Unexpected gains
Graduated from London Business School’s Sloan Fellowship Program, which is a one year MBA for experience managers, Michael Seguro says that you will gain the most lasting value from what you did not expect to learn from your MBA.It was not a financial formula or a strategic plan that gave him the most satisfaction and a memorable experience.

“In my program, there were about 40 people and we were all very different because only one or two people from each industry and then four or five people from any one nationality where allowed into the course.”

“In my program, there were about 40 people and we were all very different because only one or two people from each industry and then four or five people from any one nationality where allowed into the course.”Mr. Seguro recalls from his MBA program a general from the Israeli Army whose presence had to be kept a secret so much so that his name was not allowed on any documentation, in addition to a priest from rural Spain who had a collection of degrees and just kept looking for new ones to acquire.
The people in this program were not necessarily the kind of people one would expect to be further their education on how to run a business and implement strategies.

An interesting assignment that he remembers was being prompted to create his own obituary with the purpose of inspiring the students to think about what their legacy to society might be.
There was a practical outcome to Mr. Seguro’s studies.  “I became a member of a team at Midland Bank responsible for developing a different way to do business that would permit the company to increase its reach beyond its core in Birmingham without expanding its network of branches.
“One person a year was sent to the London Business School each year and I was thrilled to be picked.  What the bank got for investing in my education was my thesis on direct banking, which eventually is what the online bank First Direct was built to model.”
Mr. Seguro was recruited for a financial services job in Australia and he now runs two niche consulting firms. However a third of his time working is placed towards community-based not-for-profit ventures. His MBA experience has increased his motivation and future ambitions.