Upgrading your skills and sharpening your executive edge doesn't even have to be that formal. You might leave enlightened - not only by what you hear in the formal sessions but also by what you learn from your peers chatting in the corridors. In the end, it doesn't matter where you go or how you chose to upgrade your skills. Some people are embarrassed to admit they need help. And then there's peer pressure.
Top executives are reluctant to take a course that's open to anyone.
You'll get more presidents out if you restrict admission. And increasingly, the impetus has to come from you. It's a sad fact of corporate life that few senior managers have any serious performance reviews. Sales directors ask that of account managers, but no one is bothering to press the directors, vice-presidents or even presidents. If going back to school, even for a few days, seems a little drastic, look for other ways to expand your worldview.