Léon Grondin-Leblanc achieves promotion: how the skills learned in his MBA helped propel him forward
Léon began furthering his education with the University of Fredericton with the intent of acquiring the skills needed to progress in his career. After several years of hard work, he is happy to have done just that, having recently been promoted to a General Manager role with Young Davidson.
Léon’s education began with a Bachelor of Engineering specializing in mining and minerals, which was sparked by his family roots. Growing up, both of his parents were involved in the mining industry, leading to his early involvement in this sector. Once he completed his degree at Université Laval, he began his career in a technical mining department, later climbing the ranks into a supervisory role.
It was at this point in his professional growth that he realized he enjoyed managerial work. After taking several internal courses that provided him with position-specific skills, he decided to start looking at MBA programs to determine if this path could help him to open more doors.
The search for an MBA
In his search for an MBA, Leon’s biggest goal was to find quality education without the sacrifice of relocating. When he found UFred, it felt like a perfect fit. When looking deeper into the program, he noticed that the courses covered topics crucial for his industry, namely the topic of global leadership.
“I was looking for something that targeted the leadership skills I wanted to develop. Mining is very global and driven by not only the microscopic details but the macro environment. I found that the program and, more specifically, the global leadership specialty courses, were really aligned with that. I believed the courses would be a great foundation for professional development and self-growth. That’s why I applied and started the program.”
Given that Léon didn’t have to relocate for his MBA program, he was able to take on a job that involved flying to his work location on Mondays and returning home on Thursdays. He held this role for three years and completed the MBA program in this rotation, which was only possible because of the flexibility of the online platform.
Expanding on soft skills
Léon often refers to communication as an essential skill that he honed in his MBA program. As the program has a heavy focus on group work and collaboration, he had to learn how to best engage with his peers, who often had significantly different backgrounds from his own.
“I found that the MBA was good for developing communication skills because it brought people from a lot of different standpoints together, whether it’s different professional contexts or even different cultures.”
Since beginning the program, Léon has utilized these skills to improve professional relationships, whether it be with coworkers or stakeholders who may have different ways of thinking.
“It forces you to build on stakeholder relationships first, and after that you move into the context of the underground work. When you’re talking to people who may not have the same education or background, you might not talk the same language or might not see the same things from the business perspective, you have to make sure you’re breaking your message down to something that’s understandable and relatable.”
Advice for future and current students
Leon’s advice to current and future students is to be organized, and make sure that you maintain a balance between your schoolwork and your personal and professional life.
“Focus on the 11-week format. You have to create a structure for yourself so that you have enough time for your assignments, readings, and everything else that needs to be done. Make sure you’re not squeezing something in that you don’t have time for, so you can focus on getting the maximum out of the program, but don’t forget about yourself and your family through the process.