Emily Moss Hoffman, Director of Client Delivery
Emily Moss Hoffman, Director of Client Delivery, VitalSmarts
Undergraduate Degree and Major:
BA, English, Emory University
Graduate School(s) / Degree(s) / Year(s):
University of Utah School of Medicine, MD, 2002
Marriott School of Management, Brigham Young University, MBA,2006
What are your responsibilities at work and how does your degree help you achieve them?
I oversee our master facilitators, who deliver our training courses for our clients, and I lead the team that is charged with certifying and supporting our 4,000+ certified client trainers worldwide. I am also a member of the VitalSmarts executive committee, and it is in that role that my MBA degree has proved invaluable. From my MBA program, I learned how to think strategically, how to dive deeply into and thinking critically about complex business problems, and how to lead people.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
I love coaching and mentoring the people who are on my team and our client trainers. The training and development industry is centered on learning and growing. It is rewarding to help people discover and cultivate the best that is in them.
What do you enjoy least about what you do?
Saying no to people. I love the skills we teach and wish I could just give them away to everyone who asks! It is always tough to turn away a nonprofit organization, a school district, or small regional hospital that wants our training and doesn’t have the budget for it.
Why did you choose this career?
I was planning to go into Finance after my MBA. I took a class from Kerry Patterson, the founder of VitalSmarts, and he convinced me to come talk to his partners about career opportunities. I didn’t know much about what VitalSmarts did but I was so impressed with the passion, the intelligence, and the sense of humor these folks had that I decided I didn’t care what they did. I had long thought that I could do just about anything as long as I was working with smart, fun, passionate people, and that is what I found at VitalSmarts.
Why did you choose to get an MBA?
I felt like my career was stuck and I wanted to make a jump into something new and at a higher level.
What was your first job post-MBA?
Senior Consultant, VitalSmarts—I was a full-time master facilitator for our training courses.
What traits should someone have to be successful in your career?
Ability to collaborate cross-functionally and influence your peers. I think you also need to be able to hold yourself accountable to just do the work. I spend a lot of my time on the road, working with clients. It is easy after a long day with clients to just head back to your hotel room and flip on the TV. To be successful in what I do, you really have to have that drive to get the work done, even when no one is checking up on you.
Traits to be successful in an MBA program:
Collaboration. You need to be able to identify people’s strengths, organize the work around those strengths, and get the most out of everyone on your teams.
What advice would you give someone considering an MBA?
Have a clear goal in mind for what you want to get out of your MBA program. As the number of programs and graduates increases, the degree itself may not distinguish you from others. The MBA is a versatile degree that can take you a lot of different places, so make sure you know where you want to go with it and then choose and structure your program so that you will get there.
When considering MBA programs, what do you suggest prospective students look for?
The same things you should look for in choosing a job—fit and ROI. MBA programs, just like organizations, have different personalities, different strengths and weaknesses. Make sure you pick one that is the right personality fit for you. And, as with any business decision, you need to be asking: What is the ROI for me?
