“Your network is your net worth.” The phrase popularised by Porter Gale and Tim Sanders rings true for every business leader, startup founder and executive out there. A strong network can help you discover new career opportunities on the hidden job market, access advice and link you with connections who want to see you succeed.
This was certainly the case for Helen Barker. Working as a health professional, Helen recognised she had reached a point in her career where she needed to upskill. After briefly considering a master’s degree in health management, she chose to apply for the UQ MBA. Not because she wanted to transition out of health, but because she saw the value of broadening her skillset and expanding her network beyond the health industry.
Now working as the general manager and a director at Axis, Helen leads a national team of over 200 health professionals and support staff delivering onsite physiotherapy and psychology services to large organisations across Australia and New Zealand.
“I became a health professional because I love helping people, and that’s also why I like leadership,” she says.
“In both worlds you can help others learn and grow – be their cheerleader, their motivator, and really make a difference.”
Keep reading to discover the multiple ways Helen leveraged her MBA network and newly acquired skills to enrich her career.
The importance of flexibility
The flexibility of the UQ MBA allowed Helen to grow her family while pursuing her professional goals, and she had 1 child while studying.
“Everyone that does the MBA has their own juggle, but that helps you get closer to the people you study with,” she says.
"I found the UQ MBA very flexible. There were lots of different study options, which meant I could finish it when I wanted to, and I didn’t have to wait to do subjects.
"The staff and other students were very accommodating. My husband was FIFO at the time, so I brought my first child into some of the classes and group work meetings."
“It was also important to me to study a face-to-face MBA. I knew it would be easier to juggle an online MBA, but I wasn’t doing the degree to get a piece of paper; I wanted it for the interaction and network.”
Enhancing technical skills with broader business capabilities
Coming from a background in dietetics, clinical nutrition and exercise sports science, Helen chose to study an MBA because she wanted to broaden her skillset.
“As a health professional, business skills aren't typically part of the degree,” she says.
“Pursuing an MBA was essential for me because it pushed me to develop the skills I knew were necessary for career advancement, even though I wasn’t naturally inclined to seek them out."
Towards the end of her studies, Helen worked on an industry project with Avcair to assess the viability of internationally successful private aviation business models within the Australian domestic market.
“This project provided a valuable opportunity to apply the strategic frameworks and insights gained throughout the MBA to a real-world business scenario in a consulting capacity,” she says.
“It not only enabled me to integrate and demonstrate my capabilities in a practical context, but it reinforced my confidence in delivering high-level strategic advice – regardless of whether I hold technical subject-matter expertise in the area concerned.
“It was an incredibly rewarding conclusion to the MBA experience – one that tied together everything we’d learned with real impact.”
Little did Helen know that the connections she made during this experience would also ultimately lead to a new career opportunity (more on that later).
“The MBA gave me the confidence to look beyond the typical clinical management path and explore new directions. It really changed the way I think about leadership – less about being the expert in the room and more about backing myself to lead and support others, even when it’s outside my technical wheelhouse. Building skills like marketing, strategy, innovation and financial management also helped me take a step back and see things with a much broader business mindset.
“Increasing my knowledge and skills in areas such as financial management has helped me progress into more senior management roles.”
From the classroom to real-world application: how Helen applies MBA learnings at work
Helen says she routinely leverages the suite of strategic frameworks she learned in the UQ MBA in her current role at Axis to enhance high-level decision making, refine their marketing approach and proactively identify opportunities to do things differently. Here are some examples:
- We regularly apply the Business Model Canvas framework – an approach I was introduced to through the Strategy: From Design to Practice course – to focus our marketing strategies. This methodology has been adopted across our leadership team and has proven highly effective in fostering new ways of thinking about how we position our products and services within the market and our unique value proposition.
- From a marketing strategy standpoint, I will also lean on Porter’s Five Forces framework. Most recently, we integrated it with a PESTEL analysis to conduct a comprehensive assessment of a potential new market entry – ensuring both industry dynamics and macro-environmental factors were thoroughly evaluated.
- I was also introduced to the Balanced Scorecard through the MBA’s strategy course. At Axis, I use it as a structured framework for delivering a comprehensive view of business performance to senior leadership. It also helps to reinforce to our leadership team the importance of measuring outcomes across a broad spectrum of functional areas (not just financial performance).
“On reflection, it’s been pretty rewarding to see just how much of the MBA has woven itself into the way I lead and think day to day," says Helen.
"The theory’s been valuable for sure, but for me it’s the practical tools, strategic mindset and the personal confidence that have really stuck with me and made a lasting impact.”
3 ways Helen’s MBA network led to new career opportunities
“The MBA created such a broad, diverse network for me,” Helen says.
“The group work and face-to-face interactions with the cohort across the program helped to create strong bonds. Many of my peers have since become my friends, who challenge and encourage me to stretch myself.”
Having graduated from the program in 2018, Helen Barker has already experienced the benefits of her MBA network several times and in varying ways, including:
- Back in 2018 while studying, a fellow student shared a job opportunity at Workcover with me. We had initially bonded over our shared healthcare background and then had several subjects together. After being made redundant, I reached out to my network to see what opportunities were available and she immediately connected me with the role.
- My current not-for-profit board role at Cystic Fibrosis QLD came through the UQ MBA alumni LinkedIn group. The opportunity was originally listed by the MBA Careers and Professional Development team, then a fellow MBA alum forwarded it to me and encouraged me to apply because they thought my skill set aligned with what they were after.
- My current role came through the then-CFO of an organisation I was working with on an MBA industry partner project. When she first shared the role with me, I didn’t think it seemed like the right career step. But I decided to have coffee with the 2 directors, who had both just started their UQ MBA. I’ve now been in this role for a little over 4 years and am so thankful for my UQ MBA network.
“All the roles I’ve gotten through these MBA connections have been publicly advertised, but I wasn’t always looking for a role when they were shared with me,” she says.
The value of Helen’s MBA network came down to her connections sharing opportunities with her, making introductions and encouraging her to take action.
Lifelong benefits of the MBA network and advocating for others’ growth
Since graduating from the MBA, Helen has continued to take advantage of opportunities to utilise and grow her network further and to continue tapping into her connections for advice.
“I like that there are so many different opportunities to connect as an alum that allow you to continue to learn and grow as well as build your networks," she says.
“I’m now connected to a broad network of alumni from all kinds of industries and backgrounds. We regularly tap into this community to support Axis’ growth – whether it’s through specialised advice, collaborative projects or strategic input via our advisory boards."
"The network is one of the most powerful outcomes of the MBA experience.”
Realising the value she gained from the program, Helen has been an advocate for others studying an MBA. She has since encouraged colleagues and even her husband Scott to see an MBA as an investment in their career.
“I’m a huge advocate of the UQ MBA and the opportunities and growth it has provided me,” she says.
“I love to reflect and be able to say I helped that high performing team and helped that person be more confident so that they could go out and do that. I’m passionate about having that impact on my team to help them go out and be the best health professionals that they can be.
“It’s great having 3 colleagues currently tackling their MBAs, and another UQ MBA alum on the team. I really enjoy seeing how they’re already bringing fresh thinking into their work and benefiting our business. We recently had a team member re-design the pre-employment process to remove bottlenecks following his Operations Delivery and Transformation subject!"
"You can actually see their confidence growing as they put new ideas into practice and challenge the way we do things.”
Helen with her husband and fellow MBA graduate, Scott
How the MBA facilitates creating new career connections
Recognising the long-term career value of strong networks, the UQ MBA prioritises this aspect of the student and alumni experience. Here’s how:
- You'll study with a cohort of highly qualified professionals with management experience from a diverse range of industries. The connections you make in the classroom will enrich your studies, challenge your thinking and develop into professional relationships with peers who will support you throughout your career.
- Connect with industry through networking and career events, guest lectures or by working with them on consulting projects or research.
- An MBA alumni network of over 5,000 through exclusive social club events as well as the broader UQ alumni network.
- Leverage the support of the MBA Careers and Professional Development team. They can provide introductions to alumni who can help you on your journey and help facilitate mentoring relationships as part of their Career Milestone program.
Connect the dots while making valuable career connections that will last a lifetime.
