Business knowledge broadened with life-changing MBA

Head-hunted by his ex-boss, Sam Steel had no management experience but a lot of gumption when he accepted the challenge to manage Cardlink’s international software division.

With the company entering a new area of growth, it must have occurred to the ex-boss that if you’re going to go paddling off-shore, Steel is literally the guy you want manning the life-raft.

Now leading a team of experts as “general manager – international projects,” the 34-year-old water-sports enthusiast has just finished a University of Auckland Executive MBA, which he pursued to broaden his business knowledge and widen his local network. He says it has been a life-changing experience.

“For me, the role with Cardlink was a huge step up. For the first 18 months or so I was pretty much keeping my head above water.”

But then Steel started thinking seriously about growth in his department, says he thought he needed a broader knowledge, and looked towards the MBA.

“I had a great deal of specialist skills and I needed to extend that. The programme on offer was targeted at the executive level and was general in content,” he says.

“A lot of it’s about personal development, and it’s about taking your career to the next level and actually challenging yourself. I wanted to make myself better, and better contribute to my business.”
“I knew I would get involved with people at similar or more advanced stages in life and career and have the opportunity to leverage off their experience.”

Steel has a University of Auckland Bachelor of Commerce (Economics and International Business). He left for an OE after graduating, and worked his way around the USA and United Kingdom, traveling when he could.

He wandered into a job with British Red Cross, and through circumstance, ended up working in IT and software. He liked it. So when Steel returned to New Zealand he held a series of jobs with a technical perspective ranging from software development to business development.

With Cardlink, he visits the Malaysian office or other Pacific and Asian destinations at least four times a year, and was set to hit the ground running with his MBA international business course “class trip” to Guangzhou, China, in March.

It’s the kind of hands-on learning experience Steel says is balanced with theory through the MBA course. And he says the cohort is an “extremely important” part of the learning experience, along with challenging his approach to issues and problem-solving.

“My approach to things has changed. It makes you re-think about what your goals are – and they do change a little. And it’s made me look a lot harder at myself.”

“It’s been life-changing for me, at least. I found it almost an opportunity to work out what you really wanted to do and what’s important to you.”

Steel has two children aged under-three, and says the MBA workload is like studying full-time and requires careful time and stress management.

But with his MBA almost in hand, he was looking forward to spending time with his family and leisure time outdoors on the water. Steel and his wife share a passion for windsurfing, and he’s recently taken up stand-up paddle-boarding – for now, Steel is focusing on achieving those things he worked out were important.

The University of Auckland Master of Business Administration (MBA) has intakes in January each year, and welcomes applications from SME owners and managers. Find out more at www.gse.auckland.ac.nz/nbs