Time for Transformation

By Stella Mourettou

On the occasion of the 15th year of the oldest conference organised by IMH, and emphasising the need to reshape the business focusing on leadership issues, the conference itself is ‘transformed’ and changes its name, from HR Management & Human Capital Conference to Leadership & Human Resource Management Conference. This year, the keynote speaker will be Emmanuel Gobillot, who is known as the first leadership guru for the digital generation. The conference will be presented by the partner in charge of consulting at PwC Cyprus, Philippos Soseilos, who spoke to IN Business Magazine about the importance of transformation, leadership and training.

The reasons why a business should change its leadership style and the ways to achieve this, will be analysed by Emmanuel Gobillot, at the 15th Leadership & Human Resource Management Conference, organised by PwC Cyprus and IMH, on November 8th, at the Hilton Park Hotel in Nicosia.

The aim of the conference has always been, for the last 15 years, to present the trends in businesses and their environment, as well as speakers who provide an insight to leadership thinking beyond Cyprus. “In this way, we give the opportunity to participants to reflect on global practices or trends and to see how they adapt to Cyprus,” says Soseilos.

This year, the conference is upgraded and focuses more on leadership. “We will be looking back into the last 15 years and we have chosen a speaker who is one of the top thinkers on leadership issues. This has certainly been an interesting and dynamic 15-year period, a true journey for all participants,” he notes, and adds that there were years during which the main issue in the market was how to attract people to our business, in a competitive environment, with few people and many employment opportunities. Today, he states, there are many people and few employers.

Transformation

A key issue in today’s market is transformation. As he explains, we have always been talking about change which is linked to life. Nowadays, however, we notice a sort of acceleration in this. “The financial crisis existed before 2013 and in recent years, businesses have followed a survival strategy focusing on cost reduction. We are now going through the phase where the economy is stabilising and the healthiest businesses which have survived, are reviewing their status, while posing serious ‘existential’ questions: What type of business should I have, where should I focus on, what is my competitive advantage, who should I collaborate with, what value do I offer, should I start operations beyond Cyprus? This is why many things should change while taking into account difficult strategic decisions which might drastically change the business. The greatest challenge, however, is the speed of their implementation.”

Leadership

Moreover, Soseilos points out that the right kind of leadership is needed in order to maintain a dynamic, innovative and competitive business. “Technology has brought huge industrial revolution and offers potential which changes things and the way in which clients have access to products, goods and services.”

Another important fact is the speed at which everything around us moves, while at the same time, new players are entering the market. “We live in a completely unpredictable world, in a fast-paced environment where decisions are directly taken. Every year, changes keep increasing,” he says and emphasises that companies must be constantly alert and follow the market trends and the opportunities that appear and adapt accordingly.

Training

In a few years’ time, several operations performed by people, will be replaced by computers or robots. “Through this perspective, training should be continuous, with emphasis on interpersonal skills and on the quality of leadership perception and influence,” Soseilos mentions. Additionally, the main requirement at the recruitment stage, is the ability of continuous improvement. “Apart from skills, the person hired should be flexible, a fast learner, adaptable, positive to change, to be able to manage an uncertain environment and have the potential of personal development.”

The need for training is clear, but companies are looking for more efficient ways of training for the best possible results. “Due to the financial crisis, companies have realized the importance of reviewing their actions to make sure that what was done and what people ask for, is what the company strategically needs.”

Emmanuel Gobillot’s Professional Background

Emmanuel Gobillot is described as “the first leadership guru for the digital generation” and “the freshest voice in leadership today” and he has worked with organisations such as NHS, Unicef, Vodafone, Yahoo, Carlsberg, Philips, Google, BT, EY and Rabobank. For over 10 years, his interventions have focused on enabling organisations to deliver results through world-class leadership underpinned by his mantra that “there must be a better way and together we will find it.” One of Europe’s most sought-after leadership speakers, he is the author of Kogan Page’s UK and US bestsellers The Connected Leader, Leadershift and Follow The Leader. His latest book Disciplined Collaboration (May 2016), establishes him as one of the foremost thinkers on new leadership and organisational models. In 2007, he left his role as Director of Leadership Services at Hay Group (where he was Head of Consumer Sector Consulting) to set up Emmanuel Gobillot Limited in order to concentrate on his writing and speaking career whilst developing best-in-class solutions with world-class clients. He is also co-founder of Collaboration Partners, a boutique consultancy specialising in helping organisations release the value of collaboration. He holds an International Baccalaureate from the United World College of the Atlantic, a Masters of Arts with Honours from St Andrews University and a Diploma in Management Science from Nottingham Trent University.

Organizers: IMH and PwC Cyprus.

Sponsor: Cablenet.

Endorsed by: Stylianos Christoforou & Co LLC

Supporter: Cyprus International Institute of Management (CIIM)

Communication Sponsors: Gold, IN Business and Reporter Online.

For further information contact: IMH, Tel.: 22505555, Fax: 22679820, Email: events@imhbusiness.com, Website: www.imhbusiness.com