January 21, 2009

“Responsible leadership starts with the leader as a person – his or her integrity, values, mission, personality and life experiences. The leader has to set high personal standards of behavior so that others will model and be influenced by those same principles. This helps to create an organization characterized by respect, honesty, trust and caring beyond the leader’s own self-interest.”

These are the words of George Kohlrieser, IMD Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior. Professor Kohlrieser will be among the IMD Faculty and special guest speakers leading a session during the upcoming Responsible Leadership Summit, which will be held on the IMD campus from February 1-3, 2009.

Professor Kohlrieser continued: “Excellence in leadership is not something one puts on in the morning like a set of clothes. It is who we are as a leader integrated into the wisdom that goes beyond just reaching greater achievement. The ‘how’ of arriving is just as important as the destination or the goal itself. Many leaders lose their way because of a lack of inner and outer ‘secure bases’ that serve as guiding hands for judgments and decision-making.”

Professor Kohlrieser sees a direct correlation between the current economic crisis and leadership breakdowns.

“We only need to look at the recent failures in leadership to see how massively destructive a leader can become to themselves and to others. In the end, leaders have great power. The question is: has the leader learned how to be ‘truly human enough’ to use that power for positive social influence?”

During the Summit, Professor Kohlrieser will lead a session entitled Responsible Leadership in Times of Uncertainty. The session will draw on his latest research to help leaders understand how they can develop their leadership talents in lifelong learning to never lose who they are as a human being. This is what makes every leader unique and is the foundation of all leadership. Learn more about the Responsible Leadership Summit.