Papandreou, former prime minister of Greece, talks about how he navigated major challenge as a leader. One of my key take-a-ways was the importance of building trust and demonstrating courage as foundational skills to leading in turbulent times. He talked about his personal experience as a refugee when his family was in exile to provide context for his views on the importance of inclusion and building alliances across borders. At the root, this interview is about how do we, as people, build common values and common rules to promote fair competition that enables us to work together across borders to solve the challenges we face as a global community. How do we emulate the metaphor of the Olympics rather than the gladiator pit? This interview offers a glimpse into his perspective.
About the Guest
As Prime Minister of Greece from 2009 to 2011, George A. Papandreou understands leading in turbulent times. A public servant for many years, he served, among other posts, as Minister for National Education and Religious Affairs and as Minister of Foreign Affairs before following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps to become Greece’s Prime Minister. His election to office after the devastation of the global financial crisis of 2007-2008 came with a mandate to increase transparency and reduce corruption in Greece’s government while humanizing globalization and its economic effects on Greek citizens. Challenged by time and global financial markets, he made the difficult decision to implement austerity programs and cuts that appeased the Eurozone and the pressures of the global economy. For his work in 2010 of “making the best of Greece’s worst year,” Foreign Policy Magazine named him a Top 100 Global Thinker.
Host Maureen Metcalf
Maureen Metcalf brings 30 years of experience and success in the fields of leadership, innovation, and technology. A regular contributor to Forbes.com, Metcalf has authored an award-winning book series on leadership and is the Founder & CEO of the Innovative Leadership Institute. She is the host of an Innovating Leadership, a weekly international podcast that hit the airways in July 2015. As an ILA Fellow, Maureen partners with the International Leadership Associate on a series of global leadership podcasts within the show.
