Demystifying Leadership: Reflecting on Our Expert Discussion, “How to Enhance Your Leadership: Bridging Personal and Business Growth”

On December 9th, we gathered at Matena’s cultural partner, the House-Museum of Aram Khachaturian, for a transformative discussion on leadership, featuring insights from our professors—some of the highly esteemed professionals in the field. With an engaged audience and a panel of outstanding experts, the evening was filled with valuable lessons and actionable takeaways for leaders across industries.

Ruben Hayrapetyan, co-founder and CEO of Matena, introduced the innovative Leadership SPA framework, a practical tool for leaders to identify, prioritize, and develop the qualities and skills essential for their growth, while recognizing their interdependencies, causation, and hierarchy.

Lara Tcholakian, a distinguished leadership scholar and Matena lecturer, emphasized the critical role of self-awareness as one of the pillars of leadership, sharing actionable strategies for cultivating it and ensuring it leads to impactful results, such as engaging in regular reflections, seeking the right feedback, and practicing mindfulness.

Kenneth Keverian, Matena’s outstanding lecturer, highlighted the importance of a well-defined strategy in leadership, drawing from his experience as IBM’s Senior VP for Corporate Strategy. Ken shared why a strong strategy serves as a platform for successful leadership. His insights on developing a strategic mindset were invaluable.

Arvid Bell, the CEO of the Harvard University-incubated Negotiation Task Force, shed light on negotiation as a specialized skill, offering practical advice on how leaders can refine this critical competency to achieve better outcomes. While it involves communication and critical thinking, Arvid explained that negotiation is a stand-alone hard skill requiring focused learning and practice, which can be improved through structured frameworks and immersive simulations.

The discussion was packed with valuable insights, practical takeaways, and inspiring ideas that left everyone in the room motivated to rethink and enhance their leadership journey.