Camelia Ilie-Cardoza, of Romanian origin, Spanish nationality and Costa Rican residence, left her country after the fall of the communist bloc in the late 1990s. Her clear vision and defined objectives have led her to become an outstanding leader, she is currently a Full Professor and serves as Dean of Strategy and Institutional Affairs at INCAE Business School.
Last Tuesday, June 18, I had the privilege of being enriched by his experience and valuable advice, which I detail below.
Broadening Horizons through Networking; Withthe opening of Eastern Europe in the early 90's, Camelia learned, with the arrival of European projects in her country, that the world is interconnected and that international projects broaden horizons and develop a growth and learning mentality. The opportunity to participate in European programs such as Copernicus or Eureka allowed her to connect with people from different countries, ages and genders, enriching her professionally and personally.
Growth Mindset and Innovation; Camelia strongly believes in the importance of a growth mindset and the need to enrich oneself from very different fields where one is a learner. For this reason, she considers constant curiosity and the pursuit of new knowledge essential to her philosophy of life. "Never think you are already an expert," he advises, stressing the need to maintain an open attitude to continuous learning and to be a perpetual learner.
Resilience and Cognitive Flexibility; One of Camelia's concerns about the new generations is to help them take advantage of all the advances in technology and science not to grow in comfort but to be "comfortable with discomfort", developing cognitive flexibility and greater resilience.
Action and Execution; she stresses the importance of moving from idea to action, a skill she tries to apply with everything she learned in her engineering career. For Camelia, it is important to dream but, at the same time, to be realistic and pragmatic. The combination of strategic, creative, analytical and critical thinking with the ability to execute projects with agility gives competitive advantages in a very complex world with abrupt changes in the environment and very short windows of opportunity.
Collaboration and Co-Creation; Collaboration is another pillar in their approach. Camelia believes in co-creation and building on what already exists to foster greater collective intelligence. The programs developed both at the Center for Inclusive and Sustainable Leadership and at the Dean's Office where I lead the Masters and Executive Programs have been built on the legacy left by her predecessors, professors and executives with a lot of experience and the same shared passion for education, INCAE and Latin America.
Personal Board of Directors; Camelia stresses the importance of having the same tools in personal strategic plans as in companies: a SWOT analysis, a networking canvas, decision making matrices. Among others, having a "board of directors" in our personal life allows us to surround ourselves with mentors and inspiring people who help us grow and transform us throughout our different life stages.
Camelia Ilie-Cardoza's career is a testament to the power of clear vision, collaboration and decisive action. Her focus on continuous learning, innovation and networking has been key to her success, inspiring leaders around the world to follow her example.
Camelia Ilie-Cardoza has not only positioned herself as an influential global leader in the field of higher education, but has also left an indelible mark on the development of inclusive and sustainable leadership, demonstrating that with vision, action and collaboration, it is possible to achieve success and generate lasting positive impact.
The conversation I had with her evoked diverse learnings and beliefs, and underscored one of my deepest convictions: "We are constantly evolving beings". This dialogue reaffirmed my commitment to continue "Perfecting, acquiring and sharing skills and habits".
Written by Valeria Vega
