Leading HR expert Dave Ulrich was on IESE's campus recently to participate in the 8th Annual IRCO-IESE Managing People Symposium, organized in collaboration with Adecco. The theme of the event was "Self-Management: Resilience, Leadership, Creativity and Avoiding Mental Blocks."
 
Ulrich,professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, is co-founder of the Results Based Leadership (RBL) Group. In 2008, he was named the most influential person in HR by HR Magazine.
 
Leadership is a basic requirement for resolving any problem, including the challenge of today's global economic crisis, Ulrich said during his presentation. The ability to lead, however, is not something a person is born with, but a capacity that can be developed and improved over time.
 
Moreover, leaders who are dedicated to people play a critical role in society, he said. Effective leaders are able to create a leadership brand that will later facilitate success in new markets. He strongly cautioned against focusing on leaders themselves, but instead leaders' abilities, which are what society needs most.
 
According to Ulrich, the inability to lead effectively and identify long-term solutions to problems will always translate to steep costs for society and organizations. This is because, while short-term remedies may be found, problems will inevitably resurface in the near future.
 
Following Prof. Ulrich's presentation, IESE Prof. Pablo Cardona and researcher Helen Wilkinson presented their book, "Growing as a Leader," in a session titled, "The 10 Necessary Competencies to Lead the Workforce." Their book presents an overview of key leadership skills, as well as keys for growth in each area, through first-person accounts of company leaders in various sectors.