with Dr. Sandra Comas, Brown University and IE Business School.
The Banking 50 organised a masterclass for executives from the banking and finance industry which covered various topics related to life purpose, success, leadership, emotional intelligence, imagination, and conflict resolution. It emphasised the importance of self-reflection, curiosity, empathy, creativity, collaboration, and growth mindset. The session was designed to inspire thinking about redesigning one’s life through exercises that activate imagination and reconnect with childhood passions.
Main sessions of the masterclass:
- Imagining and Redesigning Life. The first part focuses on imagination as a powerful tool for redesigning life. Exercises were conducted to imagine an ideal life without restrictions and recall childhood activities done with joy and flow.
- Emotional Intelligence. The middle section covered emotional intelligence, administering a quiz to assess emotional responses and comparing self-perception with others’ perceptions.
- Framing, Conflict, Leadership. The final part explored framing bias, value of conflict, notions of success and leadership, and work-life harmony.
Action Items
Participants were presented with a number of individual and group exercises, including:
- Reflect on perceptions others have about you and compare to your self-perception. Consider which might be accurate or biased.
- Revisit your childhood passions and find ways to reconnect with that joy, imagination and purpose.
- Practice reframing your perspective on a problem by taking an opposing viewpoint.
- Define what success means to you today, beyond notions you had growing up.
- Consider one conflict in your life and how you might collaborate to harness the energy for creativity.
- Experiment with ‘imagining the sculpture’ – focus on removing what doesn’t belong to reach your vision.
“In this master class, we delved into the art of reconnecting with our childhood perspectives. It’s crucial to revisit the mindset and creativity we once had. The way we currently approach tasks and ideas may cause us to lose touch with that childlike curiosity. Take a step back, revisit your roots, and rediscover the invaluable insights of your younger self.” – Daniel van Delft, Currence Group
The Banking 50 is a 12-year-old business community for leaders in banking and finance. Throughout the year we organise a series of events for our members including peer-networking receptions to increase and enhance your network, workshops and masterclasses to improve your personal and professional skills, and large industry conferences to stay in top of the latest trends and developments.
“One of the most significant takeaways from the personal leadership masterclass is the awakening of my thought process. Seemingly simple questions have started a significant journey of introspection.
The concept of ‘Citizenship’ struck me as particularly intriguing. It prompted me to view groups of people not just as individuals but as citizens, offering a fresh perspective on collective identity.
Equally fascinating was the exploration of the ‘Mistaken beliefs of 10 years ago.’ This exercise serves as a powerful tool for reflecting on our current position, especially from a banking standpoint. It urges us to question our purpose—are we mere banks, or do we function as instruments of the government in shaping climate policy? It’s a moment of deep reflection.
With over two decades in the industry, my perspective differs from that of newcomers. These thought-provoking questions have allowed me to assess my position in comparison to my peers and the broader community at ABN AMRO Bank. It’s a valuable exercise in understanding where I stand in the evolving landscape.” – Oscar Rijcken-Voigt, ABN AMRO Bank
