Chicago Heights
In “The American way of life” Ashley Montagu described Hell as the pocket edition of Chicago. Well, Organizational Behaviour Professor Tara Wernsing tells me that she doesn’t care about Chicago’s corrupt and dubious past. As a Chicagoan she just loves the vibe of the city, although she now lives in Madrid.
In this video Prof. Wernsing uses Chicago skyscrapers to talk about leadership. Among other things, she says that the one thing leadership and these amazing buildings have in common is that they both require dreamers and realists.
Something else Prof. Wernsing said off camera is that she has a feeling that there is a third career out there waiting for her. She doesn’t know exactly what but she is sure that some big change lies ahead. It’s incredibly interesting to hear her talk not only about her field of expertise but about life in general.
In addition to all this, she loves to run and practice different kinds of personal defense…
The Fourth Man
When I went for a coffee with Arbitration and International Commercial Law Professor Justin Swinsick to get to know him a bit better and talk about what kind of video we could come up with together, he told me he was going to Vienna with an IE student team to attend an international law competition. The first thing that came into my head when he mentioned Vienna was the film “The Third man”, and when I suggested that as a theme for the video he answered right away that he loved Orson Wells, and that film in particular.
I don’t remember exactly how the title “The Fourth Man” occurred to me. Anyway, it was clear that we both wanted to render some sort of homage to the film, whose screen-play was the work of a writer we also enjoy and admire, namely Graham Green. I have to say that Prof. Swinsick gave an excellent performance, staying in character the whole time. I am sure that when he teaches, he is every bit as eloquent.
I really hope you enjoy watching this video as much as we did making it. Check out Prof. Swinsick’s intelligent insights into “The Fourth Man” as he talks about law and justice, and truth and love.
Photo Professor Justin Swinsick in theotherphoto.blogs.ie.edu
Floydcounting
Hey, you! As the song goes…
You don’t expect an accountancy professor to be much fun, do you? Well, the beauty of life consists of expecting the unexpected. It was an absolute pleasure to listen to Prof. Trombetta talking not only about the dark side of numbers and financial literacy, but also about one of his favorite bands, namely Pink Floyd.
Basically what happened was that I was given a crash course on the band, in Cambridge of all places, as well as brushing up on music in general. This guy loves to go around buying LPs. He bought six, and none of them was by Pink Floyd for the simple reason that he already has all of theirs.
Check out Prof. Trobetta playing the piano!!! And remember, if you need to balance your books, or just fancy a chat about music and life in general, you know who to go to…!
P.S.: Here is a recommendation: Don´t miss Searching for Sugar Man, Documentary Oscar 2013.
Photo Professor Marco Trombetta in theotherphoto.blogs.ie.edu
The Flow of Management
IE Business School Prof. Juan Humberto Young Elser talking about Management and Aikido.
There are certain people you meet in life that make you feel you could tell them anything. I call them “Divan People” because it’s as if there were an irresistible force pulling you towards them and causing you to talk as freely as if you were on a psychologist’s Couch. This is the case of Juan Humberto Young Elser, IE Business School Prof. of Positive Leadership & Strategy. When he looks at you, he looks deep into your heart. I know it isn’t possible for him to look at you right this minute, but if you listen to what he has to say you will probably see what I mean.
Prof. Humberto Young Elser graduated from Harvard, spent years at UBS, and now runs his own investment consulting firm. He does kick-boxing, yoga, and aikido. Everything he does seems to flow in the same direction, and he explains how important this flow concept is not only for aikido, but also for management.
One of the secrets of his success appears to be that he never stops learning (he is currently taking a course on mindfulness based cognitive therapy at Oxford University. When I said that I thought it was too late for me to start with Aikido he said “You really think so? I started with Aikido when I was 54. It’s not as late as you think…”.
Enjoy the flow!!!
Do I Belong?
Community Finance Prof. Celia de Anca responds in Rabat to different questions, like Do I belong? What´s the market…
One Friday morning back in November I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and not particularly enthusiastic about life or work. You know what I mean, just one of those days. That same morning I had arranged to have coffee with community finance professor Celia de Anca. You can’t imagine how much I wanted to skip that meeting. Obviously not because of her, but because I was out of sorts. There is no denying that our state of mind is what dictates our likes and dislikes.
To cut a long story short, I dragged myself to the coffee shop and began to listen to her. She talked about how we ended up with a global economic crisis, how we have destroyed the idea that money is trust, and other burning issues. But it was not the subject that was remarkable. What was remarkable was her belief in what she was talking about. Prof. de Anca is one of those people who truly believe in changing the world. Just the fact of finding someone who still genuinely thinks that change is possible made me feel happier. And I am grateful to her for that, because that’s what life is all about, spreading and enjoying the feel-good factor at every opportunity.
Don’t miss Prof. de Anca’s answer to the question that gives the title to this piece, namely “Do I belong?” Prof. de Anca is also the author of the recently published book headed “Beyond Tribalism”.
