ASA University’s Master of Distribution Management Program Reimagined

ASA University’s Master of Distribution Management Program Reimagined

As members grapple with attracting talented workers to their businesses, the ongoing need to develop professional, insightful, and effective leaders is even more pronounced. ASA University’s premiere leadership program, the Master of Distribution Management Program (MDM), has filled the gap by developing strong, action-oriented leaders for over a decade.

This fall, ASA University is excited to announce the next evolution of the MDM program. Using feedback from members and MDM students, ASA University unveils a newly configured MDM program that offers structured peer-to-peer interactions, new resources to fine-tune leadership skills and an entirely original new book offering, authored by industry experts in the field: Essentials of Practical Leadership in Wholesale-Distribution.

Re-envisioning Leadership in Our Industry

The MDM Task Group, comprised of ASA volunteers, worked with the ASA team to see this project come to life. These tireless volunteers provided feedback, opinions, and thoughtful commentary throughout the program revamp. Their guidance and expertise assisted in crafting an imminently useful leadership program tailored to our industry’s specific needs!

A special thanks goes out to Dwight Newton, MDM Task Group Chair, of Zoeller Pump; Brian Tuohey, of The Collins Companies; Meridith McArthur, of Mid-State Supply; Gail See, of Dakota Supply Group; and Cheryl Harris, of Reece, for their guidance, support, and insight!

Essentials of Practical Leadership in Wholesale-Distribution

One exciting addition to the program is the addition of a new Essentials publication that will cover the tenets of core leadership skills: Essentials of Practical Leadership in Wholesale Distribution. This impactful offering has been authored by industry experts of all stripes – and touches on all the key areas of need for leadership training.

By tapping into the knowledge of our industry titans, ASA University was able to capture lessons, stories, and expertise from those who have walked the leadership path in our industry themselves. This practical advice will form the central backbone of the new program. Packed full of actionable advice, additional resources for study, and self-reflection and discussion questions for mentorship discussions, Essentials of Practical Leadership in Wholesale-Distribution is truly unique to ASA.

Bringing Peers Together

Feedback from members also indicated the desire to connect future leaders with peers. In the past, each MDM student went through the program on their own time and schedule. While this allowed for flexibility, it lacked avenues for peer-to-peer interaction. Moving forward, the new MDM program will be based on a cohort model, with groups of 8-12 individuals completing the program in tandem.

Beyond this, the new program will offer ASA-facilitated peer-to-peer touchpoints that rally around each of the core chapters in the Essentials offering. On a monthly basis, each group of students will gather virtually to talk through each chapter’s discussion questions, trade ideas and advice, and even get to chat with authors themselves to dive deeper into their expertise.

A Capstone Project will follow the student through their MDM experience. As with previous iterations of the program, students will culminate their MDM experience with a presentation to the MDM Graduate Review Committee, presenting a real-life business problem or challenge that they tackled by applying the skills learned in the MDM program.

Offering Flexibility for Members

The new MDM program also offers expanded flexibility for learners to customize their experience by self-electing supplemental training. The new MDM program will allow members to work with their mentors to identify supplemental training that works uniquely for them – whether it’s internal training on company culture or core values, or specific sales or process methodologies.

MDM student mentors, too, will benefit from the new approach to the MDM program. While mentor support has always been part of the core MDM program, new resources have been developed for mentors to enable them to succeed in their role. A mentor orientation has been added to the program, including revised resources to enable mentors to be more effective in how they guide their students to success.

The program has also been refined to afford completion in a 12-month timeframe rather than 18 months. Our goal was to make this program approachable for both students and their businesses – including their budgets! The MDM program fee structure (now $995) has been modified to better align with members’ budgets and has been significantly reduced, while simultaneously offering an enriched experience: win/win for members!

Ready to Develop Your Leaders?

The newly revised MDM program will kick off this fall, with our first group of students entering the program for their leadership journey. We are excited to facilitate the new experience for members and to work with the up-and-coming leaders in our industry.

To register and find out more about getting your future leaders involved, visit ASA.net/MDM. Questions? Contact Taylor Kenney, Vice-President of Education and Training, at tkenney@asa.net.