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MBA en 12 semanas: Aprende las habilidades necesarias para liderar en los negocios de hoy
Based on award-winning leadership development programs experienced by over 100,000 professionals at Fortune Global 500 companies, The 12-Week MBA offers practical tips for aspiring business leaders while making an impassioned case for a new approach to management education.
Getting an MBA takes time and money, making it inaccessible to many people who want to take charge in the business world. The 12-Week MBA offers an alternative way to learn business essentials by focusing on the skills and knowledge required to succeed as both a manager and a business leader. The 12-Week MBA’s unique premise is that business leaders in any industry, any function, and at any level need the same core knowledge, skills, and attitudes to effectively manage and lead. That core consists of working through and with other people to create value while using financial concepts and metrics to maximize the value created for all company stakeholders. The timeless essence of managing numbers and leading people can be learned in less time and at a lower cost than in a traditional two-year MBA, where much of the curriculum may become obsolete by the time students graduate. Authors Bjorn Billhardt and Nathan Kracklauer are senior executives at Abilitie, a global leadership development company that has served over 100,000 learners in fifty countries. Abilitie’s clients include some of the world’s most recognizable brands such as Coca-Cola, The New York Times, and Dell. Now the key lessons from Abilitie’s 12- Week MBA curriculum are available in this accessible and engaging guide.
Getting an MBA takes time and money, making it inaccessible to many people who want to take charge in the business world. The 12-Week MBA offers an alternative way to learn business essentials by focusing on the skills and knowledge required to succeed as both a manager and a business leader. The 12-Week MBA’s unique premise is that business leaders in any industry, any function, and at any level need the same core knowledge, skills, and attitudes to effectively manage and lead. That core consists of working through and with other people to create value while using financial concepts and metrics to maximize the value created for all company stakeholders. The timeless essence of managing numbers and leading people can be learned in less time and at a lower cost than in a traditional two-year MBA, where much of the curriculum may become obsolete by the time students graduate. Authors Bjorn Billhardt and Nathan Kracklauer are senior executives at Abilitie, a global leadership development company that has served over 100,000 learners in fifty countries. Abilitie’s clients include some of the world’s most recognizable brands such as Coca-Cola, The New York Times, and Dell. Now the key lessons from Abilitie’s 12- Week MBA curriculum are available in this accessible and engaging guide.
336 pages, Paperback
Published September 12, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 25 reviews
May 4, 2024
Good groundwork but didn't feel like MBA material. Fast read.
April 30, 2024
Summary:
It involves creating substantial value for shareholders, customers, employees and society at large with shareholder value at the core, driving profitability, growth and effective risk management. Financial fundamentals, including understanding balance sheets, cash flow, working capital and cost management, are crucial for assessing and guiding a company's financial health and sustainability. The process of valuation and value creation is key to determining a business's worth and strategizing for growth.
This includes employing discounted cash flow analysis to evaluate projected financial health and making strategic decisions to enhance shareholder value. When it comes to building and leading successful teams, effective leadership and the ability to motivate and manage people are central. Cultivating trust, setting clear expectations and providing impactful feedback are essential skills. An emphasis on trust, collaboration and mutual support sets the stage for transforming decisions into action and achieving business success.
It involves creating substantial value for shareholders, customers, employees and society at large with shareholder value at the core, driving profitability, growth and effective risk management. Financial fundamentals, including understanding balance sheets, cash flow, working capital and cost management, are crucial for assessing and guiding a company's financial health and sustainability. The process of valuation and value creation is key to determining a business's worth and strategizing for growth.
This includes employing discounted cash flow analysis to evaluate projected financial health and making strategic decisions to enhance shareholder value. When it comes to building and leading successful teams, effective leadership and the ability to motivate and manage people are central. Cultivating trust, setting clear expectations and providing impactful feedback are essential skills. An emphasis on trust, collaboration and mutual support sets the stage for transforming decisions into action and achieving business success.
April 30, 2024
This book is perfect for the personal mba shelf - it offers a distilled essence of an MBA program, highlighting critical insights and actionable strategies to elevate your leadership and management skills. Gets 3/5 because I think the team and leadership info was generic, outdated, and forced.
Notes:
- Shareholder value, defined by the potential future net cash flows a company can generate, remains central. Managers must master financial metrics to align decisions across the organization with the goal of holistic value creation.
- There are three things to consider when driving shareholder value: profitability, growth, and risk management. Profitability, the foundation upon which value is built, comes from the delicate balance between revenues and expenses. Strategies for enhancing profitability often involve making operations more efficient, innovating products and services to command higher prices, and judiciously managing costs without compromising the quality or value delivered to customers.
- value creation, encompassing the expansion of sales through both organic and inorganic means
- Organic growth, like nurturing a tree from its roots, focuses on increasing the volume of sales by attracting more customers or encouraging existing ones to purchase more. Inorganic growth – more like the grafting of a new branch onto an existing tree – often involves mergers and acquisitions to rapidly expand the customer base and enter new markets.
Financial health:
- Understanding and managing a company’s financial health requires a deep understanding of several key areas – specifically balance sheets, cash flow, working capital, and cost structures.
- Balance sheet - Think of this as a financial snapshot, showing what a company owns – assets – versus what it owes – liabilities and equity – at a specific point in time. This lets stakeholders gauge a company’s stability and liquidity.
- Cash flow - distinguishes between operating activities, investing activities, and financing activities, highlighting the company’s ability to generate cash, invest it wisely, and finance its operations. Unlike profits, which can be influenced by accounting practices, cash flow provides a more tangible measure of a company’s financial performance and its immediate health.
- Working capital - focuses on the day-to-day financial operations of a company. It involves managing the balance between a company’s short-term assets and liabilities. Efficient management of working capital ensures a company has sufficient fluidity to meet its short-term obligations and invest in growth opportunities.
- Valuation is a lens through which companies assess their potential to grow and prosper in competitive markets. It involves understanding how every aspect of a business, from subscriber growth to strategic decisions, contributes to its perceived value in the eyes of investors and the market at large. Netflix’s experience illustrates the volatility of market valuation and the need for businesses to continually adapt and innovate to maintain and enhance their value.
Notes:
- Shareholder value, defined by the potential future net cash flows a company can generate, remains central. Managers must master financial metrics to align decisions across the organization with the goal of holistic value creation.
- There are three things to consider when driving shareholder value: profitability, growth, and risk management. Profitability, the foundation upon which value is built, comes from the delicate balance between revenues and expenses. Strategies for enhancing profitability often involve making operations more efficient, innovating products and services to command higher prices, and judiciously managing costs without compromising the quality or value delivered to customers.
- value creation, encompassing the expansion of sales through both organic and inorganic means
- Organic growth, like nurturing a tree from its roots, focuses on increasing the volume of sales by attracting more customers or encouraging existing ones to purchase more. Inorganic growth – more like the grafting of a new branch onto an existing tree – often involves mergers and acquisitions to rapidly expand the customer base and enter new markets.
Financial health:
- Understanding and managing a company’s financial health requires a deep understanding of several key areas – specifically balance sheets, cash flow, working capital, and cost structures.
- Balance sheet - Think of this as a financial snapshot, showing what a company owns – assets – versus what it owes – liabilities and equity – at a specific point in time. This lets stakeholders gauge a company’s stability and liquidity.
- Cash flow - distinguishes between operating activities, investing activities, and financing activities, highlighting the company’s ability to generate cash, invest it wisely, and finance its operations. Unlike profits, which can be influenced by accounting practices, cash flow provides a more tangible measure of a company’s financial performance and its immediate health.
- Working capital - focuses on the day-to-day financial operations of a company. It involves managing the balance between a company’s short-term assets and liabilities. Efficient management of working capital ensures a company has sufficient fluidity to meet its short-term obligations and invest in growth opportunities.
- Valuation is a lens through which companies assess their potential to grow and prosper in competitive markets. It involves understanding how every aspect of a business, from subscriber growth to strategic decisions, contributes to its perceived value in the eyes of investors and the market at large. Netflix’s experience illustrates the volatility of market valuation and the need for businesses to continually adapt and innovate to maintain and enhance their value.
April 30, 2024
"The 12-Week MBA" by Nathan Kracklauer and Bjorn Billhardt offers a condensed yet comprehensive guide to mastering essential business and leadership skills without the need for a traditional MBA program. The book distills the core concepts of managing numbers and leading people into actionable strategies that can be implemented in just 12 weeks.
The authors emphasize the importance of understanding financial fundamentals, which extend beyond profit maximization to include creating value for all stakeholders. They discuss the significance of profitability, growth, and risk management in driving shareholder value, highlighting strategies for enhancing each aspect.
Financial stability is another key focus area, with discussions on balance sheets, cash flow analysis, working capital management, and cost structures. These elements are crucial for assessing a company's financial health and guiding its strategic decisions.
Unlocking a business's value involves valuation and value creation strategies, such as Discounted Cash Flow analysis, to determine a company's worth and identify opportunities for growth. Strategic decision-making plays a vital role in enhancing shareholder value and aligning business initiatives with broader objectives.
The book also delves into the human element of team leadership, emphasizing the importance of trust, clear communication, and effective feedback in building high-performing teams. Understanding individual motivators and fostering a cooperative culture are key to maximizing team potential.
Finally, the art of leadership and decision execution is explored, highlighting the role of leaders in guiding teams toward shared success through effective communication, role modeling, and decision-making processes.
Overall, "The 12-Week MBA" offers a comprehensive guide to mastering essential business and leadership skills, providing actionable strategies for success in today's dynamic business landscape.
The authors emphasize the importance of understanding financial fundamentals, which extend beyond profit maximization to include creating value for all stakeholders. They discuss the significance of profitability, growth, and risk management in driving shareholder value, highlighting strategies for enhancing each aspect.
Financial stability is another key focus area, with discussions on balance sheets, cash flow analysis, working capital management, and cost structures. These elements are crucial for assessing a company's financial health and guiding its strategic decisions.
Unlocking a business's value involves valuation and value creation strategies, such as Discounted Cash Flow analysis, to determine a company's worth and identify opportunities for growth. Strategic decision-making plays a vital role in enhancing shareholder value and aligning business initiatives with broader objectives.
The book also delves into the human element of team leadership, emphasizing the importance of trust, clear communication, and effective feedback in building high-performing teams. Understanding individual motivators and fostering a cooperative culture are key to maximizing team potential.
Finally, the art of leadership and decision execution is explored, highlighting the role of leaders in guiding teams toward shared success through effective communication, role modeling, and decision-making processes.
Overall, "The 12-Week MBA" offers a comprehensive guide to mastering essential business and leadership skills, providing actionable strategies for success in today's dynamic business landscape.
March 19, 2024
This is a good book for basic concepts of business and/or for a refresher for those who have gotten their MBA many years ago. The authors have used their teachings in corporations supplemented by simulations and exercises. I think having those experiences would make the teachings here more powerful -- because to learn about how to run a business and lead an organization is more than understanding the mechanics, principles and concepts. It requires critical thinking, relationship building, managing through conflict and power dynamics, managing diverse stakeholders and keeping your eye on the financials. So if the authors are implying that this is a cheaper, more efficient alternative to getting a MBA - then they are overlooking the critical intangibles you also get by immersing yourself in a program with other students who have different experiences and perspectives than you as well as faculty who will challenge you and push you outside of your comfort zone. But if this book is intended to supplement as opposed to replace a MBA, as I mentioned above, it is a good refresher or foundation for basic business and organizational concepts.
Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Books for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.
Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Books for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.
April 20, 2024
Developed around the premise that the fundamentals of a traditional MBA curriculum can be distilled into two main parts: 1) effective management & 2) financial literacy, the 12-Week MBA manages to capture the core of business accumen and delivers each concept with clarity, relatability, and a thoroughly engaging tone throughout. The examples included within, whether analyzing real-world case studies or exploring hypothetical scenarios ("Imagine you are the owner of a taco truck...") help to drive these concepts home in memorable (and often humorous) fashion. The authors' combined experiences and gifted communication style keeps the impressive breadth of material within a surprisingly accessible range (including for those readers who, like myself, do not have any prior background or formal business training). For my money, I'd highly recommend this book to anyone considering an going to school for an MBA or simply to anyone who is curious to develop a better sense of business/management.
January 16, 2024
The 12-Week MBA is a must read if you are in a corporate environment or involved in any type of business across any industry. It is immensely helpful to understanding the inner workings of a company and why things happen the way they do (both from a financial and people perspective). It's also written in a very digestible way so that even if you never had a financial background (me!), you are provided with easy examples and breakdowns to grasp the key takeaways. It answered a lot of questions I've had throughout my career of being in a room and not understanding why certain decisions are made or even what a TCV is! This isn’t solely for those focused on business though, as the book unlocks deeper revelations that can help you do your job better whether collaborating with different people, departments or communicating with senior executives and stakeholders.
January 22, 2024
This book is a concise survey course in how to operate as a manager, including an elegant breakdown of complex, "math-y" topics. It gives a clear explanation of often-misunderstood ideas like shareholder value, risk, and growth, and does it all with a sense of humor that makes it easy to keep reading. The book starts with the part many business books gloss over -- the numbers -- before moving on to the "soft" skills of people management, using the former as a foundation for the latter. Highly recommended for anyone interested in becoming a more well-informed manager who can make intelligent decisions.
January 22, 2024
I think this book is excellent, really, especially for the not-insignificant number of folks who might be thinking of an MBA, but will not fall into the miniscule fraction of students who will be at institutions that are very likely to lead directly to career advancement. I definitely intend to recommend this to any advisees who cross my desk and mention that they are considering (but are not 100% committed to) an MBA.
In particular, I think the organizational structure (the poets/quants split) works well. I also appreciate the extent to which the authors included, but communicated in a straightforward way, relevant research and psychological phenomena
In particular, I think the organizational structure (the poets/quants split) works well. I also appreciate the extent to which the authors included, but communicated in a straightforward way, relevant research and psychological phenomena
April 30, 2024
In the 12-Week MBA by Nathan Kracklauer and Bjorn Billhardt, you've learned that mastering the business world extends far beyond simple profit maximization. It involves creating substantial value for shareholders, customers, employees and society at large with shareholder value at the core, driving profitability, growth and effective risk management. Financial fundamentals, including understanding balance sheets, cash flow, working capital and cost management, are crucial for assessing and guiding a company's financial health and sustainability. The process of valuation and value creation is key to determining a business's worth and strategizing for growth.
March 29, 2024
This is an excellent book if you are looking for digestible and practical advice on how to be a productive manager. With a little bit of delightful humor baked in, this is an easy read that will leave you with lots to ponder and new skills to apply to the workplace! Highly recommend for anyone looking to take their career to the next level.
January 9, 2025
The 12-Week MBA is not a conventional MBA book. It is differentiated by the way it extracts vital elements of an MBA curriculum to help learners lead in business without the cost implications that come with it. If you are someone interested in leading people and understanding the financial aspects of running a business, this book will definitely address your concerns. I highly recommend the book!
January 17, 2025
Excelente libro.
Perfecto para quienes dirigen sus propios negocios como yo para familiarizarse con la gestión empresarial. Parte desde lo más básico a lo avanzado, dando definiciones de los términos y explicando con ejemplos entendibles y aplicables.
Está escrito para que sea fácil consultar el tema que necesites en cualquier comento.
Perfecto para quienes dirigen sus propios negocios como yo para familiarizarse con la gestión empresarial. Parte desde lo más básico a lo avanzado, dando definiciones de los términos y explicando con ejemplos entendibles y aplicables.
Está escrito para que sea fácil consultar el tema que necesites en cualquier comento.
October 1, 2025
I got it as an investor looking to understand the fundamentals. I wanted a full understanding of the financial terms that I only half understood.
I got that and more. Very up to date, pulls examples from recent business news and the post pandemic workspace. Recommend for investors, entrepreneurs, and managers.
I got that and more. Very up to date, pulls examples from recent business news and the post pandemic workspace. Recommend for investors, entrepreneurs, and managers.
January 7, 2025
Great overview of fundamental business concepts! Presented in a very readable and digestible way, the authors help readers come away with a better sense of how companies truly operate and how to talk to the different personas that make companies tick.
April 24, 2025
Considero que es una buena guía principalmente para las personas que están comenzando en los negocios, administración y finanzas , si tú ya eres una persona con conocimientos en estos rubros no lo leas es demasiado básico !! no es malo pero te aseguro que ya te sabes la mayoría de los temas
March 11, 2024
Did this as an Audible, and wished I would have read instead. Rapid fire content I would have loved to re-read and marinate on. Is 48 too old to go to grad school, because this book made me want to:)
April 7, 2024
Very good book for a business owner. Has some common sense basic accounting info as well as critical thinking ideas like building relationships and putting profit first. I enjoyed it.
September 3, 2024
This book further convinced me of the absolute uselessness of an MBA, so, thanks I guess?
Currently reading
November 25, 2024just need to know more about business ig
February 21, 2025
Chock full of business wisdom
June 5, 2025
Makes learning from a textbook style easy and quick. Very high level but very applicable concepts to real world business
November 29, 2025
Lo doy por terminado habiendo llegado al capitulo 15. Me recordó que los estados financiero están conectados entre sí.
Evidentemente, lo volveré a estudiar.
Evidentemente, lo volveré a estudiar.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 25 reviews