YOU DON'T NEED AN MBA
But you do need help to lead in a world gone mad.
The answer is strategic leadership - and Not An MBA
will teach you those skills.
IS NOT AN MBA RIGHT FOR YOU?
FEATURED ON
ABOUT NOT AN MBA
An eight-week accelerated executive education programme to develop strategic leaders for the new world of work.
MBAs are long, boring and expensive. Not An MBA teaches you the five key skills of strategic leadership, without all the bore and burnout.
- Comprehensive self-led video curriculum replaces dull reading material
- Interactive online learning sprints replaces boring lectures
- Practical weekly assignments replace pointless essays.
ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
naMBA is an eight-week online leadership course founded in 2021 by Alicia McKay. It provides a safe space to challenge the status quo, learn new perspectives on leadership and connect with other ambitious leaders who are passionate about making meaningful change.
Not an MBA has transformed the lives and work of hundreds of leaders across New Zealand and Australia from government, business and NFPs.
Enrolment is limited to 50 students per intake.
We use a digital course platform to host our video curriculum and supplementary resources, and hold weekly 3 hour learning sprints on Zoom to facilitate action learning and discussion amongst the group.
All students are required to complete eight practical assignments, applying what they've learned to change the way they work immediately.
TIME AND MONEY
naMBA is a commitment of approximately 5-8 hours per week across the course of the programme.
This includes watching the video curriculum, reading You Don't Need An MBA, engaging in learning sprints and completing assignments.
Enrolment fees are $3,699 including GST per student.
Fees must be paid up-front and can be paid by credit card or invoice. To request an invoice, email info@aliciamckay.co.nz.
“In this moment, we need leaders more than ever. But as Alicia McKay helps us understand, waiting two years for a piece of paper isn’t required to make a difference. Start where you are and start now.”
- Seth Godin
Founder of alt MBA, best-selling author of 'Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us'
Learning Approach
Not an MBA is quite different from other executive education programmes. All things point to action, with lots of space for discussion and debate amongst your community.
We structure our programmes to inspire curiosity, challenge and creativity and ask our students to do rather than memorise.
There's no such thing as a stupid idea at naMBA, and we learn as much from each other as we do from the course content.

Expert Leadership

Curriculum
The Not An MBA curriculum is based on the five modules of strategic leadership outlined in You Don't Need An MBA: Leadership Lessons that Cut Through the Crap. This is required reading for the course.
Students work through each modules across eight sprints, guided by a series of short, thought-provoking videos featuring Alicia McKay.
Key curriculum areas include:
- Channelling perspective in times of change
- Making strategic decisions
- Setting boundaries around time and energy
- Thinking in systems to solve problems
- Engaging others in change
- Building influence in the workplace.

JUNE 2022 - INTAKE FULL
The June intake kicks off on Tuesday 28 June, 2022.
Learning sprints are held every Tuesday from 9AM - 12PM NZST, with our final showcase held on Tuesday 16 August.
OCTOBER 2022
The October intake kicks off on Tuesday 18 October, 2022.
Learning sprints are held every Tuesday from 9AM - 12PM NZST, finishing with our final showcase session on Tuesday 6 December.
SHOULD YOU BE NEXT?
Download this free guide to find out whether Not An MBA might be right for you.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT
Make the best decision of your career today and join the next intake of Not An MBA.
ENROL NOW
FAQs
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COST
How much does naMBA cost?
The programme cost is $3,699 NZD, including GST.
Payment must be made up-front - but 3 month payment plans are available in advance for earlybirds.
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TIME
How long is the naMBA programme?
8 weeks long, with learning sprints every week
Why 8 weeks?
Change that isn’t implemented within 8 weeks is exponentially more likely to fail. So, we right-size our change for that timeframe.
How much time will I need to commit?
Around 5-8 hours a week. You will need 3 hours a week for attending the sprint, and an additional 2-5 hours for watching video content, reading the book chapter and completing your assignment.
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PEOPLE
Who else will be there?
Other cool people like you, who know they don’t need a fancy piece of paper to be kick-ass leaders.
Generally, mid-career professionals who are full of fire and ready to take the next step.
We also attract some ludicrously ambitious young guns, and a few oldies who have a lot left to give and are tired of the bullsh*t.
Our students have an average of 20 years experience in their field.
Joining us from business, government, iwi and not-for-profit, they're all senior managers with a passion for development. Check out graduate videos here.
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ALTERNATIVES
Does this replace an MBA?
That’s up to you! There’s lots of theory and subject matter knowledge that you’ll get from an MBA that naMBA won’t help you with. More information is available in this comparison table.
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STRUCTURE
How much theory is involved?
That’s up to you. All attendees need to read You Don’t Need An MBA and you’re likely to dig into other articles and books that relate to topics of your interest.
Alicia frequently drops book recommendations into her chats – it’s up to you whether you pursue that or not.
Will I need to write a thesis?
Nope. I mean, you can if you like. But… nope.
What happens during a learning sprint?
We’re all online for three hours, and most of that time is spent in interactive discussion – sharing progress and ideas, learning from peers, discussing points of view and (hopefully) having some challenging debates.
In each sprint, Alicia will quickly recap the content and focus for this part of the programme, and provide guidance and conversation prompts.
You will discuss the results of your last assignment, and get prepared for your next one.
Do I need to come to all of the sprint sessions?Yes. Miss two and you’re out, unless there’s an exceptionally good reason. Commitment matters.
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ASSIGNMENTS
What kind of assignments will I have to do?
We can’t give all our secrets away!
naMBA includes a variety of short, interesting assignments. Some of these will be things you publish, some will be things you’ll say (conversations to have with others) and some will be things you make.
There’s considerable scope to interpret each assignment with your own creativity and to inspire (and be inspired by!) others.
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CONVINCE YOUR BOSS
How can I convince my boss?
Great question - and we’re here to help. We’ve prepared this useful guide that outlines the naMBA curriculum, and how valuable it is for leaders and organisations of all levels.
We’ll also send you an email template to help you put in your PD request. Helpful, eh?