Can you lead without authority? Is leadership synonymous with a leader, or are we led in other ways as well? What constitutes good leadership, and what happens without it? What is the function of leadership?
These were among the questions explored when second-year students in the social sciences and economics track at Kulosaari High School gathered in Otaniemi for a customized leadership workshop offered by Aalto EE and the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at Aalto University.
Jari Ylitalo, Senior University Lecturer at Aalto University, and University Lecturer Risto Sarvas facilitated the interactive workshop for the curious students. The students actively participated in small-group discussions and shared their thoughts with the entire group.
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| Jari Ylitalo and Risto Sarvas discussed the students' views on management and leadership. |
Ville Kohvakka, the lead teacher for the social studies and economics track at Kulosaari High School, noted that the workshop was an excellent complement to the course he teaches. These same topics had been explored before. Universal truths and answers to all open questions related to leadership remained as elusive as ever.
“There are no clear-cut answers to many questions; instead, they can be examined from multiple perspectives. The same topics remain relevant year after year,” noted Jari Ylitalo and Risto Sarvas.
They explained that “leadership” is a broader and more multifaceted phenomenon than the “leader” and that leadership always occurs in relation to other people collaboratively. The students concluded that a leader’s interpersonal, communication, and emotional skills, as well as the clarity and realism of shared goals and the successful engagement of others in those goals, are prerequisites for good leadership. “Coercion” and “bossiness” may work for a moment, in a specific situation, but empathetic, emotionally intelligent leadership is more effective and sustainable. What matters is the desire to understand one another, to discuss shared goals openly with one another, and to express how one hopes to be led by oneself.
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| Ville Kohvakka is the lead teacher for the social studies and economics program at Kulosaari High School. |
The students agreed that leaders and leadership are needed in many situations, such as in everyday life, at school, in the workplace, and in hobbies. Without leadership, ideas easily remain just ideas, and nothing happens.
The discussions also touched on thought leadership, opinion leaders, artificial intelligence, and responsible leadership. It was noted that there is also questionable and misleading influence, and that the line between leadership and manipulation can sometimes be blurred.
“The session with the students flew by, and it almost felt like we ran out of time. There would have been plenty more to discuss and ask, both from the students and the experts,” commented Bella Sillman, Head of Client Relations at Aalto EE, who organized the event.
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The classroom is filled with excited chatter. The students in the social sciences and economics program at Kulosaari High School have just been given the first question for their small-group discussions in the leadership workshop. |
