Workshop on Building Effective Teams Hosted by SOE at LUMS

Monday, July 22, 2019

On Friday July 12, 2019 the LUMS Syed Ahsan Ali and Syed Maratib Ali School of Education (SOE) hosted a Leadership workshop titled ‘Building Effective Teams: The Dynamics of Leadership and Trust’ by Werner Zorman, Professor at Harvey Mudd College. Professor Zorman is a leadership development expert and entrepreneur for the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO), which is acknowledged by Forbes and many renowned business magazines as one of the top 10 entrepreneurial organisations of the world. The session was moderated by Dr. Mariam Chughtai, Associate Dean SOE, and was also attended by Dr. Yasira Waqar, Assistant Professor SOE and Hasham Nasir, Teaching Fellow SOE.

Professor Zorman worked for two decades at Nokia, where he advanced through the ranks and eventually headed Nokia’s Leadership and Development Programme for North America. He then moved to Cornell University, where he served as Associate Director of the Engineering Leadership Programme. In addition to teaching classes on leadership, communication and team building skills, he conducts research on leadership education and facilitates leadership development among students, faculty and staff throughout the Harvey Mudd campus.

The EO is a non-profit, dynamic global network of more than 13000 business owners in 58 countries. Founded in 1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs and personalities like Steve Jobs and Verne Harnish. With its transformative experiences and unparalleled peer network, EO transforms the lives of the entrepreneurs who transform the world. EO is the catalyst that enables entrepreneurs to learn and grow from each other, leading to greater business success and an enriched personal life.

This workshop was organised exclusively for the EO Lahore Chapter members. The goal of the workshop was to provide leadership consulting to Heads, CEOs, and Directors of the local industry. Professor Zorman focused on the elements of team effectiveness, how to build trust at the larger organisation level, and create understanding beyond a narrow group-level phenomenon. The participants also discussed the barriers to effective leadership in family businesses, and how to achieve psychological safety within an organisation to move towards greater group success.

The workshop received a brilliant response, with experts from different business organisations coming together to discuss the challenges and potential solutions of business practice.