Leadership Starts from Within
“Authentic women with integrity will be essential in the future of business.”
Iva Medvid, Solutions Architect at Ericsson Nikola Tesla, began her career with clear goals: to refine her technical skills and achieve results within a corporate framework. “Before the MBA program, I was primarily focused on honing my technical expertise and delivering results within the corporate environment,” she recalls.
From Technical Skills to Life Perspective
She enrolled in the COTRUGLI MBA program after realizing she lacked a broader economic perspective and a deeper understanding of how to balance her personal and professional life. “It wasn’t about ambition driven by status or titles, it was a way to understand the situation I was in and build resilience,” she explains.
During the program, her goals began to evolve. It was no longer just about results and career advancement but about ethics, leadership, and the impact on people and the community. “Throughout the program, I started thinking more broadly about ethics and leadership, the influence leaders can have on people, teams, and communities, and the importance of personal integrity. Today, my goals include not only achieving business results but also empowering those around me, fostering a culture of trust, and ensuring long-term sustainability,” says Iva.
For Iva, leadership is first and foremost about leading your own life. “Being a leader means being able to manage yourself in crises, maintaining integrity and strength, resisting discouragement, and passing that resilience on to others. It’s important to stay connected to the truth, develop empathy, and show respect for every individual because there’s something to learn from everyone,” she explains.
Strength Through Adversity
Her career has not been without challenges. Both her personal and professional life have faced significant crises that tested her resilience. “My greatest personal achievement isn’t a business result; it’s the fact that I overcame some of life’s toughest challenges. I fought for my children’s lives and to ensure they wouldn’t grow up as orphans. In those moments, many would have given up or broken down. I found inner strength and led myself step by step through circles of hell to healing,” she recalls.
Iva emphasizes that these experiences shaped her authentic leadership style: “Leadership isn’t built on fear, ambition, or the need for status. It’s built on inner strength, wisdom, and the discipline to achieve long-term goals for the benefit of the community. I build authority through respect, truth, and knowledge, not force.”
Leadership from Within – for Others
Looking ahead, Iva sees the key challenges in developing leaders capable of crisis and transformational leadership, with a particular focus on empowering women. “Authentic women with integrity will be essential in the future of business. It’s not enough to be a manager who leads solely through numbers; a leader must remain authentic, true to themselves, and attuned to the problems and needs of those around them,” she emphasizes.
While she recognizes the importance of mentorship, Iva views it as a way to pass on knowledge, ethics, and resilience to younger generations. “I see myself as a mentor who can support young people in building their inner strength and their ability to act with integrity, especially in complex situations,” she says.
When asked what it means to be a successful leader, Iva responds clearly: “A leader must be able to see themselves and stay connected to the truth. They must value and understand people because there’s something to learn from everyone. The key qualities are empathy, morality, courage, authenticity, openness to different cultures, and the ability to understand people’s needs. And most importantly, remain a good person.”
For Iva Medvid, the MBA wasn’t just an academic program; it was a journey of self-discovery, integrity, and building authentic leadership. “Thanks to the program, I gained not only knowledge but also a network and perspective that helped me transform my life and career. Today, I live by the principle that leadership starts from within – from your values and your ability to inspire others,” she concludes.