Hi again! Almost one year ago I came here to ask about UK MBAs, and I found your advice extremely helpful. After much reflection and a year of changes, I now feel that rather than an MBA, I should perhaps aim for individual courses that specifically target my career weaknesses (inclduing part of an MBA or Masters curriculum than can be taken individually).

I've been in digital marketing for 12 years now, mostly in the ecommerce/internet sector, and have been in people manager roles throughout most of my career, from mid-manager in bigger companies to running my own small organizations for 3 years. I feel that I'm good at grasping most business skills, and managing people and teams who are under my formal authority.

What I'm not so good at falls under what I think we call "political skills", e.g. knowing whether a peer is trying to sabotage me, fighting/competing for resources, getting people's informal support, especially within a larger organization.

My close friends say that I am "conflict-avoidant" and "people-pleasing" which might work against me.

My goal, at least for now, is to try overcoming these weaknesses. What would you suggest?

[Edited by Explorer on May 24, 2021]

An MSc programme in business psychology or managerial psychology could be very useful. 

An MSc programme in business psychology or managerial psychology could be very useful. 

I'd look for courses that are base in business schools rather than in school of psychology. 

Thank you Duncan, this is very helpful!

If you are already an experienced people manager than a couple of alternatives to formal study are finding an experienced mentor or working with a leadership coach. 

A mentor might work well for you, someone who is an experienced senior manager with excellent soft skills could help you explore the behaviours you want to improve.