Discuss
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MBA students discuss leadership issues
Can a manager be developed into a leader? Are we born with leadership traits or can we sharpen our skills to become better leaders? What is the role of leadership in transformation and change management? These were some of the issues explored during a 3-day lecture session on Leadership & Personal Development within the University’s International MBA programme.
On Monday 11 October, students had a full-day session led by Dr Morgan Chambers, a leadership expert and academic based in London. Dr Chambers comes to the University every year to facilitate the first session, based on case studies and discussions on issues of personality, style, personal development and transformational leadership.
The second day, Tuesday 12 October, saw the students engaged in a full day session on the practise of leadership, with mini-case studies, classroom debates, quizzes and discussions on the key principles of effective leadership. The day also serves as an introduction to the main theories that have explained organisational leadership over the years. Dr Joe Schembri led this full day session. On the third day, Wednesday, the students got their first chance of discussing a full case. The case study method is used by leading business schools worldwide. In our case students discussed a case of a shipwreck that happened a few years ago outside in the US, and got the chance to reflect on issues of communication and leading in a crisis.
On the same day, Dr Schembri moderated a panel discussion with two leaders from industry. The guests were Ms Yolande Spiteri, Head of Corporate Communications at Hudson Holdings, the distributors of major sports brands to Africa, and Mr Franco Portelli who leads the export effort at Guttenberg Press.
The discussion was an engaging one with the students getting the chance to ask their own questions. During the panel, it became clear that leadership is indeed a balance between a set of interpersonal skills, and the use of tried-and-tested approaches to change management and team leadership.
Following these 3 days, students will participate in two 3-hour sessions on interpersonal communication and growth as well as attend 2 additional sessions on the foundational ideas of leadership.
