For the second consecutive year, we had the unique opportunity to host the international «Well-Being Leadership Conference» by the Center for Leadership of UCU in partnership with the UCU Business School, and this year also with Ivey Business School at Western University (Canada)!
Twelve speakers from Ukraine and abroad eagerly shared their unique scientific achievements, research, experiences, practical tools, and leadership and mental health trends, moderated by Andrew Rozhdestvensky, PhD, Executive Director of the Center for Leadership of UCU. We want to share some key insights from our speakers with you.
Sophia Opatska, founding dean of the UCU Business School and Vice-Rector for Strategic Development at UCU, shared research results based on surveys of business leaders and owners about the role of business leaders in creating normalcy.
«I want to share a few quotes from my interviews with you, as many are currently concerned about what a true leader should be like.
Leaders point out that there are particularly high expectations of leaders now, everyone needs support, and this support can occur not only between leaders and subordinates. It must also be among those around us.
I believe we now see more of a «human face» in leaders. And we don’t want to lose this, so it is important that the «human-centered» approach becomes entrenched in the Ukrainian business environment,» emphasized Sophia.
«Leadership is a function of character, competence, and commitment. Despite the limitations, we believe that our research results contribute to a deeper understanding of how character affects motivational processes, subsequent leadership behavior, and particularly the active resolution of crises,» said Gerard Seijts, PhD, Professor of Organizational Behavior at Ivey Business School.
Gerard Seijts shared a presentation with participants on «The Effect of Character on Stress Coping Responses Through Motivation to Lead.»
Among the conference speakers were also students of the master’s programs MA in Human Resources and Organization Development and Key Executive MBA at the UCU Business School. They presented the findings of their master’s research and practical experience.
For instance, Svitlana Hnativ, HR Business Partner at Global Logic, talked about a human-centered approach to layoffs and dismissals.
«The way we lay off people affects how we retain those we want to work with and consider as talents».
Svitlana shared cases of what it means to be a human-centered organization and the effects this creates for business, including from a financial perspective.
Vira Druz, Head of People and Culture at IT company AIThoni, shared insights on various leadership styles with the topic «Shaping Success: The Impact of Leadership Behavior on Employee Job Satisfaction».
«We are now encountering new leadership styles – about engaging people, hearing everyone’s opinion, a fair approach, and an ecological environment».
Taras Vasylyshyn, Managing Partner at Digital Agency «Panem» and a student of the Key Executive MBA at the UCU Business School, spoke on «Developing Resilience in a Service Company Amid Global Challenges.» He emphasized the importance of partnership between teams, not competition, as a key element of success.
«Every Ukrainian company now is a Ukrainian voice in the world,» Taras stressed.
A separate presentation was dedicated to «Interactive Effects of Leaders» Character Dimensions On Bribing Behaviors and Its Relation to Managerial Derailing. An Online Experiment» by Andrew Rozhdestvensky and Lucas Monzani, PhD, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at Ivey Business School.
Other experts also participated in the conference with no less relevant scientific presentations based on practice and research: Alexandra Alkhimovich, Oleksandra Liashenko, Andriy Zholob, Oleksandr Avramchuk, and Simantini Patak.
Follow our pages and social networks, as well as the pages of the Center for Leadership of UCU, where we will share more detailed articles from the conference.
Thank you to all participants and speakers for the valuable knowledge and food for thought!
