Noon to 1:30 p.m.
A budget is a management strategy reduced to numbers. The story behind those numbers can be more important than the figures themselves. If you can’t speak the language of finance, you’ll be at a disadvantage. Leave this session empowered to ask smart questions and thoughtfully engage and support the strategy of your organization.
Strategic Acumen | Wednesday, Nov. 3 | Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Strategic planning is how a company creates a sustainable competitive advantage and adapts to or creates change in the marketplace. At every level, strategy matters. As an individual, you exercise strategic thinking when you improve your work processes or reveal an opportunity before it exists. As a manager, you contribute by helping your team innovate to adapt to market disruptions or meet performance goals.
Communicating | Wednesday, Nov. 17 | Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Learn to speak the language of outcomes, build collaboration around your ideas, and turn data into a results-oriented plan. When you’re able to clearly communicate your solution, you can create consensus and convince others to work with you towards shared goals.
Optional Networking Kickoff and Wrap-up
Kickoff | Friday, Oct. 1 | Noon to 1 p.m.
Get an overview of the session topics. We’ll help you assess where you are now in terms of the targeted skills. Meet your fellow participants and discuss your goals for the program and for your career.
Wrap-up | Friday, Nov. 19 | Noon to 1 p.m.
Evaluate what you’ve learned and how you can use it to step forward in your career. Is an MBA your next step? Get more information about our top-ranked program combining the science of management with the art of leadership. An MBA from the Tepper School of Business can prepare you for a future fueled by data, powered by technology, and unleashed by human intelligence.
Register to Attend
* Micro-Scholarship Details: Please note that students who are eligible for more than one of our scholarships with a guaranteed minimum may not be entitled to the minimum award amount for the second scholarship. Additionally, for candidates who may receive a full-tuition scholarship, the Level Up micro-scholarship will be included within the full-tuition scholarship.