Feedback as a tool for corporate leadership: the story of a GMBA student after the company visit in Philip Morris

23 January 2020

“Imagine for a second you are stepping into the iRobot movie, now close your eyes and imagine inhaling the smell of a thousand mints. Open your eyes to the realisation you look a little bit weird doing this in front of your phone: this is how the inside of the new headquarters of Phillip Morris feels like. A cigarette company looks like this ? Yes.

 

Being a non smoker, for the first time ever, I went to Phillip Morris International with my Global MBA class to realise that Philip Morris (THE cigarette company) it’s actually trying to help smokers by developing the cleanest cigarette ever – SPOILER ALERT – it doesn’t even smoke and YET this wasn’t the most surprising thing that happened. No, the most surprising thing is that the BBS arranged a meeting with both of the top manager from Philip Morris to talk about cigarrets? The benefits of vaping ? NO! They talked about Feedback and how it affects our leadership in the company.

Previous to this talk I thought feedback was the nice way of insulting someone in the organisation, it had such a bad connotation around it. But no, feedback is an essential part of leadership because it allows the giver and receiver to put themselves in a place of vulnerability in a place where they are allowed to be humans. speak up to what they like and dislike and actually be heard!

To hear that The cigarette company has such clean standards for cooperating in the workplace has really motivated me to want and appreciate feedback. With humble mindset feedback can become one of your most useful tools to grow. Let your peers, bosses, subordinates, investors, employees know that you are open for feedback, you will not only come across as more human (a trait difficult to find in today’s corporate world) but also you will come across as a person who wants to improve and recognises it’s own mistakes. Apply it today ask your significant other… what is your feedback about me?”

Pietro Alejandro Pilo Pais Colmenares

MBA Student 2019/2020

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