Afternoon 12: Challenging Leadership
In 1752, during the reign of Empress Maria Theresia, the Theresian Military Academy was founded in Austria. Her order to the first commander of the academy was: ‘Make me hard working officers and honest men.’ While the word ‘officer’ is mainly associated with leadership, power or superiority, the Latin word ‘officio’ means ‘to face’ in the sense of ‘to encounter’. Leading therefore is not to be understood as power but rather as responsibility and respect. Although leading was not invented by the Theresian Military Academy, the students were never only trained to be leaders. Leadership has always been, and still is, an integral part of their attitude and training, and has been continuously assessed and cultivated over the centuries.
In this seminar participants will partake in practical outdoor challenges to make their individual experiences in the field of leadership and will discuss and further develop various models and techniques of leadership.
