I remember sitting in a boardroom in Lusaka a few years ago. The company was solid, the team was great, and we were hitting our targets. On paper, everything was perfect. But we were discussing the five-year plan, and the conversation felt… small. We were talking about incremental improvements, about doing the same things we were already doing, just a little bit better. I looked out of the window at the skyline, at the cranes and the new buildings going up, and felt this huge disconnect. The world outside, the Zambia outside, was changing at a dizzying pace. New technologies, new markets, new challenges. And here we were, polishing yesterday’s solutions. I had this sinking feeling that we weren’t just managing a business; we were managing a museum piece. It wasn’t a question of being stuck. It was a question of vision. And I realised, with a bit of a shock, that while I was a good manager, I wasn’t yet a visionary. It’s a tough realisation to have, isn’t it? To be at the top of your game, respected and successful, but to feel that there’s a whole other level you can’t quite reach. It’s the moment you stop asking, “How can I do my job better?” and start asking, “How can I change the game completely?” That’s often when the idea of a doctorate, a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), starts to whisper at the back of your mind. The Expert Guide’s Dilemma Think of your career up to this point like being an expert safari guide. You know the terrain of your industry like the back of your hand. You know every landmark, every waterhole, every predictable migration pattern of the market. An MBA is what makes you the best guide in the business. It gives you the best vehicle, the best maps, and the best binoculars. You can give your clients—your company—a fantastic, reliable, and successful tour every single time. But what happens when the landscape itself begins to change? What happens when a new river cuts through the savanna, when the climate shifts and the old waterholes dry up? What happens when your perfect, laminated maps are no longer accurate? This is the expert guide’s dilemma. Being the best at navigating the old world is no longer enough. You need to develop the skills to read the land itself, to understand the deeper ecosystem, and to chart a new path where no map exists. This is the difference between a manager and a visionary. And this is the transformation a DBA is designed to ignite. The DBA: From Following the Map to Drawing It Let’s be clear. A DBA isn’t just an “MBA Plus”. It’s a completely different kind of journey. An MBA teaches you to master the existing maps. It gives you the frameworks and best practices to navigate the known business world with absolute confidence. A DBA, on the other hand, teaches you to be a cartographer. It teaches you how to study the landscape, understand the underlying geology, and draw a new map for others to follow. You take a real, complex, and often uniquely Zambian business problem—how to build a sustainable supply chain in the Copperbelt, how to leverage fintech to reach the unbanked, how to lead a digital transformation in the agricultural sector—and you use rigorous research to create new knowledge, a new solution. You stop being a consumer of business theory and become a creator of it. You’re not just solving a problem for your company; you are contributing a solution that can elevate your entire industry. It is the ultimate act of professional leadership. Can You Afford the Expedition? The moment you contemplate an expedition this grand, the practicalities hit you like a tonne of bricks. The time commitment seems impossible for a senior professional. The cost can feel astronomical when you have family responsibilities and a life in Zambia to fund. And that quiet, persistent fear – am I truly smart enough for this? – can be the biggest barrier of all. But let’s reframe that. A DBA isn’t about having the highest IQ. It’s about having the deepest curiosity. It’s for the person who sees that unsolved problem and can’t let it go. It’s for the leader who isn’t satisfied with just managing the present but feels a deep responsibility to build the future. Your ambition isn’t a sign you’re dreaming too big; it’s the sign that you’re ready for the journey. So, the real question becomes: is there a way to embark on this expedition without abandoning your life and your career in Zambia? Charting Your New Path with American Imperial University In the past, a doctorate meant relocating your entire life to another continent for several years. For a Zambian professional with deep roots, a career, and a commitment to being part of our nation’s growth, that’s simply not a viable option. This is what makes the structure of the American Imperial University DBA programme so revolutionary. It’s an expedition you can undertake from right where you are. Your Research Basecamp is Home The flexible, online nature of the AIU DBA means you don’t have to leave. Your basecamp is your home office in Lusaka, Kitwe, or Ndola. You can continue to lead your team, drive your company forward, and be present with your family, all while undertaking this profound intellectual journey. You fit the research and study into the rhythm of your own life, not the rigid timetable of a foreign university. A Global Team of Guides You’re not on this journey alone. The programme connects you with a global network. Your supervisors are world-class academics and practitioners who guide your research. Your fellow candidates are other senior professionals from across the globe, all charting their own new maps. Imagine the power of discussing your research on sustainable mining with an expert in Australia, or your fintech model with a peer in Singapore, all from your study at home. You gain global… Continue reading From Manager to Visionary: How a DBA Transforms Your Leadership
