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Showers over Windermere from Holbeck Lane near Troutbeck.

Visiting the American University in Dubai

November 7, 2017
Kevin-Roberts-at-American-University-Dubai

My affection for the people of the Middle East goes back to the mid 1970s when I spent over a decade with both P&G and PepsiCo. I return regularly – just spent two weeks in Morocco and then a quick trip to the UAE where I spoke to faculty and students at the American University in Dubai at the invitation of Raj Kapoor, Associate Professor of Business Administration, and lecturer Sedef Sapanli. AUD have integrated Lovemarks into their teaching of advertising and marketing communications. Raj sent a write-up for KRConnect…

 Kevin Roberts’ master class at the American University in Dubai on leadership avoided the clichés that so often plague sessions on this topic. There were more than 100 people there to listen, some as young as 18 – others as old as 60. No one was left indifferent.

Kevin was real, personal and compelling. This wasn’t a theoretician speaking. This was advice from a leader who reached the top of the communications business and who served as a point of reference to thousands of professionals globally. Narratives from when he was in the trenches, as well as when he occupied executive suites, sprinkled the session. His passion and humor were contagious.

The subject of change was covered. Here the message was that the world is not just VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous), but super-VUCA (vibrant, unreal, crazy and astounding). This makes the role of proactivity greater than ever before.

Leaders in the super-VUCA world must be inspiring, and part of that is creating the desire in their followers to commit to a company’s “higher-order” purpose; that is, what the company does that has a positive impact on life. Leaders must make things happen – fast. Hesitation, just to avoid making mistakes, can be lethal. Finally, leaders who don’t mentor younger people to become leaders aren’t leaders themselves. Becoming a leader consists of failing fast, learning fast and fixing fast.

The students sat up in their chairs when they were told that the Middle East is ripe for super- VUCA leadership because so many new things are happening here and set to happen in the future. That isn’t true for many other geographies.

Finally, as we might expect from an ad man, Kevin let it be known that he was big on brand positioning. But the surprise came when he urged the audience to think of themselves as brands and market themselves as brands. Great brands have an equity which can generally be expressed in a single word. And so it is with people: the Rock for Dwayne Johnson, the Boss for Bruce Springsteen and the Terminator for Arnold Schwarzenegger.

As students left the room to get on with their day, one could sense that for many, the search for that one word they wanted to claim for themselves had already begun.

The School of Business Administration at the American University in Dubai is widely recognized by students and employers for its tradition of combining academic rigor with practical applications in teaching and research. It aims to provide “job ready” graduates with a range of skills and professional knowledge that is desired by employers.

The School has four Departments: Business and Economics, Finance and Accounting, Management, and Marketing and Marketing Communications. These Departments offer a range of courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The School of Business Administration offers three programs, a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) and a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) program, as well as the IAA Certificate in Marketing Communications. The curricula in both programs are rich in conceptual content; however, the primary emphasis of our educational experience is on equipping students with the applied skills and the professional and ethical perspectives necessary for success in the global marketplace.

Faculty members within the School of Business Administration are highly qualified professionals. They are in regular contact with the business community through research, consultancy, and professional associations. Their knowledge and experiences translate into a rigorous and intellectually rewarding environment for students.

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