Wittenborg Lecturer Delivers Session on Leadership in Business to Indian Students

07.10.2024

Nikita Pahwa Discusses Different Styles and Emerging Trends in Leadership

Wittenborg Assistant Professor Nikita Pahwa recently delivered an insightful guest lecture in partnership with the International Institute of Management Studies (IIMS), Pune, India.

Titled ‘The Role of Leadership for Business Success in the Context of Future Business Leaders’, the online session was offered to students pursuing a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) at IIMS.

The guest lecture discussed various leadership styles and methods for choosing the right approaches in different managerial and leadership positions.

Pahwa highlighted that academic literature as well as a survey of nearly 200,000 people in 81 organisations around the world defines four key characteristics in leadership. These include being supportive, operating with a strong results orientation, seeking different perspectives and solving problems effectively.

In her presentation, she explained the differences between a manager and a leader, pointing out that, among other characteristics, the former depends on authority and inspires fear, while the latter relies on goodwill and generates enthusiasm.

The Assistant Professor also discussed different strategies to choose a leadership style, including experimentation, seeking a mentor, asking for feedback and being authentic. Additionally, the session addressed the emerging concept of ‘servant leadership’, as well as the characteristics of great leaders from history, pitfalls to avoid as business leaders and trends regarding the future of leadership.

According to Pahwa, the outcome of the guest lecture was very positive, with students being actively engaged in the discussions. “The role of leadership styles in organisational success is an important topic, especially for future managers and leaders, and I was happy to share my knowledge with such an enthusiastic group. I am looking forward to future collaborations,” she remarked.