The link between the cases and the chapters. How does this connect to real life experiences? by Noah Bruins

 The phase of discovering and observing is over. Six weeks have been passed already and the pace is rapid. This block of two weeks have been different than the previous four weeks, since we are covering cases in the form of workshops. In addition, we still cover more theory and to be honest each week it becomes more interesting. The past two weeks we have covered culture and style of management and leadership. 

The first case about Gucci and LVMH was very interesting since these are worldwide famous brands and everyone knows their status. Beforehand, I read the case but it was very hard to understand while reading it for the first time. Therefore, I decided to read it for the second time and it became more clear than before. Gucci lost a huge amount of stocks by one of their biggest competitors in the market: Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy. The hosts of the workshop explained how this had negative effect on Gucci. Thereafter, Gucci used different styles of management in order to make sure LVMH is not taking advantage of the profitability and revenue of Gucci. In all honesty, it was a good workshop with a very interesting topic. However, the questions asked were really hard to answer, even though I read the case more than once. After the case, I learned how to distinguish different types of management and how to recognize a "problem" in a case. 

The second case about Jesus Fernandez and the premium lingerie export. This case was about how external governmental regulations had huge impact on a company. Due to the changed regulations in Argentina it was not possible for Jesus Fernandez to import raw materials from that country, which had impact on the whole business model. The change in the business model led to a loss of international customers, hence a decrease in profitability. The new business model also led to a lack of quality control, which made the international customers even more angry than before. The quality control check led to an increase in costs and thus a loss of competitive pricing advantage. The leadership decisions of both Jesus Fernandez and Maria Jesus led to a new focus on the domestic market. This was essential in order to keep the company profitably. This workshop was given with more enthusiasm and therefore, I liked it more than the other one. Also, the questions were more clear and the activities were fun to do. I actually enjoyed watching and attending this workshop. 

Before this workshop started, we talked about leadership in general. Mrs Carita had a beautiful quote: "A person can be a cocktail of multiple cultural characteristics". I learned how to look at the cultural values and leadership characteristics such as: Hierarchy Acceptance, Gender Association, Uncertainty Avoidance, Time Orientation and Group Attachment. 

Lastly, we discussed the ingredients to lead a diverse team. This leader should have the following characteristics: 

- Create safe atmosphere and make teamwork challenging

- Be inclusive

- Seek synergy

- Promote positive changes

- Cultivate multicultural mind

In my opinion, men and women lead differently. From my experience, men are mainly focus on business. Remember, this is just my personal experience and is not an insult to anyone! My female manager often talks a lot more with me about my personal life and is showing a Weak Hierarchy Acceptance, since she is helping me with my tasks. While my male manager is not helping me with cleaning or some other tasks, since he is showing Strong Hierarchy Acceptance. 

Week 5 and 6 were really challenging, but fun and I am looking forward to the rest. 

To be honest, I am not really a leader. I do not like to take the lead, however, I would like to have my opinion when decisions are going to made. Not being a leader does not mean a person does not have leadership characteristics. To all young professionals, do not be afraid to take the lead when needed. Leadership is important in order to succeed, even though you do not have to be the "pure leader" in a group, you can still make decisions or have a strong opinion in a discussion. What I have learned during my time at International Business is that you have to step out of your comfort zone. For example: I am not a leader, but when I felt that something needs to be done I was afraid to step up and take the lead where needed.