May 27th 2020
2nd Edition
Conference Content
"How can you leverage your Leadership skills and your LIMC experience to support your communities in times of crisis?"
For this second edition of our LIMC Alumni Virtual Conference,
your hosts for the day were
Agata Czopek & Michael Frenette.
Watch Agata and Mike's introduction.
- Opening and Welcoming Introduction. Linda Jones & Olivier Lazar.
Watch the Opening.
- Introduction speeches by Sunil Prashara, PMI President & CEO & James R. Snyder, PMI Founder.
Watch Sunil's talk.
- Opening Keynote - Strange Days for Communicators - and the World Marian Salzman.
Marian Salzman, Senior Vice President, Global Communications at Philip Morris International, is one of the world’s most awarded public relations executives - including top trendspotter for brand marketing and “an octane-fueled, 100-ideas-a-minute”. From Metrossexual, to Unsmoke, PMI’s grassroots call for positive change, Marian has been able to put a name to trends. In times of Pandemic Marian says that companies need to act in ways that show their concern about protecting employees/customers/communities from the current health crisis and the economic tsunami it’s generating. For Marian there is promise that, for all its devastation, this global pandemic might serve as a sort of reset, shepherding in a new era marked by what can be branded as four Cs: Compassion, camaraderie, civility and community. Marian, was formerly CEO of Havas PR North America and is a graduate of Brown University.
Watch Marian's keynote.
- Social Good Leadership - Virtual options for future leaders. Pablo Lledo.
How can we use our Leadership skills to keep changing the world in times of social distancing?
- Experience, Embrace and Emerge – Leading change through CRISIS. Fahad Ahmed.
Leading others through change effectively is a key leadership capability as it enables individuals and organizations to accelerate change initiatives. Visionary leadership standout in times of uncertainty, crisis or radical change and requires swift action, compassion and building trust among your people. Leaders who not only embrace crisis but also emerge from it demonstrate resolve, courage and empathy. The presentation focuses on key skills leaders need to manage the people side of change (during and after the crisis) and ensure results while enabling their team members for making change a competitive advantage for them.
- The Top 7 Leadership Lessons that I learned From Nizam. Mohamed Khalifa.
I am sharing lessons on leadership which I learned from Nizam, a thoroughbred horse. Yes, that is right. My talk narrates the story on how I came to own Nizam while pursuing my dream of riding horses. It is obvious that Nizam does not understand the languages I know and as a human, I don’t know Nizam’s native language. Yet, like all people who keep pets or breed animals, we both agreed on a language to communicate and hence starting my journey of learning intricacies of leadership from Nizam. I have so far documented 71 lessons that Nizam taught me but my proposed talk will include the top seven.
PDF of Mohamed's presentation.
- Together - Tips for Team Relationships in Times of Crisis. Agnieszka Gasperini.
The future is unknown. Our opponent is invisible. As we confront a global crisis, we must recognise that each person experiences crisis and conflict in their own way. How can we get through the uncertainty? The answer is TOGETHER. We all need each other when times get tough. For these are the times when strength of your team relationships matters most. We will share some tips for team relationships to help your teams build trust, resilience, and use their strengths to solve the unforeseen challenges ahead. Talking and active listening builds connection and can ultimately lead to trust and productive action.
Watch Agnieszka's presentation.
PDF of Agnieszka's presentation.
- Sunil Prashara speaking about resilience.
- A desire path to leadership: morphing the future with metaphors. Giusi Meloni.
Words and languages are by definition a “discrete symbol system” which means that they partition our experience so that we can share it but they are all the same incapable of describing the complexity of the inner experience itself. The use of figurative language, and metaphors in particular, allow us to fill the gap between words and our inner experiences by taking colours, sounds, feelings and emotions from one context and adding them where they are lacking. Metaphors, even misleading or inadequate ones, are key to how we wrap our minds around something we don’t totally understand. With limited or absent non-verbal communication, metaphors are a more powerful tool to share our vision of the way ahead.
- Emergence - Preparing For the New Normal. Rick Morris.
As our lives have been dramatically impacted with world events, the most important task is to be preparing for the new normal. What are some tips and techniques that are available to take full advantage as the world re-emerges from crisis?
- Closing Keynote. James Kane.
HELP! The science behind supporting others.
As children, most of us are taught that helping others is not only important, but essential. It’s such a basic concept that we often make the costly mistake of assuming it’s easy, natural, or always welcomed. We rarely consider how offering help can go wrong. Learn why we sometimes refuse to give and receive help, and how this simple gesture can both strengthen and undermine the relationships that matter most.
- Conclusion, Wrap-up & Last Pieces of Wisdom. By Frank Saladis.