The document summarizes key points from presentations at the World Business Forum on the topics of leadership, innovation, and education. It discusses that leadership is essential for business success but not everyone is capable of it. It also highlights the importance of recognizing opportunities and taking risks to drive innovation, as well as educating employees to help them meet leadership expectations and think more creatively. Attending events like this forum was said to be vital for growing as a future leader.

1. World Business Forum – Application to Marketing<br />Mark 37<br />The topic for the day was leadership and everything that is required, attributes, as well as the essential roles that leaders have within an organization. Leadership roles are essential to the construction of a successful business and organization. Out of all contributing factors of the successful companies, the main link between them all is their leaders. However, not everyone is capable of being a leader. Sometimes though, the proper coaching and encouragement can yield a leader that produces more leaders.<br />Malcolm Gladwell seems to put things so eloquently, “no one is a self made man. Jebb Bush who is the son of a President, brother of a President, and Uncle is in the legislature of American politics, is not even a self-made man”. This statement is so true, and the fact that successful people, though they may have worked and sweated and toiled harder than most people, have had some opportunity that not many of us enjoy the luxury of having. Moreover they recognized the opportunity that they were given and seized that opportunity, without even thinking about the consequences. <br />Gladwell’s story about the doctor just previous to World War II is absolutely astonishing about how innovation and creativity are still very applicable today in business and marketing in particular. Sometimes the innovative way is not just how we make things simpler, but how we take something that is more complex in nature, and figure out a more efficient process and take that risk which may be career ending. In marketing that can mean a difference in market share, or accessing a customer base that lies outside the target market that the company had not considered. Always gaining the competitive advantage is what drives the company to success, and with that it takes the leaders to recognize the employees willing to work towards a common goal to obtain the most successful outcome. <br />Leadership does not always breed success; sometimes it takes a lot of hard work and maybe takes on casualties along the way. Starbucks was at one point a market leader within the coffee industry; however before and during the market crisis in 2008 their CEO stepped down. After a couple years through tumultuous times, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz rejoined, became the leader he was meant to be. He asked his employees, “Don’t we deserve more?” through lessons learned in 2008, that answer seems obvious. Howard Schultz utilized many consumer behaviour concepts, which marketers have to look at: confidence of the consumer, hyper-connected consumers are mainly online, and competition seems to be parity in the market place. Starbucks repositioned themselves to realign with their company mission and goals, relevancy to their customers through online media, and became an active member within the community. Thus, adding the value proposition back in the consumers mind.<br />Ben Zanders talk was awe inspiring, that a conductor of a Philharmonic Symphony actually is that animated. “Education is the key to opening up of new categories of leaders”, and the “Art of Possibility”, are essential quotes for those in marketing with a leadership role in their title of position within a company. Education for employees is vital to paving the way to understanding what you as the leader is expecting, and also the employee has the confidence to ask questions to be sure their meeting the standards. “It’s not that we’re asking the right questions, but we’re asking the wrong questions”. Possibilities are limitless if the questions are rephrased to achieve an outcome that was lying outside the scope of reality. Sometimes the easier questions better left unanswered.<br />The Ideas discussed at the World Business Forum are monumental in the understanding, growing, and nurturing for a business professional, whether it be a student or someone already in a company. Attending this event is absolutely vital to my growing as a human and as a future leader of tomorrow’s world. A success without a doubt and should be made available to all students not only of business, but students in general.<br />