Entrepreneurial Leadership in Berlin and Europe

Please visit our website (www.fubis.org) for an overview of all courses offered and for possible updates to the course programme. About this course Leadership surrounds us always and everywhere. Be it as a supervisor, team captain, student activist, or parent – we all need certain leadership skills to thrive in our private and professional lives. However, what makes a good leader has long been the subject of controversial debate in research and practice. Leadership theories have constantly evolved, and modern concepts are manifold. At the same time, management scandals (e.g. Wirecard, Dieselgate, Twitter) repeatedly bring leadership failures to light. This course introduces a basic understanding of what leadership actually is and how that understanding depends on time and context. On this basis, we will take a closer look at what enables individuals to lead in an entrepreneurial way and why an entrepreneurial mindset is more important than ever among today’s leaders. The economic, political, and ecological crises around the world have led us to question many of the assumptions on what entrepreneurship and "typical" entrepreneurs are. Various initiatives have been established to promote diverse forms, purposes, and initiators of entrepreneurial activity. Behind such endeavours lies the hope that entrepreneurship will not only create new jobs but also new ideas for the future and solutions to the world's most pressing problems. Accordingly, the European Commission developed a reference framework ("EntreComp") to establish an understanding of entrepreneurship as a competence that results in social, cultural, or financial value for others. The basic idea of this framework is that the necessary skills and attitudes can be learned and applied by anyone. However, the practical outcome regarding entrepreneurial diversity varies. Women and ethnic minorities, for instance, remain significantly underrepresented in startup ecosystems worldwide, with a global average of only 15% female founders. Achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number five (gender equality) in the entrepreneurial context remains a distant goal. In class, we will touch upon the underlying causes and discuss possible solutions. The course also emphasises learning about the diversity of the Berlin startup ecosystem, including inviting guests from local startups and impact communities. A special session will involve a full day of leadership coaching with horses (Physical contact is voluntary!). This approach is relatively new to university education but is gaining popularity in Human Resources (HR) and leadership development. The unique aspect of equine interaction lies in horses' impartiality. They do not judge a person based on status, gender, or skin colour, but respond solely to personal radiance when deciding whether to follow a human being. This allows students to experience the value of diversity in leadership and ultimately learn about the importance of trustworthiness and communication. Through receiving candid individual feedback, students will have the opportunity to further refine their personal leadership identity and skills.