Report on seminar event objectives, audience, and leadership insights

Leading Change" was the topic of discussion for the seminar delivered Dr. Saad Al-Barrak, the esteemed former CEO of Zain Telecom, and who currently serves as CEO of ILA Group. The university's president and the head of the MBA program introduced Al-Barrak to a barrage of applause from the fresh-faced and eager-eyed students in the audience. In fact, one of the main objectives of the seminar was to introduce the graduates to how to apply concepts like organizational change and leadership into real world scenarios. The audience was comprised of mainly university graduates, with a few faculty and staff members present as well. The seminar was held in a small auditorium, and about fifty people were in attendance. Many of us had opened our laptops so we could take notes. Focusing on the dual themes of leadership and change, the seminar remained highly relevant to the student body.

Building on examples from his tenure at Zain Telecom, Al-Barrak talked first about how he and his colleagues applied Kotter's 8-Step Model of Change to the organization. One of the most renowned organizational change models, Kotter's 8-Step model was undoubtedly familiar to most of the audience members, but instead of just reading case studies in textbooks, we now had the opportunity to listen to a real-life example of how the model is put into action in a company we are all familiar with. Al-Barrak spoke of the state of urgency that precedes change, and which is necessary to motivate the members of an organization to reconsider our processes and procedures. The building of a coalition or team that can form strategic visions requires strong leadership skills, as we need to create a group of diverse individuals who can contribute different perspectives and points-of-view. Al-Barrak told us about the various challenges, pitfalls, and shortcomings he and his team experienced during the processes of change at Zain Telecom, and then helped his audience to apply what we had learned to envisioning change in our own organizations. Armed with his anecdotes and knowledge of the change process, I feel far more empowered to lead a group or "volunteer army" in my organization to institute meaningful change that generates real results.

Change is about seizing opportunities and driving an organization forward using its own momentum, and not allowing external forces to control how we choose to guide our own company. Remaining committed to organizational values and goals is crucial during the process of change, Al-Barrak noted, because it provides the fundamental blueprint for how to create structural change without sacrificing what is most important. Strong leaders are the cornerstones of successful change because they understand how to steer the organization without losing sight of values and goals. Moreover, a strong leader empowers each person to provide feedback and information that can be helpful in the change process. Learning how leadership and organizational change interface with each other was the most helpful thing that I gleaned from this seminar.

As I step forward into my own leadership roles, I have a lot to contemplate based on Al-Barrak's seminar. The Kotter 8-Step Model of Change is a helpful framework to use, not just for organizational change but also for personal change. Using the example of the speaker, who transitioned from being CEO of Zain Telecome to starting his own firm, I can see that all successful businesspeople change their roles. Many will even change their visions, and even their leadership styles depending on the needs of the moment, the needs of their partners and colleagues, or the needs of the industry they are in. Some changes do derive from external forces beyond our control, and we as leaders must be prepared to face those challenges using the skills that we learn not academically but in our day-to-day interactions with colleagues and clients.

References

"MBA Program welcomes Dr. Saad Al-Barrak for seminar on "Leading Change" in GUST," (2014). Retrieved online: https://www.gust.edu.kw/content/mba_program_welcomes_dr_saad_al_barrak_seminar_leading_change_gust