Understanding the MBA mindset: How can it prepare you for long-term success?

Enrolling in an MBA program provides the opportunity to develop a comprehensive array of transferable skills. However, arguably more influential is the mindset shift that takes place as you progress through the journey.

MBA students typically graduate with a new perspective that is both more leadership-oriented and growth-focused. As they leave their studies behind, many are eager to embrace new challenges and continue searching for opportunities to develop through new experiences.

Unlocking this MBA mindset does come with inherent challenges, however. As a rigorous learning experience, students often find themselves pushed from their comfort zone as they acclimatize to their studies. But, upon reflection as they re-enter the workplace, graduates can take note of how far they’ve come.

For Asia School of Business (ASB) Executive MBA student, Chris Tham, Class of 2026, acquiring a new mindset has been essential in helping him progress in his career. We spoke with Chris to find out more about how studying can help develop your mindset.

Navigating a demanding experience

When Chris enrolled in the 16-month ASB Executive MBA (EMBA) program, he committed himself to studying alongside his career. Continuing his role as an assistant general manager at Greenyield Berhad, a firm in the agricultural industry, Chris was also balancing new responsibilities as he had recently become a father for the first time.

This significant accumulation of responsibilities forced Chris to carefully evaluate where he spent his time as he juggled work, assignments, and class preparation. During his studies, he often worked late into the night to ensure he was fully prepared for class.

Learning in this way is challenging, he says. “It didn’t just test my knowledge; it tested my patience and my endurance.”

Tailored for busy professionals, the ASB EMBA program offers a blend of modular and hybrid weekend classes, while a full-time option is also available (MBA full-time) to allow students to complete the program in just 12 months.

With participants studying part-time, the EMBA curriculum requires around 20 hours per week of study, while learning sessions encourage active participation and requires students to be highly organized to keep up with its rigorous curriculum. “It’s competitive, demanding, and that’s where the challenge pushes me,” Chris adds.

He says the school’s rigorous but supportive environment has benefited him immensely. And he has already seen recognition for his efforts: since beginning the program Chris has earned two promotions at Greenyield Berhad and now sits on the company’s board.

Experience the Growth Mindset

According to our recent Prospective Students Survey, both employers and applicants today agree that strategic thinking and problem-solving are the most important skills to develop at business school. Employers in particular place emphasis on human skills like initiative, coachability, and emotional intelligence.

To help students develop these critical skills, ASB has initiated a specialist Mindset Lab, dedicated to helping students explore their own limiting beliefs, creativity, and resilience.

Rooted in behavioural science, sessions in the Mindset Lab include executive coaching, scenario-based exercises, interactive workshops, and reflection tasks. They are designed for students to explore their own approaches to leadership, and discover alternative ways of solving problems.

Chris says his experiences within the Mindset Lab gave him a new perspective, able to approach situations from the broader viewpoint that’s required of leaders. He feels more capable of empathizing with the perspectives of others, he adds.

As he channels these leadership skills within the workplace, this new perspective has benefited Chris’s ability to manage others and lead teams.

“It helps the entire team at work to widen our views,” he says.

Implement new skills through Action Learning

The typical MBA curriculum places significant emphasis on practical learning opportunities, where students can apply academic theory to real situations and further ground their knowledge through experiences.

At ASB, students get various chances to participate in Action Learning. For example, by working on capstone projects with companies across Southeast Asia and around the world. The school’s Action Learning focus was one of the aspects of the program that particularly attracted Chris to ASB over other schools that leant further into theoretical study.

However, he was initially surprised by the experience. Early on, he and his peers found the practical activities challenging, he explains. While the cohort had acquired the necessary theory, putting it into practice required them to learn and adopt Action Learning principles.

“Over time we managed to refine our approach, fine tune it, and realize that, above all, solutions need to be practical,” he says.

For Chris, taking the theory he’d acquired in class and applying it within practical projects offered the opportunity to solidify his learnings. At Greenyield Berhad, he has been able to further build on this by implementing his new knowledge and skills. Now, he enjoys the opportunity to approach problems in his role in new ways.

“It made me think before I make decisions. Before I start discussing things with people, it made me take a step back and start thinking about things from another lens,” he says. “It pushed me, and I pushed myself.”

Discover a new version of yourself

As Chris discovered, an MBA can deliver change that extends far beyond just your job title—although it can help you earn promotions along the way.

By pushing beyond your limits, an MBA can teach you that discomfort isn’t always a bad thing, the MBA mindset can therefore prepare you for a new role, but also the challenges and opportunities that come as you continue to progress in your career.