CEMS ranks among the world’s best: new self-leadership seminar launched at Corvinus

The CEMS Master in International Management ranked 4th out of 235 programmes in the QS Masters in Management Ranking 2026. 

Alongside this international recognition, the first CEMS Self-Leadership Skill Seminar took place at Corvinus on 11 September. The seminar was led by Professor Zoltán Buzády, recipient of the Corvinus Best Lecturer Award 2025 and a long-standing lecturer on the international CEMS Global Leadership course. The programme was co-created with Fanni Szabó, a Corvinus CEMS alumna, who developed the case studies used during the seminar. 

The seminar was built on one central premise: to lead others, you first need to lead yourself. 

Students explored their learning styles and sense of identity before examining the foundations of self-leadership through Csíkszentmihályi’s concept of Flow. They then applied the 29 leadership skills of the FLIGBY framework, grounded in Flow research, to three case studies, discussing which skills could make a meaningful difference in each situation. 

Throughout the day, critical self-reflection and personal experiences played a central role, with students discussing their values, experiences and reactions under pressure. 

The seminar aimed to initiate a longer process of personal development, encouraging students to make more conscious decisions in their studies, teamwork and future careers. The key takeaway was that leading oneself is a prerequisite for leading others, requiring continuous and deliberate practice.