Alumni of the Month
Name: Christoph Lautsch
Place of work: Coburg / Germany
Graduation Year: 2019
Current Job: Key Account Manager Automotive
Favorite Quote: “Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders” (Tom Peters)
Where
do you see yourself in 5 years?
In
5 years I see myself in a senior management position, being fully responsible
for a globally acting team and account, or as a business consultant for
companies which are working in cross-cultural environments. Due to my expat working
experience in USA, China and Italy, international business development is my
passion and expertise.
So you finished MBA classes in 2019, tell us about your
experience after your MBA Degree Program.
The MBA program enriched my personality and functional knowledge, especially having
worked closely together with students from different countries in Europe, Asia,
America and Africa. The program showed me different ways to see matters from various
angles and gave me new ideas how to approach a task. As a result, I am more
unstressed when I am confronted with new and unusual situations.
What skillset do you need to do your job?
Integrity, empathy, persistence. Good communication and
presentation skills. Open mindset and ability to recognize opportunities and
challenges at an early stage. Being prepared to adjust quickly to changing
conditions. And of course leadership skills, the ability to motivate other
people for common goals in a sustainable way.
What are your future plans?
I just took over a new position as Key Account Manager, being in charge of a globally present customer in the Automotive Tier-1 industry. This is a great chance to keep on developing myself both from professional and personal perspective and in the end rounding up my already comprehensive sales profile. Besides, as I see a strong demand for SMEs to get active support to define, align and run their business activities in China in a sustainable way, I also consider to work as a consultant in that field in the future.
If you could describe your experience in Rome during your
MBA how would you sum it up?
I have completed the MBA program next to my job as Business Development Manager
Asia that involved international travelling. On the one hand meeting the
requirements of these both tasks at the same time had been challenging, on the
other hand it makes me very proud that everything worked very well (thanks also
to the support of my family and friends, my employer and of course the SSM) and
having been honored as the “Outstanding Student of the Year”.
Having studied and spent 1 year in the amazing and lively city of Rome is a wonderful experience in my life, which I definitely do not want to miss. Not only my knowledge but also my network expanded, as I have found new friends I am still in contact with.
Can you
share an experience that is most memorable with relation to the MBA Degree
program?
Most memorable event was the adventure day which took place at the end of my
first course “Leadership 360 Degrees”: the students started in chaos and ended
up as one unity. Individual borders were broken through thanks to developing
courage, understanding the different roles in leadership, having “the big
picture” always in mind and motivating each other.
What
was your favorite class in the program and why?
Every prof did their best to keep their classes interesting and in most cases
the courses were also a lot of fun. As they fitted the most to my professional
direction, the courses “Leadership 360 Degrees“ and “Competitive Strategic
Management” were the most useful for myself. They involved a lot of practical exercises
to develop entrepreneurial skills and also the opportunities to reflect your
own behavior and personality.
What
advice would you give newcomers to the MBA Degree program or for those
interested?
It is up to the students themselves what to take out of this program. You can be
courageous and try out different ways under training conditions, which is not so
easily possible without any serious consequences in a real job. In the end it
is a big chance to develop yourself in many aspects so my advice is: take this
chance!
What do you think differentiates this MBA from other MBA programs?
In the first place, the group is small which allows that the profs are able to focus on the individual development of each student.
In the second place, the students and also most of the profs have an international background i.e. you study in a very international atmosphere.
In the third place, it is not the university’s focus to
prepare you only on a single final exam. There are a lot of group works during
each course, especially for presentations which are essential in a manager’s
professional life. Further helpful experiences were all the
practical tasks such as practicing negotiation skills and training how to
interview potential candidates in the right and polite way.
In the fourth place, the program takes place in an ancient building and awesome
location straight in the heart of Rome. After the course, you can easily walk
to the most beautiful places just around the corner…
Would
you recommend this program to other people?
For sure. It is a great chance for personal development and to interact with
people from all over the world. Especially working in teams with people having
different professional and cultural background, is sometimes a challenge but
also fun at the same time. Prompt feedback on one’s performance is a great
chance for fostering your individual development. You are prepared to become a manager or an entrepreneur and
not only an employee. And last but not least: the program takes place in one of
the most amazing cities in the world and a beautiful country.