Leadership for the Greater Good:
Global Thought Leaders Explore Today's Challenges
ILA’s blog launched in March 2020 amid a world struggling to make sense of the pandemic, racial inequality, and challenges to democracy. We charge our bloggers to apply their leadership knowledge and practical wisdom to inform and inspire us as we continued our work of advancing leadership knowledge and practice for a better world. Bloggers include authors from 12 countries spanning 5 continents.
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Character Matters
Katherine Tyler Scott, former board chair of the ILA, speaks to the importance of character in leadership, and the damage that occurs when it is lacking. “Questioning and pondering the meaning and relevance of character in leadership is not only an academic exercise, it is a moral imperative, and as we can see daily, it is a matter of life and death.”
Do We Get the Leaders We Deserve?
These times require a collaborative global approach, based on mutuality and trust. Yet trust is in short supply. This is due, in part, to the rise of authoritarian leaders – malignant narcissists – who pursue their self-interests without any moral restrictions. These leaders are dangerous, not just for their countries, but for the entire world.
Building Bridges: Communication, Compassion, and Cooperation in a Time of COVID-19
Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, is the epitome of compassionate and effective leadership, as evident by her exceptional handling of crises. Ardern’s leadership stands as a new paradigm in direct contrast to the worrying rise in authoritarian leadership styles that so many male leaders exemplify today.
The Entire Planet Must Reformulate Its Way of Operating
Aldo Boitano writes that the coronavirus pandemic has revealed how deeply connected we are and how our actions directly affect others. In making future decisions, he urges us to understand that not only is a shared future better than a lonely one; there is no future if it is not shared.
Viewing Leadership Through a Systems Lens (in a Time of Pandemic)
Kathleen E. Allen looks at how a whole systems approach to leadership enables both/and thinking, a more effective use of data, and rewards cooperation across the system. “When leaders use these three lenses, not only are the outcomes better for their country, they are better for the whole system long term.”
Leading and Learning from the Pandemic
Mike Hardy, chair of the ILA, writes that COVID-19 has taught us that epidemics will happen but we won’t know when. What does that mean for leadership? Hardy argues that we need to focus on preparing, not planning. “We cannot expect there to be clear maps showing stress-free routes to our future. We need to remain agile, take risks, and commit to learning.”
Leadership in Times of Crisis
Keith Grint draws on Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People to reflect on the challenge and necessity of leaders to “tell us the truth, even if it is unbearable, and to tell us our responsibilities, even if we would prefer to shirk them. This is the Leadership role.”