In a rapidly evolving business environment, driving organizational change and process improvement can help an organization flourish. Having strategic leaders who can guide a company is essential, but investing in those leaders and their future takes time.

Worthington Steel understands that effective leadership requires a journey of continuous growth and self-discovery. For the past 10 years, it has supported many employees on that journey through Fisher’s Executive MBA (EMBA) program.

“Fisher’s EMBA is a great way for employees to hone their business acumen and develop confidence as our next generation of leaders,” said Geoff Gilmore, president and chief executive officer of Worthington Steel. “There is definitely a secret recipe to the program.”

Of the 20 employees Worthington Steel has enrolled in the EMBA program since 2013, 95% have been promoted at least once to positions such as manager, director or vice president, Gilmore said.

“We see a significant increase in their personal confidence which is key to our business success,” he said.

EMBA’s broad-based approach

Part of the EMBA’s “secret recipe” is a cross-functional perspective of business. Students explore areas such as finance, marketing, strategy, leadership and entrepreneurship to gain issue-oriented, immediately applicable strategies that transcend industries and expertise.

“I studied business areas focusing on key aspects and how they affect short- and long-term aspirations of a company,” said Adrienne Schmoll (EMBA ’21), director of transformation at Worthington Steel. “Lessons in economic concepts, crisis management techniques and different communication approaches have helped me at work.”

Key to the program is creating dynamic leaders capable of pivoting across different sectors and disciplines. Students gain hands-on experience in leadership, global perspectives, analytical thinking strategies and change management principles.

“The EMBA helped integrate the varying aspects of business, provided an understanding of what is important to each business team and built my confidence to lead my team and accomplish complex projects more efficiently,” Schmoll said. “There were many opportunities to work on projects as small teams to flex our organizational change muscle in diverse circumstances.”

These lessons carried over into her work. She helped a corporate department review its contracts and coordinate with vendors when Worthington Industries, now Worthington Enterprises, separated its steel processing business and made Worthington Steel a standalone, public company in 2023.

In addition to building skills around strategy, data and analytics, Gilmore said the EMBA program provides students with another intangible: connectivity.

“One of the most important aspects of the program is the interactions they have with other students from other industries that help them gain different business perspectives,” he said.

Alex Kocheff, a territory sales manager at Worthington Steel and current EMBA student, has gained a more holistic view of business strategies and management by understanding how different industries tackle challenges.

“Ohio State’s EMBA program has allowed me to learn best practices and innovative solutions alongside professionals from various industries ― technology, health care, finance,” Kocheff said. “Working with peers from various backgrounds encourages out-of-the-box thinking and the cross-application of ideas. It has enhanced my ability to think critically and creatively and become a more adaptable and effective leader.”

The EMBA program incorporates other aspects of the Fisher experience, including two immersion trips – to Silicon Valley to meet with tech industry titans and an overseas experience to explore global manufacturing and service sectors.

“The immersion trips help our employees better understand the economy,” Gilmore said. “They see and understand that the world they are working in is global, that there are complexities, governments, markets and cultures different than ours.”

Learning to lead

Part of every EMBA student’s experience is the creation of an individualized leadership development plan. Working with executive coaches, they identify their unique strengths, weaknesses and career aspirations and map out a tailored path forward for growth and improvement.

“The personalized coaching sessions have helped me identify and develop my leadership style and address specific challenges I face,” Kocheff said. “I am able to strategize problems more efficiently, communicate clearly with executive management and coach others more confidently.”

Schmoll entered the program to learn how to empower, support and enhance employees’ technical and analytical aptitude, challenge the status quo, reduce tactical and time-consuming issues and become more strategic.

“The EMBA provided me clarity on what is important to each business area, what drives leaders to take action and what vernacular is spoken,” she said. “This helped me target the business opportunities best served by a new solution and to speak in my team’s business terms for greater efficiency and success.”

Kocheff said he’s already seen a return on his EMBA investment.

“I’ve taken the concepts learned in class and applied them to my customer base, team and company's long-term strategy,” he said. “They have enabled me to focus on effective sales strategies, customer relationship management and market analysis. The program has also enabled my ability to make data-driven decisions and foster a culture of innovation, ultimately contributing to the company’s overall success and competitive advantage.”