Valentín Fuster: “ A leader who is not an example, is not a leader”
“ A leader who is not an example, is not a leader.”, declared Valentín Fuster, general director of the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) and president of the Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital, during his talk at the II Annual Esade Alumni North America Meeting, held in New York with some one hundred US business leaders in attendance.
During his talk, Fuster emphasized that one of the most complicated aspects of leadership is the ability to combine empathy, firmness and a positive outlook when dealing with team members. He advised leaders to surround themselves with reliable, loyal collaborators when taking decisions in difficult circumstances and called for resilience: “You have to be very sure of what you want, how it can be accomplished and move forward”.
During his conversation with Miquel Colet, president of the Esade Alumni New York Chapter, Fuster also addressed the role of mentors in professional advancement. “A mentor is someone you trust 100% and who can help when you’re at a crossroads. Life is really complicated, and you need more mentors as time goes by,” he said, adding that leaders must pay attention to young people and think about how they can contribute to collective well-being.
Fuster also mentioned AI, pointing out that it could be a useful tool for humanity, although he had qualms about its impact on the creativity of young people. “Young doctors communicate with AI on computers, but don’t know how to talk to patients,” he said in reference to the importance of the emotional element in the doctor-patient relationship.
The meeting also featured a presentation about impact investing by Santiago Mínguez, professor in the Esade Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting. Mínguez explained how to align financial capital with social objectives and pointed out that although these projects may have lower returns, it is possible to convince investors by reducing their perception of risk.
The event was brought to a close by Iñaki Ocaña, director of Global Relations at Esade Alumni. He underlined the importance of these meetings for strengthening ties between alumni who pursue their careers outside Spain. “It’s essential to ensure that our alumni meet and connect. We know that when people connect, things happen,” explained Ocaña, adding that the Esade Alumni is based on four cornerstones: life-long learning, career development, networking opportunities and social impact.
The North America Annual Meeting is one of the most important international events held by Esade Alumni, a network of more than 80,000 former Esade students across 115 countries. The association has 74 international chapters including 15 in Latin America and 12 in the USA and Canada.
