RABIGH — Misk Foundation, also known as Prince Muhammad Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Foundation, has recently held the Leadership Skills and Influence program in partnership with General Electric Saudi Arabia. The four-day program, held at Prince Muhammad Bin Salman College of Business and Entrepreneurship, King Abdullah Economic City, focused on executive roles and leadership patterns and identified the challenges encountering youth wanting to be executives and leaders, Al-Hayat daily reported. The program targeted 30 young men and women from different regions and it helped attendees find their strengths and weaknesses and prepare plans and strategies for the future. The program was designed by General Electric's Crotonville, the global leadership institute, and presented by Tim Hayet. Participants were introduced to theoretical and practical concepts of leadership, ways to form and manage a team, communication skills and influence, with more emphasis on ways to form and develop work teams and the role of a leader in building trust in work environment. The program explained how conflicts should be managed and reversed, how smart objectives are designed and achieved and how leaders should interact with others. Different patterns of leadership and the professional delegation of tasks were explained as well. The program comes in line with Misk Foundation's efforts to arm Saudi youth with global leadership and entrepreneurship skills and prepare them to take on different jobs. For eight hours a day over a period of four days, the participants had a chance to learn about the influential communication skills they needed as leaders in their own fields in order to be successful and overcome the difficulties and challenges they face. The shift from performing executive roles to become a leader was emphasized while the fears and challenges associated with this shift were delineated. The program offers valuable lessons for developing the performance of work teams and identifying of the expectations of subordinates and team members.
