“Develop a passion for learning, if you do, you’ll never cease to grow,” Anthony J. D’Angelo.

The healthcare industry has experienced unprecedented moments. Through this turbulent time of the COVID-19 pandemic, human resource management has become a priority for the Human Resources Management Department. It no longer follows the old rudimentary methods of exaggerated administration work, it has strengthened and made a mark for itself in the industry over the last 30 years. However, the role of HR has become all the more crucial, along with advancements in other fields, the intervention of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Covid 19 pandemic, adding to the pressure to deal with the anxiety and mental health of employees in the organization. Ergo, in order to comprehend this anxiety and how to deal effectively with it, We Connect, the webinar at the Westford University College; “Leading out loud – what it takes to be an effective leader in today’s time,” acted like a balm on the wounds of many.

Mr. Iain Copperthwaite, HR Director of Saudi German Hospitals, has 35 + years of experience in Human Resources Management and 6 + years of experience throughout the UAE alone. Apart from being a recipient of a CIPD degree, Mr. Iain’s exceptional journey of building resilience and encouraging team members to overcome difficult situations has helped to connect with students at a deeper level world – wide.

The participants ‘Q&A session, on-and off-campus, has contributed to students’ eagerness to gain hands-on learning experience in order to improve their knowledge of current courses they are enrolled in. Mr. Iain’s response on how to spontaneously change the leadership styles of a diversified organization to create an impact on the work, by Rekha Pillai was, to fully understand the source of the problem, through effective listening and then working more and more towards solutions.

Another question posed by an external attendee was if, in addition to respecting the differences between people and maximizing profits, as a leader’s key strength, are there other areas, where one can evolve to ensure success. In response, Mr. Iain happily shared his insightful journey of how resilience and time management helped him grow individually in an organization and how, if these factors are not adapted, they could lead to chaos. In addition, a question from a WUC student, Rakshan, was about the topic of HR itself. He wanted to understand how effective MBTI and other personality tests are relevant to their course and how they helped to build a bridge between theory and practicality. Mr. Iain stated in response that they are impactful and widely used at work, but is not the only decision-maker, there are also other variables to be considered. Emphasizing that when a decision is made, HR is a combination of multiple elements and not just one area.

Human Resource Management is one of the academic subjects at the Westford University College, and we believe in connecting minds, theories, and pragmatism. These webinars are thus introduced, both from theoretical and practical perspectives, to develop the minds of students. The aim of this webinar was to educate our students and working professionals on the required challenges and expectations of Human Resource Management and the overall business goals for our Master of Business Administration and BA (Hons).

Related Links

The Winning Leadership Mantra; Mr. James Michael Lafferty

How to lead to thrive in change? – Resilient Leadership

How to Improve the Top 10 Leadership Qualities | Westford blogs