Strategy in action: A journey of applied learning 

“Being able to apply the frameworks and tools I learned to projects I was working on gave me a much clearer picture, helped me structure them, and enabled me to identify blind spots.” 

Regina Schlegel is Head of Global Intellectual Property at Mettler-Toledo, an S&P 500 company with 18,000 employees that produces precision measuring instruments. She has direct oversight of IP teams in India and Switzerland, and supports teams in the US and China through functional leadership. Their job is to ensure the company has the freedom to operate before launching new products, has the right protection for them in place, and later, to take action if intellectual property rights are infringed. 

In the fall of 2023, when Regina was looking online for a leadership program, she wasn’t expecting her search to take her towards an internationally recognized academic qualification in strategy.  

Joining a development program had been one of her year’s objectives and IMD’s Inspirational Leadership was a perfect fit in terms of timing, content, and the online format.   

Integrating leadership learning into work 

The eight-week program enabled Regina to focus on self-awareness, team engagement, and how to foster a high-performance culture through coaching and effective communication. She also learned practical tools for managing conflicts and influencing through dialogue and negotiation.   

Regina pointed out that, because a lot of the assignments were directly related to what she was doing at work, she didn’t feel that the program involved much of an additional time commitment. 

“Many of the things I worked on during the program I would have had to tackle in my role anyway,” said Regina. “At the end of the year, you have to think about annual reviews, goal setting and how to develop team members, so I was able to apply my learning in real time.”

She highlighted how useful discussions with her international peer group in the program were. “Their insights made me question how I could do things differently,” she said.  

One of her key takeaways from the program was “putting the fish on the table” as Inspirational Leadership’s Program Director refers to openly raising a thorny issue so it can be resolved. 

 “My coach was really helpful and gave me a lot of tips for addressing a specific situation, which I was able to apply right away,” said Regina, adding that she was surprised by how beneficial a few sessions with her coach were. “She gave me extra insights and really put her finger on things I was trying to avoid.”  

Structuring strategy through hands-on assignments 

Part of Regina’s job involves internal strategy – deciding what type of projects to move forward, how to proceed, set up a team, and where to allocate resources. Because she had enjoyed Inspirational Leadership so much, she decided to enroll for a second online program with IMD: Strategy Execution. 

“Before the program, I did strategy intuitively and in a less structured way,” she admitted. As participants of Strategy Execution work on their own strategic initiative, Regina was once again able to combine the program with her job. 

“I really had to think about my own project, put it into the framework, and get a more out-of the-box view on it. I got a much clearer picture and input from my coach was really helpful,” she said. An important learning for Regina was how to communicate an initiative to different stakeholders and have a clear message at hand at all times. 

“When I talk with stakeholders and upper management – for example, if I meet somebody in front of the coffee machine or in the elevator – I’m prepared to bring up the topic I would like to drive forward.”  

Earning an Online Executive Certificate in Strategy: An unexpected bonus 

When Regina enrolled for her third program, Strategic Thinking, IMD’s Executive Development Services informed her that she was well on her way to earning the Online Executive Certificate in Strategy, an internationally recognized Certificate in Advanced Studies. Each of her programs was worth a certain number of units and all she would need to do after completing Strategic Thinking was a final assessment.  In addition, she would be eligible to join IMD’s alumni community, whose networking events she had heard about through friends in Zurich and was keen to attend “to stay connected with interesting people.”  

Strategic Thinking covered topics such as strategic analysis, business model design, and strategy implementation. Again, personalized coaching enabled Regina to apply her learning effectively to a professional project. She said the program helped her “get to a decision in a structured way”.

Consolidating learning 

For the final assessment, Regina had to work on a case study and write an essay about her insights from her three programs, what she had been able to apply, and what she had achieved.  

“It was good exercise,” she reflected. “Going back over all the material again made me realize how much I’d learned throughout the journey.” 

IMD provided in-depth feedback on her assessment. “It was very to the point and gave me guidance. It’s amazing how they were able to define areas I could still work on,” she said. 

Regina can now return to the frameworks and tools she gained from the programs whenever a challenge arises. 

“If I need to rethink something or face a difficult situation, I know exactly where to find the resources. They’re accessible, I can revisit them anytime – and I know I will,” she said.