Hi there!

Great question. It's unfortunate that your boss isn't as in tune to your day-to-day activities. However, I think it's worth asking - has he written an MBA LOR before? Does he have an MBA himself? If so, you might be better off having him write you one after all (unless he'll have an issue with you applying to get your MBA).

If, after careful consideration, you strongly believe he's not the right person to write your LOR, then you need to really think about who your next best option is. For the individual you're proposing, how long has it been since you worked with him? If it's been too long, it may not make sense for him to write it. The fact that he's retired isn't exactly a red flag, but to give you a true answer, I'd have to learn a lot more about your other answers as this depends on a whole host of different factors. Also, just because the business minded guy doesn't know EXACTLY what you do isn't a bad thing. He can talk about the work you do in a broader company / impact setting. That can be good too!

If you need a hand prepping your recommenders or reviewing what they're submitting, let's chat (sign up here!) and figure that out!

Bhavik