World Business Dialogue 2018
Last week, I had the privilege of attending the 21st annual World Business Dialogue, hosted by the University of Cologne in Germany. It is currently recognized as the largest student run business conference in the world, and has historically hosted the likes of Mark Fields, Bill Gates and Mark Bloomberg, amongst countless other extraordinary figureheads across all fields.
The 2018 theme was labelled as the Digital Organisation, with the conference seeking to “decrypt” the fundamental necessities of the modern business. Inherently, the concept of technological disruption was paramount to the discussions, especially when exploring how human input and technological advancements could be synergised in such a way that it takes our traditional forms of business to the next level.
At the core of this modern business was the notion of an emotionally intelligent workforce, one that understood that its comparative advantage as a human being could be found within themselves. As such, this was said to be especially relevant for future business leaders, since many current business leaders were criticized throughout the conference for being overly focused on the bottom-line, and to a large extent lacking in the skills of empathy and compassion.
Global Leadership Expert Brigette Hyacinth advocated strongly for new leaders that could transmit hope and passion throughout their workers, which could be derived from the leader’s own sense of passion for their work. She claimed that a leader who can “put people first” will thrive under what can be recognized as an ever-changing, and increasingly digitized business environment. Overall, the conference was an experience full of insightful lessons, invaluable networking opportunities and incredible displays of technology. The diverse nature of the presentations and speakers was a true testament to the work put into the conference, with Keynote Speeches and Panel Discussions involving figureheads ranging from the Former Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas, to Lufthansa's Vice President of Digital Strategy Christian Langer, to the Chief Innovation Officer of Bayer (a pharmaceutical company that amongst other things, is seeking to create technology that can alter one’s DNA to eradicate genetic and degenerative diseases), Kemal Malik. Encapsulated into the 5 days were a lifetime worth of lessons, where it has been virtually impossible to find a stand alone highlight. But if I can reflect upon one message from the dialogue, it would be to leverage yourself with your passions. So many speakers alluded to the idea that success will take care of itself if you genuinely utilise your passions throughout your work. As such, this has never been more relevant for a workforce that is increasingly facing volatility and ambiguity in the business environment. And yet, this is where the opportunity lies.
If the world truly combines the best of a passionate and emotionally intelligent labour force, in combination with the ever-increasing capacities of technology, then developmental possibilities will remain without boundaries. Overall, the enrichment I gained from the World Business Dialogue is hard to describe effectively in words. This is why I strongly encourage anyone who is interested in Business, Innovation, Science, Technology or generally keeping up to date with the latest trends in the real world to apply to the following year’s event.
The 22nd edition of the event, which will operate under the theme “Digital Zeitgeist, Time to Rethink Learning”, will take place between the 18th and 22nd of February, 2019. You can find the details of the World Business Dialogue below – follow them for more information and key dates to look out for with respect to the application process:
https://www.world-business-dialogue.com/ https://www.facebook.com/worldbusinessdialoguecologne/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/17929351/
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