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Radhika Panjwani is a former journalist from Toronto and a blogger.
Jim Fisher, a professor emeritus at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, recently explained to his students how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky exemplified a textbook example of a natural leader.
The class was on the theory of leadership and Mr. Fisher is a veteran on the subject. Having co-founded a successful consulting firm, and holding several C-suite positions, he also developed a course on leadership for Rotman and authored a book, A Thoughtful Leader: A Model of Integrative Leadership.
“There’s a Maori saying: ‘Until you touch a person’s heart, you can’t ask for a hand,’” Mr. Fisher said. “President Zelensky is doing a miraculous job of leading the Western democracies. He’s telling other countries he needs munitions and aid, but first and foremost, he’s connecting to their hearts.”
Mr. Zelensky’s consistent and persistent messaging, coupled with his innate ability in getting people to follow him, makes him an intuitive leader, Mr. Fisher observed.
Three leadership lessons Mr. Zelensky embodies are:
1. He has a clear vision
People need a sense of direction or a ‘why’ that gives meaning to their work. Mr. Zelensky gave Ukrainians a glimpse of what that was. He was honest and did not mince words about the hard road ahead.
“In his [communications to his people], I don’t think he ever guarantees they will be successful and thereby avoids the rookie mistake of promising something that’s beyond control. Instead, he conveys that there is honour and fulfilment in the process and not just the result.” Mr. Fisher adds Mr. Zelensky has communicated this every single day since the invasion began.
2. He is a skilled and authentic communicator
“Everyone that wants to lead has to find their own way to get the message out,” Mr. Fisher says. “Some [executives] do a weekly phone blast; others do e-mail messages. Some workplaces start with a quick stand-up meeting or huddle [or a virtual one].”
Mr. Zelensky’s self-shot videos featuring him speaking to his people are emotional, powerful and spoken in plain language. Also, his ease with social media is evident. Case in point: images of him wearing combat gear, and leading his people showed the world that he’s a leader who’s willing to walk the talk.
3. He makes people feel valued
Since the war began, Ukrainians have been able to play a valuable role – whether it’s in assembling Molotov cocktails, filling sandbags, feeding soldiers or learning first aid.
The mark of true leadership is ensuring that, not just those on the front lines, but all those supporting them, are made to feel they are making a difference, Mr. Fisher says.
Leadership in the new era
Bill Schaninger, a senior partner with consulting firm McKinsey & Co., says as leaders navigate the postpandemic world, some executives will find the new ways – where workers want flexibility in how and where they work – challenging. These leaders, who feel more comfortable in traditional top-down management, will do well to relinquish the command-and-control style of leadership, he says.
“We are all humans in a rather crazy environment, trying to figure out how work fits in,” Mr. Schaninger said in a podcast in response to a question about how companies can retain top talent. “If you don’t accommodate that, the employees are going to make it simple for you because they’re not going to be your employees any more.”
What I’m reading around the web
- If you’ve struggled to find the right skill set to include on your résumé, this article in Techradar may help. Technical skills, especially, can be complex. The author suggests listing skills that most closely match the needs of the job. Everyone these days knows how to use Outlook or Microsoft Word, so it may be a good idea to give those a miss and focus instead on soft skills such as leadership and communication.
- You may have not realized it yet, but your tribe on Facebook is dwindling. According to this CNBC article, BuzzFeed’s quarterly results signalled a continuing theme: consumers are moving away from Meta’s Facebook. Some numbers that give context: Meta reported Facebook’s daily active users were down this past quarter at 1.93 billion, a drop of about 500,000. This could mean Facebook has saturated the market and its ability to add lots of users has peaked.
- Since British biologist John Gurdon cloned African clawed frogs in the 1950s, the science has evolved considerably. According to this article from BBC, a new cloning industry appears to be making quite a stir: pet cloning. Texas-based ViaGen Pets has been offering pet-cloning services since 2015. It’s not cheap, though. ViaGen charges $35,000 to clone a cat and $50,000 for a dog.
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