The Executive MBA-38 group had their last classroom module last week. And his last activity was a meeting with Dmytro Shimkiv, former executive chairman of the board of directors of Darnitsa Group, and now a partner in the AeroDron startup and a member of the supervisory boards of Kyivstar, Helsi, and the Ukrainian Startup Fund.

Dmytro shared with the MBA participants his vision of the most valuable leadership qualities today. First, it is adaptability to change. Secondly, the ability to see opportunities (and they constantly arise in the modern technological world, even during the war) and realize them. And thirdly, the ability to see a goal and move towards it despite all obstacles.

"Harvard Business Review once had an article about "CEOs of peace" and "CEOs of war." Of course, when it was written, the context was different: it was about companies that are developing and thinking about growth — and organizations that are in a critical situation. But recently, while reviewing this article, I saw that it is quite relevant for us now, — says Dmytro. — I believe that today if you are the head of any organization, you should be ready to be both a "leader of war" and a "leader of peace." You will have to change these roles often because you must constantly be on edge to survive in a constantly changing environment. So, it is necessary to balance."

EMBA-38 participants asked Dmytro various questions for more than an hour and a half: from the peculiarities of public administration to the prerequisites for the development of the manager, business, and the country. And Dmytro generously shared his thoughts and experience. In particular, he emphasized the importance of values for a manager: "You must not only determine your goal but also set a limit for yourself — what you will never go beyond. I have my value model; there are things I will never do. When I conduct interviews, I often ask this question: What will you never do?".

After completing the last classroom training module, the EMBA-38 group awaits the next stage: preparing master's projects. We believe each of them will be ambitious, influential, and valuable.

Leadership reflections of EMBA-38 with Dmytro Shimkiv