Masterclass Academy of International Hospitality Research (AIHR) for Stenden Bali

by Dr. Sjoerd Gehrels

"Personal Leadership to Counter the Challenges of an Increasingly Changing World"

Dr. Sjoerd Gehrels will give an interactive session about Personal Leadership. 

Stenden University of Applied Sciences offers Bachelor and Master education and research in five different countries, Netherlands, Indonesia, Thailand, Qatar and South Africa. This has made Stenden a world-wide respected partner of the industry. Stenden Hotel Management School has a full educational portfolio with Associate Degree, Bachelor of Business Administration, Work & Study BBA and an MA/MSc in International Hospitality & Service Management. Similar to the famous Cornell School of Hotel Administration, Stenden HMS set up a research department, the Academy of International Hospitality Research (AIHR) five years ago. Together with undergraduate and graduate students research into many contemporary topics are undertaken such as personal leadership resulting in publications and projects.

Personal Leadership is about the leadership of the self. It is the ability to define a direction for one’s own leadership and life, and to move in that direction with consistency and clarity. When a person practices personal leadership, it means leading from the inside out. In order to be effective in life, having strong personal leadership skills is critical. When a person is able to take responsibility for decisions made in all areas of life and making those decisions in the best interest of all people involved, it will be possible to have a positive and inspiring impact on others. Dr. Gehrels will take an example from the many approaches to personal leadership and explain the steps involved as well as the effects derived from them. Although many leadership gurus claim exclusivity for their approach such as Tony Robbins (Unleash the Power Within), Manfred Kets de Vries (The Challenge of Leadership: Creating Reflective Leaders), Stephen Covey (Seven Habits of Highly Effective People) and Warren Bennis (On Becoming a Leader), it is good to know that many different frameworks  can be used as long as they serve the purpose of providing direction in life. Armed with insight, a sense of self, and the right strategies a person can be more successful in combating and even reversing the effects of a challenging personal or work-related situation.