More than 300 of the world's most influential business, economic and political leaders joined IBM at the 2008 IBM Business Leadership Forum (BLF). The Forum took place November 12-13 in the historic city of Istanbul, Turkey during a momentous point in time for global leaders — a period of global economic flux and financial market restructuring, a period of change and most clearly a period of opportunity.
A time of opportunity — Building a Smart Planet
IBM Chairman, President and CEO Sam Palmisano set the tone for the 2-day meeting by challenging leaders to consider the mandate for change presented to all global leaders given the global economic environment. He proposed that "the world needs leaders who are willing to drive unprecedented change, the kind of change that will transform the way the world works."
BLF participants discussed the opportunity and a number of ways to consider new ways of conducting business.
- A mandate for smarter collaboration and partnerships
BLF leaders discussed the need to look beyond the boundaries of their own organizations for collaborations with a pointed focus on government and business partnerships. - Intelligent approaches for new growthWhile the need for change and partnership resonated with many there was an additional call to capitalize upon this mandate to drive new growth.
- Enabling a Smarter Planet — Intelligent Infrastructure
Sam Palmisano asked leaders to consider ways in which they could build a Smarter Planet and how they might think differently about their infrastructures supporting businesses.
A call for passionate leadership
Leaders engaged in a series of discussions about the opportunity for a new type of leadership that capitalized on the opportunities that the current economic crisis presents. They agreed that the path forward required a passionate form of leadership grounded in the reality of business today but focused on a clear direction to the future of their organizations and their connection to the world. For more of an indepth look at what was discussed, please download the BLF Executive Summary (PDF, 40KB) or view session videos.