On 18th, Nov, a lecture about leadership and sense making was given by MIT Professor John Carroll at Room 604, Starr building. Professor John Carroll holds a BS in physics from MIT, as well as an MA and a PhD in social psychology from Harvard University.
The lecture has the following key thoughts:
- eventually someone have to lead;
- leadership is about all of us, not just the leader;
- to understand leadership is to understand better how everything works.
At the beginning, Professor John Carroll stated that the one thing a leader must have is followers. For acquiring and retaining followers, leaders create purpose while sustaining their integrity and remaining relatively fair in their judgment.
Professor John Carroll pointed out that most likely no one could tell you how to lead. The key to develop leadership is to put it into practice. The leadership practice framework is: first, to develop necessary skills using proper tools; then practice to get results; finally and most importantly reflect on the results to acquire new knowledge. A good leader repeats the loop infinitely because the amount of new relevant knowledge is never enough.
Generally, business people put more focus on practice than on reflection about the results they constantly get. The advice is to put some quality time to reflection. It might greatly improve your overall understanding of the world around you, not only as a leader but in general as a person.
We all hope there are more inspiring lectures like the one given by Professor John Carroll.
( By 2013 IMBA student , Vladimir Iermolaiev )
