26 октября 2018 г.

During the recent evening seminar on October 24, CFA Association Russia looked at the importance of finding and pursuing personal hobbies outside of work. The finance profession is known for its grueling hours and hard work, but according to keynote speaker Emilia Bunea, CFA, a leadership scholar from Amsterdam’s Vrije Universiteit, being able to detach from work and finding serious leisure is what makes good leaders even better.

Before her role as a researcher, Emilia held several high-ranking executive positions, serving as a CFO and CEO of few international companies across different countries. Thanks to such a wealth of experience, Emilia knows first-hand about the exhausting nature of work that company leaders go through every day. Being a serious long-distance runner, she also knows how the pursuit of leisure activities helps her to be a better performer at work.

Having long recognized the true value of leadership skills, companies spend over USD $350 billion per year on various leadership development programs, Emilia said.

Latest research shows that pursuing one’s hobbies and having serious leisure can be an important leadership tool, according to the speaker. The CEOs of leading global companies, such as David Solomon of Goldman Sachs, Andrew Wilson of Electronic Arts, and Boeing’s Dennis Muilenburg, all have hobbies that temporarily unplug them from work. Solomon is a part-time night club DJ, Wilson can put most people to sleep with a Jiu-Jitsu hold, and Muilenburg thinks that cycling is the best way to relax.

In addition to providing detachment from work, having serious leisure helps to build psychological capital, improve the overall performance at work, lead to better decision-making, develop creativity, and connect a leader with the rest of team members within a company, Emilia said during her presentation.

On a final note, Emilia emphasized the importance of re-evaluating one’s priorities and finding something to do outside of work. This will surely help to make all of us better leader.

FULL VIDEO OF THE EVENT >>>