NHBR Column: Zelensky’s Leadership Lessons

Having lived in Kyiv from 2010 to 2014, I am watching events in Ukraine with pain and sadness. In 2019, I returned to Ukraine as an international observer during the election of President Zelensky who won in a fair and open process. I have been following his leadership since then, and, while I had not been that impressed by the comedian-turned-politician, recent events have proven me wrong. “I need ammunition, not a ride” is a powerful message that will surely go down in history!

This is not the first time I have written about crisis leadership skills. Two years ago, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, I reflected on that experience and the leadership by US Ambassador Alex Laskaris who demonstrated an array of key crisis leadership skills during the Ebola epidemic in Guinea.

Ukraine’s Zelensky has certainly risen to the occasion and there have also been some striking photos circulating on social media of an isolated Putin at one end of a long table, far from his generals and advisors, compared to Zelensky up close and fully engaged with his team.

You can read the full column here: https://read.nhbr.com/nh-business-review#2022/04/08/?article=3957240