Results of Business Coaching for Executive MBA Students
at Maastricht University

• Enhanced Leadership Skills:
  Executive MBA students develop a more effective leadership style, helping them to better lead their teams and organizations and to implement strategic changes.
• Strengthened Personal Development:
  Through coaching, Executive MBA students discover their own strengths and areas for development, promoting personal growth and self-awareness.
• Expanded Business Network:
  Group and buddy coaching contribute to creating strong and trusted peer-to-peer networks.

MaastrichtMBA is designed for senior working professionals worldwide. Many Executive MBA students choose this two-year, part-time executive master’s program because of its emphasis on leadership development. Ron Jacobs, MBA Director, states, ‘The combination of education with coaching sets a lot in motion.’ COURIUS is one of the parties contributing to leadership development in this program.

Focus on Leadership Development

Ron: ‘These leadership elements are partly integrated into the curriculum: topics such as personal leadership, team leadership, and involving employees in strategic changes are covered. COURIUS also contributes to these educational elements. The Leadership Development Trajectory, which runs parallel to educational units on business disciplines, allows students to discover and develop their own leadership qualities. This continually provides MBA students with a mirror, challenging them to step out of their comfort zones and experiment with new behaviors.’

Ahlem Chanteloup-Salma, Sales Director at Emerson, completed MaastrichtMBA in 2024. ‘I have a technical background and was leading an engineering team. Over time, I got increasingly drawn into the technical aspects, while I wanted to broaden my knowledge and experience. To advance my career, I decided to pursue the Executive MBA. At the same time, I became a Strategic Planner for Europe, defining the business strategy of the European business unit.’

Coaching

Ahlem: ‘MaastrichtMBA was very valuable because I amongst other things gained more knowledge about finance, marketing, and strategy. It was very interesting, but I could immediately apply it in my new role. The coaching program was particularly useful for understanding myself better, recognizing my strengths, and developing my leadership skills. We had a one-on-one session every month, along with buddy coaching and group coaching. Initially, Marco Buschman from COURIUS facilitated discussions among six students. Later, we conducted these group sessions independently.

The personal coaching was enlightening. Marco was challenging my thinking and planted seeds in my head about how to approach tasks differently and rely more on my team members. The group and buddy coaching helped me realize that I was not alone in my pursuit of personal development.’

Executive Students

Ron: ‘Our students are very diverse: they average fifteen years of work experience – often including formal leadership roles, and they come from various countries, and different sectors and organizations. What they have in common is a desire to work on themselves. This means that leadership development is different for every one of them, depending on their learning goals, personal and professional circumstances, and choices. To accommodate this diversity, we choose to work with external leadership experts from different backgrounds.’

Ahlem: ‘Every three months, we had a week of classes that ended with presentations and work with the group. Initially, this was frustrating because we were all leaders from different industries and backgrounds trying to prove ourselves. However, the coaching sessions helped me understand that it’s okay not to always take the lead. It’s important to influence, find balance, and accept that you can’t reach everyone. The more the coaching and practice intertwined, the better my learning experience became.’

Good Fit

Ron: ‘COURIUS is one of the external parties we collaborate with. We focus mainly on the individual. Marco was the first to join us and is an inspiring speaker with a passion for his work. He was followed by Jeroen Brink, with a solid corporate background, and recently Eddie van der Wereld, with a background in journalism, safety, and training & coaching. Marco and his colleagues connect well with our target audience; I hear from students that they are very satisfied with them.’

Ahlem: ‘At first, I wondered what I would gain from coaching in terms of leadership experience. I had never experienced it before. Marco was exceptional. He understood my doubts, shared his own story, which created a sense of similarity and trust, and asked insightful questions without giving answers or advice. His approach made me think about my leadership style and showed me that I could do things differently. Occasionally, he gave me exercises, such as mapping out my polarities. Initially, I didn’t see their importance, but after a year, I realized that it was exactly what I needed. Marco helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses and guided me to work on them at the right pace. After my initial skepticism, I was grateful for Marco’s coaching after two years. It had a profound impact on me, both professionally and in my personal life.’

Leading Differently

Ahlem: ‘Leadership means having a vision, being able to inspire people, and influencing them to move in a certain direction. To achieve this, you need to have the ability to listen first, and understand the situation. Then create a strategy based on your observations, and ensure everyone understands it and are involved with you to make it happen.

Before MaastrichtMBA, I thought that as a leader, I had to be the best, know everything, and do everything myself to inspire others. I am an energetic person and like to do many things simultaneously and expected people to do the same. It frustrated me when others couldn’t keep up. Now I realize that everyone has their own path and pace, and that’s okay. As a leader, you need to accept this, adapt, and help others progress at their own pace. This realization has improved my leadership style. While I am still energetic, I am more patient and supportive, giving others the time they need to develop well.’

Interaction Between Education and Coaching

Ron: ‘Throughout the MBA, you see a lot of movement. There is a beautiful interaction between the educational part and the coaching: students gain more knowledge and insight into all business processes, making them better discussion partners within their organizations. And because they also develop personally, they lead more consciously and effectively. I only see this from a distance, of course, as the exact content of each personal development journey is confidential, but I see students change compared to the intake interview, which I always conduct myself.’

Ahlem: ‘I finished my thesis in December, and when the position of Sales Director opened up in February 2024, I applied. It went very naturally. I see getting the job as a mix of coincidence, my hard work over the past three years, and the new knowledge and skills I gained during the Executive MBA.’

Smooth Cooperation

The collaboration with COURIUS is going well, Ron notes. ‘It runs very smoothly. We are getting to know each other better. One point of attention when working with external parties, in general, is to keep each other informed about developments and changes. These always continue, both with us and in their own business. Fortunately, we always find common ground.’ Laughing: ‘Sometimes a lot of emails go back and forth!’

Business coaching with impact

Are you considering a business coaching program for the executives and high-potentials in your organization? A program that contributes to their growth and resilience in the face of change? Then contact us for an exploratory discussion and tell us more about the challenges within your organization.