Navigating all aspects of life with help from Executive Education

In today’s fast-paced and competitive business world, professionals often turn to executive education as a valuable investment. Prioritizing training and development can help you and your organization succeed in ways that might not have been possible before.

But the benefits don’t stop there.

Mykella Auld, a participant in Johns Hopkins Carey Business School’s Executive Education programs, said the programs support advancement not only in her day job but also in her consulting work.

Auld works at the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University, also known as GovEx, as an instructional designer and is part of its Executive Leadership Program. She is also the founder and executive coach for The Work Well Studio, a coaching and consulting firm that focuses on both organization and individual development.

“Many of us do our own consulting or own smaller businesses, so we really benefit from this type of learning,” Auld said.

Auld has completed certificates in both Business Communication and Design Thinking for Innovation, and is enrolled in the Coaching Skills for Professionals program – a personalized executive education program developed specifically for GovEx to advance the team’s coaching and leadership styles. 

Practical applications

Auld chose to enroll in the Design Thinking for Innovation and Coaching Skills for Professionals programs because they aligned with her areas of interest, priorities in her current position, and her long-term personal goals for her own consulting. She also completed the Business Communication certificate program as part of a professional development team activity with her colleagues.

Working at GovEx, much of Auld’s work is human-centered. Her day-to-day duties include developing and designing impactful instruction for senior leaders and mayors across cities and municipalities. And a large portion of that means having significant conversations with high-profile leaders to ultimately develop instructional tools for them to use.

“Since our work is international, having a design thinking perspective has allowed me to dig deeper and create new outcomes. Design thinking is necessary for building innovative systems. I’m able to look at the full scope of our audience and figure out how to create solutions for all,” she said.

Auld says the Coaching Skills for Professionals course is developing who she is as a coach.

“It’s given me a credential that now makes me much more marketable,” she said. “I don’t think I would’ve been able to develop these skills without it.”

One of the most impactful parts of her position is the ability to have constructive conversations that can challenge preconceived ideas to get everyone where they need to be. The innovation-focused approach to strategic planning and coaching is another tool Auld says she has added to her toolbox. And along with developing her skills and style, she keeps empathy in mind.

“No one is just an employee. We are humans. And we are learning how to coach with empathy to connect with others in the room to set up spaces that are safe, open, and vulnerable,” she said.

Throughout her time in the Business Communication certificate program, Auld says she developed new knowledge that has helped her effectively communicate and feel confident when she submits her work to high-profile leaders. And it ultimately leads to her success both for GovEx and her consulting work.

“We are constantly putting together high-level materials at GovEx,” she said. “And for my personal firm, I learned a lot on business proposals and contracts, and how to sell yourself while working independently. It has made the work I can do with different audiences much broader, which I so appreciate.”