Having an open mind to learn new things and being flexible are two hallmarks of being a strong and successful business leader. As a business person, whether you are running a corporation or are just flying solo, you will have to learn how to lead your company while educating yourself on how to be a digital marketing expert, IT, and human resources all at the same time.
And if you insist that you do not have the luxury of time or money to spend on a formal class, you will be happy to learn that the Internet has a plethora of high-quality and more often self-paced educational resources that can help you equip yourself with the necessary aspects of running your business.
Dive head on any of the courses and turn yourself into a unicorn leader in your industry:
Coursera
Coursera has consistently been a good resource for all things university. This year, more universities have started offering Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for free. You can opt to take a course on "Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills" from Columbia University or study management approaches such as lean operations from University of Pennsylvania Wharton school through the site's user-friendly platform.
University System of Georgia's Six Sigma Online Courses
Six Sigma has been a popular course across online educational providers as it equips business professionals with a set of efficient management techniques to transform them into unicorn business leaders. The University System of Georgia offers a specialized list of strategic management courses through Coursera. The range of topics covers both the basics such as the "Six Sigma Principles" and more advanced lessons like "Six Sigma and the Organization.
EDX
Like Coursera, EDX has partnered with both universities and non-academic institutions to provide you with self-paced courses that target business areas you might want to dive head on. Interested in learning more about omnichannel retail? How about beefing up on evidence-based technology management? With an assortment of topics and courses, there is no reason for you not to check out the EDX site.
HarvardX
Partnering with EDX, Harvard University empowers its students from all around the world through its free MOOCs. The high-quality courses offered are mostly free, but you can also opt to receive a verified certificate for a small amount. The university's selection of courses is completely beneficial for both professionals and entrepreneurs. Courses include "Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies" and "ContractsX2017." Getting a certificate course from Harvard University? Not a bad way to start your work week.
Udemy
If your business is going to achieve what you envisioned for it, you need to set clear goals. Udemy offers several courses that will take you deeper into the strategies, tools, and principles associated with establishing structured goals and evaluating the feasibility of such goals.
FutureLearn
Since its founding in 2012, FutureLearn has been providing a wide selection of course programs for its more than seven million users. In collaboration with top universities and specialist organizations, FutureLearn offers a massive library of business-related topics including modern empowerment in the workplace, digital leadership, and even managing public money.
MIT Open Courseware
MIT Open Courseware makes it possible for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to provide higher education on a vast scale. The coursework is divided into core and supplemental courses offered for undergraduate and graduate levels and are taught by the esteemed instructors and professors of the university. Courses include communication for managers, organizational behaviour, and business ethics.
Canvas Network
Like a good educational content curator, Canvas Network partners with different educators and experts worldwide to give both learners and teachers a collaborative space where they can chart their continuing professional development and engage in a fruitful learning experience. Their free online courses include subtopics such as quantitative academic finance, project management process, applied investing, and global human capital trends.
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
For a more focused coursework on startups and small business management, go through what the Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is offering from its selection of courses ranging from management development, market insight and research, and strategic planning and execution.
Class Central
Class Central is not exactly an academic provider, but instead, it curates a giant catalog of MOOCs from hundreds of different online course platforms. The site also offers insightful reviews from learners who have gone through the courses offered to help you decide the best online course that caters to your business needs.
If you want to turn your donkey vision into a unicorn, these online courses are available for you to explore anytime of the day, so you can develop into the successful business person that you have always wanted to be.