International conference on values in business

Psychologist and training consultant Patrick Psaila was recently invited to speak and run a workshop at a six-day international conference held in Caux, Switzerland entitled 'Trust and integrity in the global economy'. The conference was attended by over one hundred people from 26 countries, including the US, Japan, China, India, UK, Russia, Australia, Canada, and Africa.

The conference brought together corporate leaders, young professionals, entrepreneurs, NGO representatives, academics and decision-makers to work out ways of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of bringing trust and integrity to the global economy.

The conference was one of a series of six organised by Initiatives of Change International - a worldwide network open to people of all cultures, nationalities, religions and beliefs, who work towards local and global change, by starting with change in their own lives.

Initiatives of Change is dedicated to promoting the concrete application of positive values in business, politics, religion, education, economics and all sectors of humanity.

A unique feature of Caux conferences is the presence of young volunteers called interns, mostly university graduates from all over the world. These come to Caux for the entire conference period to assist in the running of the conferences and the conference centre, as well as to participate in the various workshops and keynote addresses. During the conference they form small communities with the participants and contributors so that they can have open dialogue, share and learn from them.

Various speakers presented their ideas and conducted workshops on topics such as values-driven decision-making, the impact of corruption on the future of the world, how business can make a positive contribution to the world, the ethics of decision-making, resolving conflict in societies and the importance of principle-based leadership.

Mr Psaila focused on the psychological and emotional strengths leaders need to sustain long-term effectiveness and create resonance in the organisations they lead. He also conducted an experiential session for participants based on a model that enables leaders to evaluate personal alignment between their core purpose, values, skills and actions.

Participants were encouraged to identify areas of misalignment and generate ways of addressing these areas so that they can be more consistent and effective while nurturing trustworthiness and integrity. The key theme and message of the workshop was that leaders need to look inward and ensure personal integrity and alignment if they expect to be a true source of inspiration and motivation to the people they lead.

The last day of the conference was dedicated to generating action initiatives from the various workshops based on all the knowledge and experience that was shared during the conference.

More information about the business conferences offered by Initiatives of Change can be found at www.cauxbusiness.com. For more information, e-mail Mr Psaila at www.workassist.eu.