My Leadership Moments: Robert Bodenstein, ICMCI Chair
The ICMCI Future Leaders Forum (FLF) launched a discussion series My Leadership Moments, moderated by FLF members, in which renowned consulting leaders will share highlights of their professional journeys to help younger colleagues shape their future.
The first session on 7 December 2021 welcomed the ICMCI Chair Robert Bodenstein. The discussion was moderated by Damilola Odeleye from CMC Canada.
Robert Bodenstein shared details about his career in management consulting, spanning from projects in the paper-based era to digital endeavours. He emphasised the opportunities to learn from colleagues and to exchange experiences in order to develop competences and leadership skills.
The leadership moment Robert Bodenstein brought to the fore was chairing the ISO Committee which developed the ISO 20700 standard giving him the opportunity to coordinate the work of more than 50 member countries over two years.
In a nutshell, Robert Bodenstein passed on these consulting lessons from his experience:
- Leadership is a service: It is not about being “the boss” but about providing service to others.
- Different stakeholders, different leadership: Diverse environments and organisations call for different frames of mind. Leadership in the consulting business and in volunteer organizations means being sensitive, respecting diversity and guiding others to achieve common goals.
- Authenticity in leadership: Being authentic is a key competence in order to motivate and gain trust.
- Everybody contributes: Sometimes the competences or skills may be hidden but once discovered, they are extremely valuable.
- Always at least one step ahead: It is critical for consultants and leaders to be curious and learn, otherwise they will follow.
The discussion also focused on important aspects in management consulting such as transparency, trust, collaboration and efficient project management.
To get a glimpse of the event, watch this short video (Ep1).
Further details can be obtained at shapingthefuture@cmc-global.org including how to join the ICMCI Future Leaders Forum.
About the guest speaker
Robert Bodenstein CMC® was elected chair of the ICMCI in 2021. As a management consultant, he specializes in strategy and IT. As a member of the board of funding organizations, he has evaluated more than 850 IT projects, mostly with cutting edge technology background. He has worked in industries like tourism, trade and IT in Europe, Middle East and Asia.
About the moderator
Damilola Odeleye is a best practice consultant from Nigeria. She currently works in Canada for a financial services firm having worked in IT and manufacturing previously. She has extensive experience in using data and in preparing organisations for the future.
About ICMCI
The International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI or CMC-Global) is an international membership organisation and a network of management advisory and consultancy associations and institutes worldwide which have a common purpose and shared values and goals.