In order to help MBA students build leadership skills and expand their business vision, Dr. Sam Van Damme was invited to give a theme lecture by China Agricultural University MBA Education Center on June 22.

First active as a Management Consultant for one of the Big Five companies (Deloitte) working on a variety of international projects, Sam amassed experience within both the private (Audi, VW, Lamborghini, Toyota, Aegon, BNP Parisbas, NuonEnergy) and government sector (European Union). His experience in restructuring and Change Management projects within CRM in a variety of industries (Automotive, Banking, and Energy) allowed him to develop a clearer picture of the effectiveness of leadership in a set of different contexts. Later on Sam accepted a new opportunity to lead a Market Research Department for the EU headquarters of the insurance arm of an American Health Care company (CIGNA). These experiences allowed Sam to get a better picture of the realities of Leadership in the field adding to his Master Studies in Organizational Management and Leadership from European College Brussels. It inspired Sam to go back to the academic world and take on another Masters in Development Studies focusing on developing markets. This turned into a PhD allowing for time to reflect on successes and “near successes” of leadership in the private sector and from an academic perspective.

This lecture focused on drivers of performance in order to understand what motivates people and what type of leadership they will benefit from. Sam asked some critical questions: Is there a hierarchy of needs? Should we pay more attention to intrinsic or extrinsic factors? On what type of motivational factors should leadership focus? And what are the four most common motivation traps? The lecture offered a deeper insight into top-down leadership based on trust and sense. Students and executives were invited to reflect on relationships between people in spite of their differences of opinion that enables better team leadership.

The lecture aroused the big interests among students. It helped students have some insights into leadership. This lecture is the second issue of the “Global Elite Series” which was held by China Agricultural University MBA Education in 2019. More lectures will be conducted in the near future, and the MBA Center will invite more global elites to share their successful experience with our students.

供稿人：2018级国际班 萧铁如泥