IBA Karachi and Synapse organize the last large assembly on creative leadership

The Office of Student Affairs (OSA) at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi in collaboration with Synapse, Pakistan Neuroscience Institute, organized the last large assembly of this program at the IBA, Main Campus to emphasize the impact of creative leadership, on an individual and organizational level.

Speakers at the event included Founder and CEO Synapse, Dr. Ayesha Mian; Keynote Speaker and Principal, Development + Humanitarian Assistance, Miyamoto International, Unjela Kaleem; Former Chair and Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine Agha Khan University (AKU), Dr. Asad Mian; and CEO, NAPA Karachi, Mr. Junaid Zuberi.

Dean of Student Affairs IBA, Maheen Ghauri commenced the session and presented a welcome note.

Dr. Ayesha introduced the program and stated that its main objective was to assist the IBA fraternity in communicating better and more creatively. She emphasized that if you can inspire others to do more then you are a true leader. She also opined that fearless organizations offer psychological security to their employees so that they can voice their ideas freely.

In her keynote speech, Ms. Kaleem shed light on storytelling and its leadership role. She said that a person’s happiness depends on the quality of their thoughts and urged leaders to work cooperatively with their teams to bring out innovative ideas and solutions. She stated that to be an effective leader, one must be open to learning, criticism, and failure. She urged the participants to be authentic in whatever they do.

Mr. Zuberi expressed his delight in coming back to his alma mater. Sharing his thoughts on the topic, he stated that leaders must experiment and take risks to be good leaders. He underscored the importance of community engagement and said that a good leader attains success with limited resources.

Mr. Asad shared the nuances of disruption and ICE (Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship).

A panel discussion ensued on ‘Celebrating Failure in Leadership’. A Q&A session followed the discussion.

Earlier, the Office of Student Affairs, IBA, signed an MoU with Synapse, Pakistan to launch the Tabeer – (IBA x Synapse) Program for the IBA students, staff, and faculty. The launch program took place in April 2023.

The Tabeer initiative was created with several objectives in mind. First, the IBA aims to promote compassion and empathy among IBA students, faculty, and staff. Second, it seeks to encourage effective communication and active listening within the IBA community. Third, the goal is to foster creative thinking and innovative problem-solving in leadership roles. Last but not least, the IBA aims to build a supportive and inclusive IBA culture that values diversity and acceptance.

The initiative consisted of several components. The first component was a series of workshops and training sessions, which educated the community on the importance of compassion, effective communication, and creative leadership. These sessions were facilitated by experts in the fields of psychology, communication, and leadership.

This program concluded with a series of pitches of community-based projects that students will work on under the mentorship of faculty and staff mentors. These projects will range from hands-on work to online virtual forums. The projects aim to bring about positive change and inclusivity amongst the IBA Community.