Thursday, April 29, 2010

Determining the Best Online MBA Schools, 2010 part 4

Back in January, I restarted my discussion of Online MBA schools. The next article addressed what, in my opinion, sets the Online MBA apart from other avenues to the degree. The next article after that discussed the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business, or AACSB for short, and the criteria for my rankings, summarized as follows:

So, I have established that my MBA candidate schools must offer a mainly-online (no more than six hours of face-to-face coursework required) curriculum, at a business school accredited by the AACSB. Tuition cost for out-of-state residents (including fees and service charges), availability of specialized concentrations and dual degrees (such as MBA-JD or MBA-MD programs), average GMAT score and Student/Faculty ratio are all major factors in consideration. Ranking of the full-time program by major periodicals is a minor factor, as is the availability. The 2008-9 profile for each school published on the AACSB website is used for initial consideration. Web information provided directly by the school’s site builds the rest of the report for a school.

There are 580 credentialed AACBS Schools of Business offering an MBA. I mention this for two reasons. One, the AACSB is not only the best-recognized international accrediting body for business schools, but with 580 member schools it offers broad access and opportunity, as well. And second, going through 580 schools’ information to compare their programs is exhaustive, even when one is seeking only to compare online programs. The reason for this, is that the MBA degree represents an evolution in education; most people do not consider that the standard Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degrees have been around for many generations, while the MBA degree dates back only two or three generations, even less when schools outside the United States are considered. The value of the MBA degree has been growing over time, so that more and more schools offer the degree, and schools have to consider how to reach the students they want, meaning that the number of accredited online MBA schools is also growing. As a result, a proper review of online MBA programs from AACBS-accredited schools means going through the roster of AACSB member schools to find out who is offering the MBA online. The following is an alphabetical list of the 580 AACSB-accredited schools offering MBAs, and therefore the starting list for consideration:


Aalto University (Finland) (formerly Helsinki School of Economics)
Abilene Christian University (TX)
Adelphi U (NY)
Adolfo Ibanez U (Chile)
Alfred U (NY)
American University (DC)
American U in Cairo (Egypt)
American U of Beirut (Leb)
Appalachian St U (NC)
Arizona St U (AZ)
Arkansas St U (AR)
Arkansas Tech U (AR)
Ashridge (UK)
Asian Institute of Management (Phil)
Aston U (UK)
Auburn U (AL)
Auburn U - Montgomery (AL)
Audencia Nantes School of Management (France)
Augusta St U (GA)
Australian Graduate School of Management (Aus)
Babson C (MA)
Ball St U (IN)
Barry U (FL)
Baruch C - City U of New York (NY)
Baylor U ( TX)
Bellarmine U (KY)
Belmont U (TN)
BEM Bordeaux Management School (France)
Bentley U (MA)
Berry College (GA)
Bilkent U (Turkey)
Binghamton U St U New York (NY)
Birmingham - Southern C (AL)
Bloomsburg U (PA)
Boise St U (ID)
Boston C (MA)
Boston U (MA)
Bowling Green St U (OH)
Bradley U (ILL)
Brandeis U (MA)
Brigham Young U (UT)
Brock U (Can)
Bryant U (RI)
Butler U (IN)
California Polytechnic St U - San Luis Obispo (CA)
California St Polytechnic U - Pomona (CA)
California St U - Bakersfield (CA)
California St U - Chico (CA)
California St U - East Bay (CA)
California St U - Fresno (CA)
California St U - Fullerton (CA)
California St U - Long Beach (CA)
California St U - Los Angeles (CA)
California St U - Northridge (CA)
California St U - Sacramento (CA)
California St U - San Bernadino (CA)
California St U - Stanislaus (CA)
Canisius C (NY)
Carnegie Mellon U (PA)
Case Western Reserve U (OH)
Central Michigan U (MI)
Chapman University (CA)
China Europe International Business School (China)
The Chinese U Hong Kong (China)
Christopher Newport U (VA)
The Citadel (SC)
City U Hong Kong (China)
Claremont Graduate U (CA)
Clarion U of Pennsylvania (PA)
Clark Atlanta U (GA)
Clark U (MA)
Clarkson U (NY)
Clayton St U (GA)
Clemson U (SC)
Cleveland St U (OH)
Coastal Carolina U (SC)
C Charleston (SC)
C New Jersey (NJ)
C William and Mary (VA)
Colorado St U (CO)
Colorado St U - Pueblo (CO)
Columbia U (NY)
Columbus St U (GA)
Concordia U (Can)
Cornell U (NY)
Cranfield U (UK)
Creighton U (NE)
Dalhousie U (Nova S)
Dalton St C (GA)
Dartmouth C (NH)
Delaware St U (DE)
DePaul U (IL)
Drake U (IO)
Drexel U (PA)
U C Dublin (Ire)
Duke U (NC)
Duquesne U (PA)
Durham University (UK)
E Carolina U (NC)
E Tennessee St U (TN)
E Illinois U (IL)
Eastern Kentucky U (KY)
Eastern Michigan U (MI)
E Washington U (WA)
EDHEC Business School, Lille and Nice (France)
Elon U (NC)
EM LYON (France)
Emory U (GA)
Emporia St U (KS)
Erasmus U Rotterdam (Nether)
ESADE (Spain)
ESCEM School of Business and Management (France)
ESCP Europe (France)
ESSEC Business School Paris-Singapore (France)
Fairfield U (CT)
Fairleigh Dickinson U (NJ)
Fayetteville St U (NC)
Florida Atlantic U (FL)
Florida Gulf Coast U (FL)
Florida International U (FL)
Florida St U (FL)
Fordham U (NY)
Fort Lewis C (CO)
Francis Marion U (SC)
Frostburg St U (MD)
Fu Jen Catholic University (Taipei)
Fundacao Getulio Vargas (Brazil)
George Mason U (VA)
G Washington U (DC)
Georgetown U (DC)
Georgia C & St U (GA)
Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
Georgia Southern U (GA)
Georgia Southwestern St U (GA)
Georgia St U (GA)
Gonzaga U (WA)
Grambling St U (LA)
Grand Valley St U (MI)
Grenoble Ecole de Management (France)
Griffith U (Aus)
Groupe ESC Clermont (France)
Harvard U (MA)
HEC Montreal (Can)
HEC School of Management (France)
Henderson St U (AR)
HHL - Leipzig Graduate School of Management (Ger)
Hofstra U (NY)
The Hong Kong Olytechnic U (China)
The Hong Kong U Science and Technology (China)
Howard U (DC)
Idaho St U (ID)
Illinois Institute of Technology (IL)
Illinois St U (IL)
IMD, International Institute for Management (Switz)
INCAE (Costa R)
Indiana St U (IN)
Indiana U Kokomo (IN)
Indiana U Northwest (IN)
Indiana U of Pennsylvania (PA)
Indiana U - South Bend (IN)
Indiana U Southeast (IN)
Indiana U - Bloomington/Indianapolis
Indiana U - Purdue U Fort Wayne (IN)
INSEAD - France and Singapore (France)
Instituto de Empresa (IE) Business School (Spain)
Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administracion (IESA) (Venz)
Instituto Panamericano de Alta Direccion de Emprese (IPADE) (Mex)
Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (Mex)
Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey - Campus Monterrey
Iona C (NY)
Iowa St U (IO)
IQS - Instituo Quimic de Sarria (Spain)
Ithaca C (NY)
Jackson St U (MS)
Jacksonville St U (AL)
Jacksonville U (FL)
James Madison U (VA)
Johann Wolfgang Goethe - U Frankfurt am Main (Ger)
John Carroll U (OH)
Kansas St U (KS)
Keio U (Japan)
Kennesaw St U (GA)
Kent St U (OH)
King Fahd U of Petroleum and Minerals (Saud)
King's C (PA)
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) (S Kor)
Korea U (S Korea)
Kuwait U (Kuwait)
La Salle U (PA)
Lamar U (TX)
Lancaster U (UK)
Lander U (SC)
Le Moyne C (NY)
Lehigh U (PA)
London Business School (UK)
Long Island U - CW Post Campus (NY)
Longwood U (VA)
Lousiana St U - Shreveport (LA)
Louisiana St U (LA)
Louisiana Tech U (LA)
Loyola Marymount U (CA)
Loyola U Chicago (IL)
Loyola U Maryland (MD)
Loyola U New Orleans (LA)
Maastricht U (Neth)
Manhattan C (NY)
Marist C (NY)
Marquette U (WI)
Marshall U (WV)
Massachusetts Institute Technology (MA)
Massey U (N Zea)
McMaster U (Can)
McNeese St U (LA)
Memorial U of Newfoundland (Can)
Mercer U - Macon and Atlanta Campuses (GA)
Meredith C (NC)
Miami U (OH)
Michigan St U (MI)
Michigan Technological U (MI)
Middle Tennessee St U (TN)
Millsaps C (MS)
Minnesota St U - Moorhead (MN)
Minnesota St U - Makato (MN)
Mississippi St U (MS)
Missouri St U (MO)
Monmouth U (NJ)
Montana St U (MT)
Montclair St U (NJ)
Monterey Institute of International Studies (CA)
Morehead St U (KY)
Morehouse C (GA)
Morgan St U (MD)
Murray St U (KY)
Nagoya U Commerce and Business (Japan)
Nanyang Technological U (Singa)
National Chengchi U (Taipei)
National Chiao Tung U (Taipei)
National Sun Yat-sen U (Taipei)
National U Singapore (Sing)
Naval Postgraduate School (CA)
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJ)
New Mexico St U (NM)
New York U (NY)
Niagara U (NY)
Nicholls St U (LA))
Norfolk St U (VA)
N Carolina A&T St U (NC)
N Carolina Central U (NC)
N Carolina St U (NC)
N Dakota St U (ND)
N Georgia C & St U (GA)
Northeastern U (MA)
N Arizona U (AZ)
Northern Illinois U (ILL)
N Kentucky U (KY)
N Michigan U (MI)
Northwestern St U Louisiana (LA)
Northwestern U (IL)
Oakland U (MI)
Ohio Northern U (OH)
Ohio St U (OH)
Ohio U (OH)
Oklahoma St U (OK)
Old Dominion U (VA)
The Open U (UK)
Oregon St U (OR)
Ouachita Baptist U (AR)
Pace U (NY)
Pacific Lutheran U (WA)
Pennsylvania St U - Erie, Behrend C (PA)
Pennsylvania St U - Harrisburg (PA)
Pennsylvania St U Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies (PA)
Pennsylvania St U (PA)
Pepperdine U (CA)
Pittsburg St U (KS)
Pontifica U Catolica de Chile (Chile)
Portland St U (OR)
Prairie View A&M U (TX)
Purdue U (IN)
Qatar U (Qatar)
Queen's U (Canada)
Queen's U of Charlotte (NC)
Queensland U of Technology (Aus)
Quinnipiac U (CT)
Radford U (VA)
Rensselaer Polytechnic U (NY)
Rice U (TX)
Rider U (NJ)
Robert Morris U (PA)
Rochester Institute of Techbology (NY)
Rockhurst U (MO)
Roger Williams U (RI)
Rollins C (FL)
Rowan U (NJ)
Rutgers - St U New Jersey - Camden (NJ)
Rutgers - St U New Jersey - Newark/New Brunswick (NJ)
Sacred Heart U (CT)
Saginaw Valley St U (MI)
Saint Joseph's U (PA)
Saint Louis U (MO)
Saint Mary's U (Can)
Salisbury U (MD)
Sam Houston St U (TX)
Samford U (AL)
San Diego St U (CA)
San Francisco St U (CA)
San Jose St U (CA)
Santa Clara U (CA)
Sasin Graduate institute of Business Administration of Chulalongkorn U (Thai)
Savannah St U (GA)
Seattle Pacific U (WA)
Seattle U (WA)
Sejong U (S Korea)
Seoul National U (S Korea)
Seton Hall U (NJ)
Shenandoah U (VA)
Shippensburg U (PA)
Siena C (NY)
Simmons C (MA)
Simon Fraser U (Can)
Sogang U (S Korea)
Sonoma St U (CA)
S Carolina St U (SC)
Southeast Missouri St U (MO)
Southeastern Louisiana U (LA)
Southeastern Oklahoma St U (OK)
Southern Arkansas U (AR)
S Illinois U - Carbondale (IL)
S Illinois U - Edwardsville (IL)
Southern Methodist U (TX)
Southern U and A&M C (LA)
Southern Utah U (UT)
St. Bonaventure U (NY)
St. Cloud St U (MN)
St. John Fisher C (NY)
St. John's U (NY)
St. Mary's U (TX)
Stanford U (CA)
St U New York C at Brockport (NY)
St U New York C at Geneseo (NY)
St U New York C - Oswego (NY)
St U New York C - Plattsburgh (NY)
St U New York Institute of Technology - Utica/Rome (NY)
Stephen F Austin U (TX)
Stetson U (FL)
Suffolk U (MA)
SungKyunKwan U (S Korea)
Susquehanna U (PA)
Syracuse U (NY)
Tel Aviv U (Israel)
Temple U (PA)
Tennessee St U (TN)
Tennessee Technological U (TN)
Texas A&M International U (TX)
Texas A&M U (TX)
Texas A&M U - Commerce (TX)
Texas A&M U - Corpus Christi (TX)
Texas Christian U (TX)
Texas Southern U (TX)
Texas St U - San Marcos (TX)
Texas Tech U (TX)
Thuderbird School of Global Management (AZ)
Tilburg U (Neth)
Toulouse Business School (France)
Towson U (MD)
Trinity U (TX)
Truman St U (MO)
Tsinghua U (China)
Tulane U (LA)
Tuskegee U (AL)
Union Graduate C (NY)
United Arab Emirates U (UAE)
U Austral IAE Business School (Argen)
U Catolica Portugesa (Port)
U Nova de Lisboa (Port)
U Mannheim (Ger)
U Laval (Can)
U Antwerpen (Belgium)
U Albany St U New York (NY)
U Buffalo St U New York (NY)
U Akron (OH)
U Alabama (AL)
U Alabama - Birmingham (AL)
U Alabama - Huntsville (AL)
U Alaska - Anchorage (AK)
U Alaska - Fairbanks (AK)
U Alberta (Can)
U Arizona (AZ)
U Arkansas - Little Rock (AR)
U Arkansas (AR)
U Auckland (N Zea)
U Baltimore (MD)
U British Columbia (Can)
U Calgary (Can)
U California - Berkeley (CA)
U California - Davis (CA)
U California - Irvine (CA)
U California - Los Angeles (CA)
U California - Riverside (CA)
U Central Arkansas (AR)
U Central Florida (FL)
U Central Missouri (MO)
U Chicago (IL)
U Cincinnati (OH)
U Colorado - Boulder (CO)
U Colorado - Colorado Springs (CO)
U Colorado - Denver (CO)
U Connecticut (CT)
U Dayton (OH)
U Delaware (DE)
U Denver (CO)
U Detroit Mercy (MI)
U Dubai (UAE)
U Evansville (IN)
U Florida (FL)
U Georgia (GA)
U Glasgow (UK)
U Hartford (CT)
U Hawaii - Hio (HI)
U Hawaii - Manoa (HI)
U Houston (TX)
U Houston - Clear Lake (TX)
U Houston - Downtown (TX)
U Houston - Victoria (TX)
U Idaho (ID)
U Illinois - Chicago (ILL)
U Illinois - Springfield (IL)
U Illinois - Urbana-Champaign (IL)
U Iowa (IO)
U Kansas (KS)
U Kentucky (KY)
U Louisiana - Lafayette (LA)
U Louisiana - Monroe (LA)
U Louisville (KY)
U Maine (ME)
U Manchester (UK)
U Manitoba (Can)
U Maryland (MD)
U Massachusetts - Amherst (MA)
U Massachusetts - Boston (MA)
U Massachusetts - Dartmouth (MA)
U Massachusetts - Lowell (MA)
U Memphis (TN)
U Miami (FL)
U Michigan (MI)
U Michigan - Dearborn (MI)
U Michigan - Flint (MI)
U Minnesota - Duluth (MN)
U Minnesota (MN)
U Mississippi (MS)
U Missouri (MO)
U Missouri - Kansas City (MO)
U Missouri - St Louis (MO)
U Montana (MT)
U Montevallo (AL)
U Nebraska - Kearney (NE)
U Nebraska - Omaha (NE)
U Nebraska - Lincoln (NE)
U Nevada - Las Vegas (NV)
U Nevada - Reno (NV)
U New Hampshire (NH)
U New Mexico (NM)
U New Orleans (LA)
U N Carolina - Asheville (NC)
U N Carolina - Chapel Hill (NC)
U N Carolina - Charlotte (NC)
U N Carolina - Greensboro (NC)
U N Carolina - Wilmington (NC)
U N Dakota (ND)
U N Florida (FL)
U North Texas (TX)
U N Colorado (CO)
U N Iowa (IO)
U Notre Dame (IN)
U Oklahoma (OK)
U Oregon (OR)
U Otego (New Zea)
U Ottawa (Can)
U Pennsylvania (PA)
U Pittsburgh (PA)
U Portland (OR)
U Queensland (Aus)
U Reading (UK)
U Rhode island (RI)
U Richmond (VA)
U Rochester (NY)
U San Diego (CA)
U San Francisco (CA)
U Scranton (PA)
U S Alabama (AL)
U S Carolina (SC)
U S Carolina - Aiken (SC)
U S Carolina Upstate (SC)
U S Dakota (SD)
U S Florida (FL)
U S Florida - St. Petersburg (FL)
U S California (CA)
U Southern Indiana (IN)
U Southern Maine (ME)
U Southern Mississippi (MS)
U St Gallen (Switz)
U Strathclyde (UK)
U Surrey (UK)
U Sydney (Aus)
U Tampa (FL)
U Technology, Sydney (Aus)
U Tennessee - Chattanooga (TN)
U Tennessee - Knoxville (TN)
U Tennessee - Martin (TN)
U Texas - Arlington (TX)
U Texas - Austin (TX)
U Texas - Dallas (TX)
U Texas - El Paso (TX)
U Texas - San Antonio (TX)
U Texas - Tyler
U Texas - Permian Basin (TX)
U Texas - Pan American (TX)
U Pacific (CA)
U Toledo (OH)
U Toronto (Can)
U Tulsa (OK)
U Utah (UT)
U Vermont (VT)
U Virginia - Darden (VA)
U Virginia - McIntire (VA)
U Waikato (N Zea)
U Warwick (UK)
U Washington (WA)
U W Florida (FL)
U W Georgia (GA)
U Wisconsin - Oshkosh (WI)
U Wisconsin - Eau Claire (WI)
U Wisconsin - La Crosse (WI)
U Wisconsin - Madison (WI)
U Wisconsin - Milwaukee (WI)
U Wisconsin - Parkside (WI)
U Wisconsin - River Falls (WI)
U Wisconsin - Whitewater (WI)
U Wyoming (WY)
U.S. Air Force Academy (CO)
U.S. Coast Guard Academy (CT)
Utah St U (UT)
Utah Valley U (UT)
Valdosta St U (GA)
Valparaiso U (IN)
Vanderbilt U (TN)
Villanove U (PA)
Virginia Commonwealth U (VA)
Virginia Military Institute (VA)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and St U (VA)
Virginia St U (VA)
Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School (Belgium)
Wake Forest U (NC)
Washburn U (KS)
Washington and Lee U (VA)
Washington St U (WA)
Washington U - St Louis (MO)
Wayne St U (MI)
Weber St U (UT)
W Chester U (PA)
W Virginia U (WV)
W Carolina U (NC)
W Illinois U (IL)
W Kentucky U (KY)
W Michigan U (MI)
W New England C (MA)
W Washington U (WA)
Wichita St U (KS)
Widener U (PA)
Wilfrid Laurier U (Can)
Williamette U (OR)
William Paterson U (NJ)
Winston-Salem St U (NC)
Winthrop U (SC)
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA)
Wright St U (OH)
Xavier U (OH)
Yale U (CT)
Yonsei U (S Kor)
Youngstown St U (OH)


Big list, huh? Starting the process means visiting each school’s website to review their programs and online options, because to be blunt, you may be sorry if you don’t know what you want, or if you find out later that you could have had an easier time or better results than you did.

Next: A recap of how to decide whether an MBA is right for you.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Get Real, Mr. Steele

I’m coming up on a birthday, and let’s just say I’m approaching full Geezerhood. Certainly I am well into my ‘curmudgeon’ years. My point is that as much as I’d like to buy into the belief that the Donk Party is about to implode and give the Congress back to rational adults, I have too much experience with Republicans at the Give-Orders-Don’t-Learn level to expect them to suddenly live up to their promises and hype. The GOP, after all, is the party which figured John McCain was our best candidate for President in 2008, which couldn’t decide whether President Bush should be supported or deserted during his terms in office, which had the stones to impeach President Clinton for clear felonies committed while in office, but not to actually convict him, that figured Bob Dole was as good as they needed to do in 1996 ... you get the idea. The only reason I can stand the Republican Party at all, is because the Democrats are much worse.

So, I get this letter today from Michael Steele. A form letter, of course, no one high up in politics pays any attention to me, and he wants money of course … subtle man, he only asked for money … let me count it up here … NINE times in the letter. What strikes me as odd, being an accountant, is that the man never actually says why he should get money from me. Oh sure, he has a lot to say about Obama and the Democrats, but that’s not telling me why giving the RNC money is a good idea. I look back at the past and what the GOP has done with money which I and other Conservatives have paid in, and well sir, I can’t say as I am impressed with the RNC’s track record. Accountable, they are not. Trustworthy, not so much. That is, I figure it makes more sense for me to decide on a candidate I like, send him or her my donation, and Mr. Steele can go on TV shows and earn his money instead of playing political evangelist – all hype and no solid answers – to con me into sending him money just because he plays up the fear of Donkeystein.

The letter bugs me, as well. I opened it because it is headlined, in big bold letters that were visible through a clear section of the envelope, 2010 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT SURVEY. OK, I think to myself, I have ideas and concerns for my district, let’s see what they’re asking. Turns out the title is dishonest – there’s sixteen questions in there, not counting #17 which – again – asks for money as if we can return sanity to D.C. by simply spending enough money. Somehow that scheme is familiar, but it didn’t sound like a good game plan the first several times I heard it, either. Anyway, not one of those 16 questions had anything to do with my specific Congressional District, and yes Mr. Steele that makes you a liar. I don’t like liars and you can’t pretend this letter reflects well on your or the RNC.

What else bugs me, is the content of those sixteen questions. I won’t copy them all here, since just reading them hurts my brain cells to think that anyone could think they are serious in asking them, but here’s a few to give you an idea of what they asked:

2. Should Republicans fight congressional Democrats’ efforts to grant full unconditional amnesty to illegal immigrants?
4. Do you believe that the federal government should maintain a permanent ownership stake in large auto companies?
15. Do you believe that this nation’s Founding Fathers intended for the federal government to micro-manage state and local functions such as healthcare, child care, and unemployment assistance?

The whole thing was like that, questions I could not believe that the RNC did not know its position on, or which they seriously intended to tabulate as a feedback source on their issue targeting. The questionnaire was clearly intended to play on emotion rather than reason, and that’s something despicable to me. The RNC clearly has no interest in the key issues I care about, and I notice there was no place for me to write down my concerns or thoughts. It was all about them, getting money and pushing buttons, not about them working for the people they claim to represent.

If Mr. Steele and the RNC really want to win this November, they had better stop playing these tired old games and grow up. The TEA parties are not anti-Democrat, they’re anti-arrogance. People are not so much fed up with one political party, as they are with being liked to and ignored. A real Congress works for the people, so they’d better stop acting like they own us. We are strong Republicans and Conservatives. We are not, however, fools or morons.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

The Twenty-Year Manager

When I was earning my MBA, I heard a lot of students talk about books they had read which taught quick rules of business and management. One of the most popular is The One Minute Manager, by Kenneth Blanchard (PhD) and Spencer Johnson (MD). It often seems as though everyone knows this book, yet it's pretty obvious that most managers are, hmm, less than outstanding. I also noticed a certain, well, arrogance among young people that they will become masters of their industry simply because they get a nice shiny degree from Important University. While I agree that education is important, and so is certification, for some things you really need the voice of experience. You can get that in two options - you can learn it by trial and error, or you can find someone who's been there and is willing to share their knowledge and experience. That can happen in four ways; you can pay for a class where someone with experience teaches what they know, which is one reason the really expensive schools charge so much; you can hope that your company will assign you a mentor; you can ask around and try to find experienced business professionals on your own; or you can listen to the veterans in your company and field. You might be surprised to find how many people with long experience are willing to share what they know - their motive is surprisingly generous and kind, actually. Most companies, speaking bluntly, either don't train their managers to be managers (somehow, companies never seem to grasp that promoting a person who has education or does a job well, does not necessarily mean that they can manage a team or show leadership just because they're promoted), or that training is less than what you need. A lot of veterans, on the other hand, can you tell you about your most important customers and clients, how to avoid the political hot potatoes that show up sooner or later, and - very important - what you do well and what you do not do well, and how to deal with the different personalities, skill sets, and personal goals of your team.

There are a lot of 'one minute managers' out there, who have learned maxims and clever insights that made them feel ready to do their job. But the really good managers, in my experience, listened to the 'twenty year managers' available to them, even when those "managers" were their subordinates.