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Forbes
21-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
What Theater Can Teach Leaders About Communication
Presenting in the boardroom isn't so different from performing on stage By Mercedes Segura Amat, Professor of Public Speaking at Esade Imagine this: the lights dim, an expectant hush settles over the crowd, and suddenly… the CEO walks in. Not into a theater, but a boardroom. Yet the scene is the same: there is an audience, a message, and a unique opportunity to connect — or disconnect. Many leaders think that communicating means speaking. But if that were true, we would all be Shakespeare. Communicating as a leader is more than just speaking; it is acting. And not in the sense of pretending, but of mastering the stagecraft of presence, emotion, and impact. When business leaders present, they often set their emotions aside in an attempt to seem more professional. But we are emotional beings. Everything that goes through our hearts and minds influences how we express ourselves. And what is theater if not a form of communication based on emotions. Actors are experts in emotion-driven communication. So, there is a connection between theater and business, since we all want the same thing when we speak. Whether actor or business executive, actor or non-actor, we want to connect, empathize, and touch the hearts and minds of our listeners. That's why theater can help us express ourselves better, with passion, conviction, and fun! I conceive of every act of communication (every client presentation, every negotiation, every shareholders' meeting) as a scene from a play. Anyone who grasps this parallel and sees the world as a stage automatically elevates the quality of their presentations. Managers who understand that they are actors on the stage of life prepare to deliver the best version of themselves and, like good stage directors, leave nothing to chance (from the script to the scenery, costume design, or connection with the audience). All of this enhances their performance. Let's look at how. Four lessons from theater to communicate like a leader 1. Prepare the content. This process entails much more than putting together a slide deck in PowerPoint, since that should only cover the key headlines and figures, not the entire message. Use the 'Notes' section of each slide to jot down key sentences you don't want to forget with the exact wording you want to use. The slides are part of the scenery, a backdrop to embellish your performance, not something to be read from. 2. Rehearse in advance. The more prepared you are, the more relaxed you'll be. Have doubts? Rehearse. Afraid you'll forget something? Rehearse. Worried you won't be persuasive enough? Rehearse more. Rehearsing prepares you for the unexpected, because things don't always go according to plan (the projector isn't working and you have to speak without your slides; an unexpected presence in the audience throws you off balance; etc.). And don't think that rehearsing will make you sound less natural, because even naturalness takes practice. You need to rehearse in order to leave room for improvisation. Rehearsing consists of three stages: 3. Tap into the audience's emotion. Are you going to tell a story or give a report? It doesn't matter what industry you're in (technology, renewables, investment banking, etc.): as a leader, you are a storyteller. No matter how technical your presentation is, no matter how many figures and analyses you are dealing with, if you want the audience to tune in and connect, you need to tell a story. Because humans are social creatures, and stories allow us to empathize and understand complex situations. Stories evoke emotions (joy, fear, surprise, sadness), and memory is closely linked to emotions. Numbers, on the other hand, are neutral and do not trigger the same emotional response. Besides, there is a chemical element at work: a good story triggers the release of dopamine and oxytocin in the brain, chemicals that enhance attention and recall. So, for every figure you want your audience to remember, find a story, anecdote, joke, or tale that lets you establish a connection and spark their interest and memory. 4. Relax and focus to overcome any pre-performance jitters through deep, abdominal breathing. Going on stage is a thrilling, but challenging experience, because it is not a 'natural' act. It causes our adrenaline to surge, triggering direct physical responses (our voice trembles, our hands sweat, our hearts race, our movements become jumpy, etc.). How can we appear relaxed and self-assured in front of an audience? Before performing, take three long, slow, deep abdominal breaths. And don't start until the stress subsides. Better to let the audience wait just a bit longer than to step out feeling like a nervous wreck. For actors, every gesture counts. Every pause carries weight. Actors know all too well that every word can elicit a standing ovation… or a yawn. Just as it can for managers presenting to their teams or their investors. So, the next time you take the floor, remember: you are not giving a speech; you're playing a crucial role. And your audience—whether customers, employees, or partners—is expecting more than just data; it's expecting an experience. In theater, every performance is unique. There are no retakes. Just a single chance to inspire, convince, or transform. In leadership, so is every conversation. Are you ready to take the stage?
USA Today
22-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Feeling oversubscribed? Why Americans are considering cutting their subscriptions
As cost-conscious Americans tighten their belts in an uncertain economy, they are starting to notice how quickly monthly subscription charges add up. Feeling oversubscribed? You are not alone. Most things these days – food delivery, ride hailing, TV and music streaming, fitness classes, digital storage apps – seem to come with a monthly payment. Few people have a system to manage the steady stream of autopilot charges on their credit cards or to track price hikes. What's more, they underestimate how much they spend each month on subscriptions. But as cost-conscious Americans tighten their belts in an uncertain economy, they are noticing how quickly these monthly charges can add up. Some 6 in 10 U.S. adults are considering breaking up with some of their paid subscriptions, according to a recent CNET survey. 'When people's budgets are tighter, they start asking themselves: Do I need to be paying over time for this?' asked Marco Bertini, a marketing professor at Esade, a university in Barcelona, who was not affiliated with the CNET survey. 'It just feels like a heavier burden.' What is the average amount of money spent on subscriptions? Cassandra Navarro of Scottsdale, Arizona, canceled her Hulu, Amazon and DoorDash subscriptions earlier this year. Streaming services have been too quick to drop titles and raise rates, she said, and she'd rather shop in person at Walmart or pick up a takeout order directly than deal with the extra costs associated with delivering goods directly to her doorstep. Navarro and her husband aim to cut out more music and movie streaming services after they move into their new home and have more space to collect CDs and DVDs. 'It just all adds up so much,' Navarro, 30, told USA TODAY. 'We don't mind having one or two subscriptions, but when you have so many subscriptions at once, you start to feel like you don't have control of your life anymore. … You can't keep track of your own finances.' The average American spends over $1,000 a year on subscriptions – $200 of it on unnecessary or unused subscriptions, according to the CNET survey. Why is the subscription model so popular? Nearly 75% of companies that sell directly to customers offer some sort of subscription, according to an industry and background note coauthored by Harvard Business School marketing professor Elie Ofek. The model makes sense in certain industries and can help consumers access big-ticket items, according to Bertini. But companies 'cannot and should not fit subscriptions to everything.' "There are some places where it makes sense, and some places where it doesn't," Bertini said, adding some bank on consumers simply forgetting the recurring charge. Those companies risk losing customers, especially as Americans tighten their purse strings. Retail sales were down 0.9% from the previous month in May, following a 0.1% dip in April, according to the Commerce Department. "Disposable income, during tough times, is a little more uncertain. It may be higher one month, lower another, then maybe I'm unemployed. Do I want to have a recurring expense when my disposable income is a bit fluctuating?' Bertini asked. McCarthy said the biggest risk to subscription companies is a lack of new subscribers, rather than a drop in the current subscription base. And that drop off will hit certain industries harder than others. "If you're a utility like a telecom provider, (the risk is) probably pretty low," he said. "If you start moving toward streaming services, I think the risk goes up. When you move toward a box subscription, the risk becomes pretty high.' Is the 'click to cancel' rule in effect? While subscription companies aren't immune to the effects of increasingly cost-conscious consumers, McCarthy says subscription-based companies are expected to weather economic turmoil better than purely transactional businesses. 'It takes effort to cancel, where it takes no effort to not purchase,' he said, adding that subscription companies fared well during the Great Recession. Netflix, for instance, closed the fourth quarter of 2008 with a 26% year-over-year leap in subscribers, and another 31% increase in the fourth quarter of 2009. Software company Salesforce also saw a jump in revenue and its customer base between 2008 and 2009. But a new rule from the Federal Trade Commission could make it much easier for consumers to click "unsubscribe." The agency's "click to cancel" rule, adopted last year under former Democratic Chair Lina Khan, requires businesses to make it as easy to cancel a service as it was to sign up. In other words, if a company allows you to sign up in two clicks, canceling should take no more than two clicks. Originally set to go into effect in May, the rule has faced legal and political challenges. Business associations have sued to block it, arguing it places too many burdens on businesses. Andrew Ferguson, the current Republican FTC chair, said he voted against 'click to cancel' because it came during the lame-duck period. The FTC has delayed enforcing the rule until July to give companies more time to comply. "I really hope that sticks, because this is hurting people," Khan said during an appearance on the 'Pablo Torre Finds Out' podcast in June. "Nobody should be stuck paying for a subscription that they either never signed up for or want to cancel." Will 'click to cancel' get canceled? New FTC rule faces legal, political challenges How to cancel an unwanted subscription Looking to trim monthly expenses? Here's how to break up with paid subscriptions.
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Perfectionist Leaders Stifle Creativity
When do perfectionistic leaders undermine creativity? By Anna Carmella Ocampo, Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at Esade. A leader's perfectionistic demands can be a double-edged sword, either enhancing or diminishing their employees' performance. Take the case of Steve Jobs, who was commonly described as a tireless perfectionist. Some viewed his pursuit of perfection, marked by his unrealistically high standards, intolerance for mistakes, and insistence on working with only the best people, as the driving force behind Apple's success. Many condemned his rigid perfectionistic demands, as they often came with angry outbursts when others fell short of his expectations. These tendencies fueled misunderstandings and personal tirades, which heightened existing strategic disagreements with others that ultimately contributed to his dismissal. In his second stint as CEO, Jobs was still described as a relentless perfectionist who never compromised his work standards. This time, however, his perfectionism was accompanied by less anger and fewer temper tantrums. Andy Herzfeld, the lead designer of the original Macintosh operating system, believed that Jobs' perfectionism now inspired 'astounding effort and creativity from his people.' Perfectionism has become increasingly common in highly industrialized countries and is sometimes endorsed by modern organizations. The hypercompetitive economic landscape has driven leaders to adopt rigid performance evaluations, defining success primarily by the absence of mistakes or by outcompeting their colleagues. Hence, perfectionistic leaders have become notorious for refusing to make concessions even when presented with reasonably acceptable alternative solutions to a given problem. While the survival of organizations rests on employees' ability to innovate, perfectionistic leaders fail to acknowledge that creative output is an iterative process. They narrowly view mistakes as costly and unnecessary, preventing their employees from taking risks and thinking outside the box. When do perfectionistic leaders undermine creativity? To address this question, I collaborated with colleagues from universities in Canada, Australia, and China to conduct three research studies, published in 2025. The first study involved 229 working adults from the United States who recalled their experiences working with a perfectionistic leader who also frequently expressed anger. The second study was a controlled laboratory experiment conducted with 119 students from the Philippines, where they were instructed by perfectionistic leaders to generate creative ideas to revive a once-famous local band. Finally, in the third study, we surveyed 61 teams, comprising 61 actual leaders and 296 employees, working in a high-technology company in China. Collectively, we found consistent evidence that perfectionistic leaders who frequently express intense anger toward their employees hinder efforts that propel creativity. Perfectionistic expectations, expressed alongside anger, impede employees' sense of psychological safety in the workplace, where they fear ridicule and disrespect for exploring untested solutions to address problems. Although leaders' insistence on achieving perfection may be well-intentioned, the challenge lies in conveying their high standards in a constructive, yet possibly compassionate, manner. Scholars are still uncovering important questions about the antecedents and consequences of leader perfectionism. Our findings, along with research from related fields, provide guidance on how to reduce the downsides of perfectionism while harnessing its potential benefits. The pursuit of perfection is a contentious process. Too often, leaders may fall into the trap of placing perfectionistic demands on their employees. When their work is considered inadequate, a perfectionistic leader's anger can threaten psychological safety in the workplace. This discourages employees from exploring different and unconventional ideas that are crucial to creativity. Our findings serve as a cautionary note for leaders, emphasizing that perfectionism and anger can compromise employees' efforts and performance.
Local Spain
30-04-2025
- General
- Local Spain
Does Spain have a catchment area system for public schools?
It's likely that schools in Spain work differently to how they do back in your country, so you'll want to do in-depth research before you arrive so that your children can transition smoothly. As well as the challenge of having to learn a new language, you'll have to first learn how enrolling your kids works and how to choose the best school for them. One of the most common questions foreign parents have is if you can just pick any public school or if there is a catchment area system for state schools. After all, in many countries this determines where families choose to live. To make matters more complicated, the school system works slightly differently in each region in Spain too, as they're each managed by a different education department. The general rule across Spain is that families can choose any public school anywhere within their region, if there are spaces available. The main exception is in Murcia, where you can only choose a public or private school within your municipality. According to the recent study 'Diversity and Freedom: Reducing School Segregation by Respecting the Ability to Choose School' prepared by renowned Spanish business university Esade and NGO Save the Children, 'Spain is among the countries with the highest levels of freedom of school choice'. Nevertheless, just because you can choose any school you want doesn't mean that you'll always get your first choice. Does where you live make a difference? Some colegios públicos (public schools) will have more potential applicants than there are spaces. In this case, a score system may be used to determine who gets the spot. Generally, points are awarded for having a sibling at the school, proximity to your place of residence or a parent's workplace and income. In these instances, it will be more advantageous to live near your preferred school, so in some ways there is a type of catchment area, but it's not defined. Keep in mind though, each region has its own regulations on how their point systems work. For example, according to Cynthia Martínez-Garrido, professor of Research Methods at Madrid's Autónoma University, schools in the capital region don't place so much importance on proximity; siblings going to the same institution plays a much bigger role. Madrid places a big emphasis on freedom of choice and allows all children to select wherever they want, regardless of catchment area, socioeconomic status or other. In Andalusia, proximity is more highly valued, though. If your home nearer to the school, you'll receive fourteen points, and ten if it's within the bordering area. In the case of proximity to the parents' workplace, ten points if it's within the same area, and six if it's within the bordering area. Most regions in Spain - except for La Rioja, the Basque Country and Valencia - use what's known as the Boston mechanism. This is the algorithm that makes the school assignment system give greater importance to families' first choice. So this again, could be more important than where you live. As mentioned though, you won't always be given your first choice, so it's key to keep your options open. Timing is also an important factor on deciding if you'll get your child into your first choice school, not only proximity. For example, in Catalonia, to be admitted to a publicly funded school for the first time, or to change schools, you must pre-register. This application is submitted a few months before the start of the school year, usually between March and April. So if you don't get this application in at the right time or are moving to Spain later on in the year, then it might not matter if you live near a school or not, it will only matter if they have available places. According to the Catalan education system 'School places are allocated first through a points system (based on proximity to the school, financial and family circumstances, etc.) and then through a lottery if there is more demand than supply of places at a school'. To sum up, it will help if you live nearer to your preferred school, but it's not always the most important factor and it will greatly depend on which region you live in too.
Forbes
28-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Companies Can Turn AI Disruption Into Competitive Advantage
Embracing disruption as a key to success Ivan Bofarull is Chief Innovation Officer at Esade and book author of 'Moonshot Thinking' We are undeniably facing a transformative era driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI), with profound implications for companies. In its latest 'Request for Startups', Y Combinator — the Silicon Valley accelerator — emphasized a focus on 'startups building tools that allow small businesses to operate at the level of large corporations'. Meanwhile, Ark Invest's Cathie Wood predicts an 'epochal shift' in organizational performance due to AI-driven automation. We are no longer dealing with episodic disruption; we are entering an era where disruption becomes a continuous process, orchestrated by autonomous AI agents. Imagine business strategy evolving as rapidly as high-frequency algorithmic trading in financial markets, with companies constantly playing catch-up. In light of this scenario, are organizations truly ready to navigate a business environment defined by constant disruption? Despite decades of literature on disruptive innovation, many companies still struggle to react effectively to it. This ongoing challenge persists due to several factors: Drawing on 30 years of corporate longevity research, a comparative analysis reveals three consistent traits among companies that thrive amid different waves of disruption: In an AI-driven economy, companies must go beyond merely reacting to disruption. They need to become disruption-friendly organizations, capable of turning uncertainty into a strategic advantage. Building on these findings, companies in the AI era should master at least three core mechanisms: In a world of endless disruption, companies must develop a curated portfolio of strategic bets, what I call Selective Optionality. This is where the role of a strategic scout becomes critical. Many organizations fail to adapt to disruption because they have rigid strategic plans that quickly become obsolete. Instead, they need directionality—a flexible but clear trajectory that allows for adaptive course correction. To build asymmetric capabilities is to create differentiation that AI alone cannot replicate. One of the most pressing debates today is how AI influences human decision-making, and whether it reinforces conventional wisdom or enables truly original insights. This is a crucial discussion, as corporate history is littered with companies that did what seemed right, aligning with industry's best practices and data-driven consensus, only to fail or stagnate. As Ray Dalio famously noted, success often requires betting against consensus and being right. The true upside lies in contrarian positions that prove correct. However, AI's fundamental design is to extrapolate from past data, reinforcing prevailing patterns rather than generating truly novel insights. Even when prompted to be "contrarian," AI remains predictably contrarian, mimicking known counterarguments rather than crafting genuinely asymmetric beliefs. The AI era does not need managers who simply follow benchmarks or industry norms. Instead, it demands leaders who: Asymmetric beliefs fuel exponential improvements, and these breakthroughs create defensible competitive moats. This is because a high-risk technological leap, if successful, often reduces market risk, accelerating adoption at scale. In the context of AI-driven transformation, a clear takeaway emerges: companies that succeed will be those that: Moats may be eroding in an era of hyper-competition, but AI is also creating new windows of opportunity, ones that are deeply rooted in human ingenuity, not machine-driven predictability.
