Relational leadership was the topic of a special IESE Continuous Education session held in Copenhagen, drawing IESE graduates based in Denmark. The event was led by Prof.
Alberto Ribera and held at Egon Zehnder International's offices in the heart of the city.
IESE alumnus Martin Nordestgaard Knudsen (MBA '05) of Egon Zehnder began by showing how his firm's research highlighted the importance of emotional intelligence when analyzing successes and failures among hired leaders.
Prof. Ribera followed with a talk about "relational leadership" and how leading successfully is about about managing oneself in order to effectively manage and collaborate with others. Leadership has been traditionally referred to social or interpersonal relations. However, it cannot be reduced to interaction with other people, according to Prof. Ribera.
The capacity for dealing with the context (political, cultural, conjunctural, etc.) is critical for any leader. And the first - although not the easiest - relationship that a leader needs to excel at is the interaction with oneself. During the session, Prof. Ribera presented various concepts aimed at helping improve the balance between the three key relational dimensions (oneself, others and context).
The session, which was hosted by IESE alumnus Martin N. Knudsen and Egon Zehnder International, was followed by a networking reception with IESE alumni and invited guests.
