Webster Vienna Alumni Symposium Analyzes Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
October 02, 2024
Panelists discuss leadership and emotional intelligence as part of Webster Vienna's
Alumni Symposium.
On Sept. 19, attendees gathered at Webster Vienna Private University (WVPU) for the 16th annual Webster Vienna Alumni Symposium.
This year’s symposium featured distinguished panelists who are well-known industry leaders, experts in emotional intelligence and psychologists. With Webster Vienna Associate Director Samuel Schubert serving as moderator, the following experts shared their knowledge with attendees:
- Lydia Goutas, senior partner at Lehrer Executive Partners and global head of financial services at Cornerstone International Group, a former employee and Advisory Board member who also sponsored the event;
- Patricia Neumann, chief executive officer of Siemens AG Austria and a prominent advocate for inclusion in business leadership;
- Antonia Pacek, head of Innovation Practice at Global Success Advisors, who shared her expertise on fostering creativity and innovation;
- Eliot Mannoia, digital psychologist and founder of BrandKarma, a pioneer in leveraging emotional intelligence for enhanced performance, and
- Marc Mehu, Webster Vienna head of the Psychology Department, whose research on cognitive appraisal and emotional intelligence proved vital to understanding the role both play in human interaction.
During the symposium, which is Palais Wenkheim’s signature annual event, panelists offered insight into the nature of emotional intelligence and its critical role in leadership, sharing their expertise about how leaders can harness emotional intelligence to drive collaboration and success, as well as how it can be misused for manipulation or unethical practices.
“The panelists demonstrated why we at Webster should be proud of our international community and how we prepare generations of prospective leaders,” Schubert said after the event.
The thought-provoking conversation covered issues from the role of emotional intelligence
(EI) and leadership in innovation and business success, the role of artificial intelligence
(AI) in selecting and shaping leadership in the future and how leaders can both foster
as well as learn EI.
The participants discussed how leaders must balance technology integration while maintaining human-centric values, ensuring that AI enhances rather than detracts from emotional intelligence in the workplace. They clearly pinpointed the crucial role played by EI in developing inclusive work cultures, the importance of cognitive appraisal in emotional intelligence, and confirmed that EI training is becoming increasingly necessary for future leaders to navigate the complexities of a digitally transformed world.
Photo credits: Kirill Lialin.