A reflection on Leadership: violence vs. power

Dear graduates,

Today marks a special milestone for you, with the solid foundation of your EMBA behind you and the future yet to be designed. It may take a few weeks for you to adjust to life without feeling the constant panic of missing the Tuesday assignment deadline at 11.55 pm or the urge to constantly refresh your inbox in anticipation of the next announcement on Thursdays. All you have left to endure now, is one last speech by me.

?If I am honest, I found it hard to write this speech and to make it as uplifting as you deserve. Don’t get me wrong, it was not about you – I am extremely happy and emotional to see you graduate. The constant news of violence and despair in so many parts of the world of the last years finally got to me. ?Since I didn’t get any inspiration from “tuning out”, I decided to look back in history.? After all, there have been many periods of darkness before, and some of them have been followed by times of extraordinary #progress. In this spirit, please, allow me to share a short story of my own past with you.

?This story opens with my grandfather, Froike, a man who defied the odds to secure a place studying medicine in his hometown in Odessa in the 1910s. Just when he felt he had established himself, political violence forced him to emigrate to Argentina. There, he set up a thriving small business and ensured that his three children completed their university degrees. He instilled in me, his grand-daughter, the belief that higher education can empower life-changing aspirations.

?In turn, my father was Isidoro was an architect who proudly built lasting things, as his way of leaving a mark on the world. He built our dream home and when we moved-in he felt he had established himself (as my grandfather did before him).? But the economic crisis of Argentina in the eighties (and many more to come) turned his world upside down and he had to adapt, unable to go back to his profession. Despite this economic reversal in fortune, he instilled in me the value of building lasting foundations and being creating structures that are both resilient and adaptable in whatever field I chose to pursue.

These stories made me think about Hannah Arendt’s (a German-American philosopher and political scientist) study on violence.

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She believed that

?“Violence can always reduce power to sheer impotence …

what violence can never do is to generate power.

Power and violence are opposites”

Hannah Arendt, On Violence

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Political or economic violence made my grandfather and my father feel powerless. Thinking about their stories made me realize that while we cannot always control the violence around us, true power lies in the ability to generate new beginnings.

Today, as the Dean of the Executive MBA program, I am privileged to stand up here to open the door to your new beginnings.

I am deeply grateful too to IMD for giving me the opportunity to continue the legacy of my grandfather and my father: to use Higher Education to build lasting business and personal foundations. To develop a community of reflective leaders that transform organizations and contribute to society, and who can, and hopefully will, stand up against all types of violence.

?With all this in mind, I looked at your pictures and remembered some of your stories… not only stories of assignments or academic achievements, you are truly an exceptional cohort, but also, of the everyday moments we shared.

?Very early in the EMBA journey, you contacted me when things were not up to your standards:? when a professor did not reply on time, when you felt you received inappropriate feedback, or when you felt you needed some sessions on diversity and inclusion in the program. I heard you loud and clear and you demonstrated with your actions that you cared. You exemplify why we call you “participants”, you shaped your learning journey, and you made me strive to keep doing better.

Our EMBA experience was not without challenges. We had to cancel the startup ecosystem expedition to Israel and move it to Peru for an expedition on impact investment and social innovation, a topic most of you did not choose or want. We also had discussions on diversity and representation in the group that led to moments of frustration. Yet, you embraced these challenges with care and curiosity.

?You don’t hide from conflict, you deal with it; and in these moments, I have seen your bonds as a cohort grow stronger.

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“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in”

Leonard Cohen, Anthem song, Future Album 1992

?It is not in the pursuit of high achievements or perfection but in the confrontation with the brokenness of things where you have shown your true leadership.

Our shared experiences have left a mark, amid both joy and sorrow… together you danced in Peru, brought a baby to Estonia (making it the youngest ever IMD Discovery Expedition participant) And you were deeply moved by the young children’s courage to leave the streets of Kenya, the sexual violence faced by Andean women and the unfunded potential of Peruvian entrepreneurs. I am positive that the Kenyan children, the Andean women and the entrepreneurs, are all extremely grateful for being seen, heard, and valued rather than pitied.

You have shared your family histories intertwined with our modules. I witnessed the resilience of those who have faced life-altering events, while meeting the relentless demands of this program. From welcoming new life (two babies were born during this year), getting married (one of you very recently), to finding out that a parent was seriously ill and getting the support of your classmates to get access to the best surgeons available.

?These stories speak volumes about the character of the December 2023 “EMBArquers of Change” class. You are loving and fun, you speak your minds, and you question the status quo.

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And now, in keeping with IMD’s tradition, I present you three last requests

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First, embrace a vision of leadership that stands firmly against violence

—a leadership defined not by force, or dominance, but by the transformative power to effect meaningful change. This is leadership that lifts others up and strengthens the community.

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Second, recognize that true power is found in the community you’ve created.

Power grows with cooperation. The friends you’ve made in this program will continue to be a source of strength and resilience. Be also an active member of the EMBA Alumni Community.

That is IMD’s biggest asset.

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Lastly, continue speaking up and challenging the status quo.? Work intentionally to create equal opportunities and lift barriers for others.? Use what you have learned to foster profitable impactful businesses and a fairer society.

You can count me as your ally in this journey.

Congratulations, Class of December 2023! You did it!!?

Congratulations Graduates! Tatjana Aepli-Domke Hani ALMogbil sultan alowais Abdulaziz AlSarhan Essa Ali Alzaabi Florian Amstutz Jafar Arabiyat Julien Barbotin-Larrieu Mohammed Bin Hassan Tatjana Bockler, EMBA Francisco Branco Paulo de Oliveira Daniel Deri Hana Disch Daniel Gerber Sylvain Gioux Deepak Goel Sadig Hajiyev Adrian J?ggi Denis Kiselev Richard Koch Virginie Komajda Stefan Kramer OLUSEYI KUMAPAYI Vikas Kumar Astrid Kuonen Danay Lea Marcelo Leite Ribeiro Esther Lind Daria Matveeva Morris Naqib James Nthoyi Adish patil Mikhael Paulus David Rivière Dave Robertson Darrel Ronald Patrizia Rossitto Markus Sandmeier Priyanka Sarin John Savignone Lukas Simon Schneider Dirk Schneider Albert Schrurs Sandra G. Schumacher Rain Sepp Davide Francesco Serrago Taghi T. Stephan Thalmann Tom Trost Xavier-Alexandre VAN NUVEL Volodymyr Vitko, LL.M Denise Weger Susanne Wille Pierre Wüst, CFA, Executive MBA Adel Z.