The HR Conference organized by Sylvia Taudien (Advantage Consultants) on October 9th in Barcelona was an excellent experience and I would highlight 4 aspects in particular: the prestige and international profile of the speakers, networking quality, innovative issues and an original methodology- brief 20-minute presentations and, instead of post-talk questioning from the audience, stands were provided to enable direct contact and open debate with each speaker, generating a dynamic of reflection and continuous learning throughout the day.
To summarize the event, here is my selection of 20 key ideas, covering the wide range of highly interesting quality presentations.
Organizational Culture and Commitment
1. A strategy cannot be successfully implemented if the culture is not in line with it: culture has strategy for breakfast! Toni Spinazzola (Bruker)
2. Transparency is one of the key aspects of any organizational culture and a great challenge for leaders in the Information Age. Toni Spinazzola (Bruker)
3. Corporate culture is now a key part of the strategy of top companies. Eri Nemoto (Baker & Mckenzie)
4. Quality, efficiency, freedom, responsibility, reciprocity (win-win vision). The 5 cultural principles of Mars and the key to their success. Manuel Rey (Mars)
5. You cannot expect the best from your employees if you do not create a confidence-based environment in which they may grow. Manuel Rey (Mars)
Future trends: Innovation and digitalization
6. Visualize a brilliant future for you and for others and just go for it. In this way, you will mobilize your best energies. Pero Micic (Future Management)
7 Devote time to thinking about the future. You will only be able to visualize this if you have somehow been previously exposed to it. Pero Micic (Future Management)
8. Five key elements to build your vision of the future: probability, surprise, creation, desire, and planning. Pero Micic (Future Management)
9. The key for successful digitalization is not technology but rather managing change and achieving team commitment. Teresa Niubó (Affinity)
10. HR should make the most of digitalization to increase its added value. The playing field has changed. Are you a pioneer or a follower? Teresa Niubó (Affinity)
Leadership
11. I like to influence, not to manage. Xavier Serra, CEO of Affinity
12. Four key leadership capacities: ambiguity tolerance, discernment, resilience and self-knowledge. Nancy Winship (Waldron)
13. Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power. Lao Tzu, quoted by Nancy Winship (Waldron)
14. The lack of self-knowledge is the main cause of a leader’s being derailed. Lao Tzu, quoted by Nancy Winship (Waldron)
15. At Telefónica we foment balanced leaders, on a rational, emotional, physical and spiritual level. Katherine Semler (Telefónica)
Attracting and develping talent
16 We have to provide an excellent experience to candidates in order to attract the best talent. Teresa Niubó (Affinity)
17. Feedback explaining the reasons why and showing empathy accelerates growth. Florian Mueck (Personal Coach)
18. At my first job interview, I had developed each required skill with a game. Joaquim Campa (Social Point)
19. The best way to learn is to practise and repeat and that is why gamification is an ideal tool. Joaquim Campa (Social Point)
20. The three key pillars of Universitas Telefónica: as good as Harvard, with company-relevant content and the magic of Disney. Katherine Semler (Telefónica)
Conclusions
The conference helped attendees to go more deeply into the hot topics of the current VUCA scenario (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity), calling for a major transformation in business management and, therefore, people management. These new rules of the game have come to stay and require a new kind of leadership which, without losing focus on competitiveness and results, should be more humanistic and power better distributed. The most successful companies encourage continuous learning and in-team innovation and intrapreneurship to favour skillful decision-making in a rapidly changing global-local market.
Congratulations to the organizers!
David Reyero Trapiello – Senior HR Business Partner – Sanofi Iberia
David.reyero@sanofi.com
Twitter: @davidreyero73
Linkedin: es.linkedin.com/in/reyerodavid
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