John Spranger

Why he enrolled in the Executive MBA program

John’s education and background is rooted in clinical medicine, so most of what John knew about Washington University, “a top pillar institution,” was based on his knowledge of the medical school. As his career trajectory began to shift, he recognized “potholes and blind spots that I needed to fill in with a more well-rounded business training.”

His evolving leadership style

“Being trained in medicine you sort of take the authoritative pathway: This is the standard of medicine. But this program has allowed me to change my way of thinking and use more influence tactics besides just logic—understanding that being an affiliative leader is better received from your employees and your coworkers.”

What he took away from the program

Before starting the Executive MBA program, John expected an intensive education in foundational business—“finance and accounting and analytics and marketing.” He soon found, however, that much of lessons reinforced the development of soft skills, like negotiating, leadership, and critical thinking.

“You learn how to have conversations about new and more complicated topics that you maybe you weren't faced with in the past.

“The program has allowed me to be a lot more creative in my thinking. The business cases that they presented to us, the different stories and successes or failures of my classmates, has opened up a new set of lenses that I didn't have prior.”

On the Leadership Residency

“You look in the mirror. It's a tough week. The assessments and the feedback you get from your peers is really invaluable, and probably one of the most impressive parts of the program.”