The Faculty of Economics at Kardan University hosted the President and Co-founder of Bloom Afghanistan Consulting, Mr. Chris Lay for an inspirational lecture on leadership. The speaker shared leadership principles and used examples from Captain David Marquet’s book ‘Turn the Ship Around’ a book Fortune Magazine called the “best how-to manual anywhere for managers on delegating, training and driving flawless execution.”

Mr. Lay discussed several myths about how good leaders operate and redefined what leadership looks like. “Leadership should mean giving control rather than taking control and creating leaders rather than followers.” He emphasized that as leaders we should not be getting people to merely “do” their work but to “think their work”, by creating an environment that facilitates greatness.

He also introduced the concept of the Ladder of Control (or the Ladder of Leadership), a practical tool to help leaders change the conversations around them, and transform followers into a workforce full of intelligent, passionate, creative team members all contributing to a successful organization.

Commenting on the students’ involvement in the session, Mr. Lay noted that “Kardan students continue to impress me with their great questions and desire to understand not only the principles but how to apply them in their own lives.” Continuing, he said, “I enjoy every time I teach or train at Kardan University because I know the students will be engaged in the topic and ready to learn.”

Mr. Chris Lay is a Business Strategist who partners with CEOs, executives, and entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, primarily through person-to-person coaching. After spending over a decade in sales and operations for large multi-national organizations, Chris chose to use his expertise to benefit the people and economy of Afghanistan. In addition to being the Vice-President and co-founder of Bloom Afghanistan Consulting, Chris is a partner in a successful marketing and branding start-up in the United States.

Chris has been working in Afghanistan since 2017 and has previously partnered with Kardan University to train entrepreneurs in practical skills for launching successful businesses.