Dr. Kelly Ottman, Rader School of Business, shared her expertise at the global level with two presentations at the International Leadership Association Global Conference in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the world’s largest cross-sector gathering of leaders and leadership scholars, educators and development professionals. Ottman’s presentations focused on executive leadership and coaching.

“At the conference, I spent time sharing and learning from leaders from the United Nations, leading global universities and industry,” said Ottman.

Ottman led a presentation with a panel of global coaches who all serve as executive leadership coaches for the WE Empower United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Awardees. The presentation, entitled “Global Coaching for Women Leaders: Navigating Cultural Complexities and Empowering Success,” addressed the unique, changing needs and challenges of women leaders on a global stage in a wide variety of political, business and social contexts. They also focused on the need for coaches to be deeply embedded in understandings of leadership and coaching, while being keenly aware of their own assumptions and differing values across cultures.  

The presentation drew on experiences Ottman has had as a volunteer Executive Leadership Coach Coordinator for the International Leadership Association. In this role, she recruits, selects, matches and mentors experienced coaches from around the globe. The coaches are matched with executive women entrepreneurs who are award winners from the WE Empower UN SDG Challenge. The awardees represent the five regions of the world and are addressing sustainability issues that include cloud and fog water collection in United Arab Emirates; capturing CO2 and turning it to stone in Iceland; using AI and advanced recycling to transform the waste economy in Senegal; innovating media to address social challenges and education in Myanmar; and scientific beekeeping in India. Ottman also has served as a volunteer executive coach since 2021 to Dr. Sara Saeed, the founder and CEO of the largest e-healthcare company in Pakistan.

Additionally at the conference, Ottman’s hosted a Cafecito, which utilizes questions to educate and engage. The Cafecito was entitled “What role can leadership coaching play in promoting ‘success’ in retirement? What is success?” This was grounded in Ottman’s protracted leave research through MSOE which explored the non-financial process and needs of executive leaders in retirement.

Ottman noticed the common themes throughout the conference were the influence of AI, as well as leadership power and responsibility at a local and global level. While Ottman served as a leader and presenter at the conference, she also took away valuable lessons that she looks forward to applying to her role as a professor at MSOE.

“As an educator, I learned new leadership theories as well as new teaching strategies to bring back to the classroom,” said Ottman. “Stepping away from daily routine with a global learning lens prompted me to understand challenges and opportunities from new perspectives.”

Ottman also valued hearing from students and making global connections with an array of peers and colleagues. “Learning from a student team from Beirut reinforced the power of students to create impact that can stretch beyond the university. And time spent over dinner with new and old friends from around the world helps to create personal bonds that promote new collaborative opportunities.”