Management
Your
Ambitions
Your
Ambitions
On October 17, 2026, the new academic year for master’s students at KROK Business School began with a guest lecture by Steve Alban Tineo, PhD, CEO of Assertive Group, entrepreneur, negotiator, and conflict resolution expert with more than 20 years of experience.
The central theme of the lecture focused on the competencies that help people remain effective, self-aware, and responsible amid the rapid development of artificial intelligence.
During the lecture, Steve Alban Tineo highlighted five key areas of development that are essential for both personal and professional life: self-awareness, emotional self-regulation, critical judgment, relational intelligence, and ethical awareness. In today’s world, it is important not only to possess knowledge or know how to find information, but also to understand which information truly matters, challenge assumptions, identify potential algorithmic errors, consider the broader context, and anticipate the consequences of our decisions.
“Are we ready to take responsibility for the consequences?” This is a question that, as Steve emphasized, we should return to again and again.
For future mediators, working with conflict requires the ability to understand people’s emotions and needs, recognize their own reactions, listen without jumping to conclusions, and maintain awareness in challenging situations. For managers and professionals working with teams, projects, and business processes, these same skills form the foundation of effective communication, responsible leadership, and sound decision-making.
Listening to Steve Alban Tineo reminded us once again how important it is to develop these competencies during the learning process. Students of our three master’s programs, Business Administration (MBA), Mediation and Conflict Management, and Project and Process Management, are embarking on a journey that will help them better understand themselves and others, navigate differences constructively, and use the opportunities offered by new technologies responsibly.
We sincerely thank Steve for an insightful lecture, for generously sharing his experience, and for his gift to our students, the book Through the SELF: Transform Your Suffering into a Healthy Relationship with Yourself and Others. We are also grateful for the opportunity to begin the academic year with a meaningful conversation about the competencies that will remain essential, regardless of how technology evolves.
