While his country is in crisis, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is emerging as a charismatic leader with a management style that is reminiscent of some of the greatest statesmen in history.
Zelenskyy received a standing ovation after addressing the U.S. Congress last week, and Useem compared him to Franklin D. Roosevelt, who spoke to the same body after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The phrase "leadership presence" sums up what we saw, said Useem, who is director for Wharton's Center for Leadership and Change Management. He is going to make a case. I think Zelenskyy has shown himself to be a master of this moment.
Useem talked about the evolution of Zelenskyy's leadership style since the Russian invasion on February 24. You can listen to it above. The professor pointed out two of Zelenskyy's strengths: his on-point messaging and his dedication to the cause.
Zelenskyy has communicated strength and stability to his people and the world. He wore his army green T-shirt and asked the world for help in fighting off Putin's advance.
Zelenskyy has shown that even though the conditions and his own safety are at stake, he is still able to step forward and not shrink from.
He said that Zelenskyy was a master of communication and that the president didn't take a formal pose behind a lectern.
He is as artful as they come in helping people focus not on him, but on the disaster that is going through, and the solutions that many countries ought to be following in coming to Ukraine's aid.
There is a close correlation between the skills of a CEO and a statesman. Both types of leaders need to excel at juggling a number of urgent and often disparate issues at the same time.
Being a one-trick pony won't do it here. He said that you have to master it all.
“I think Zelenskyy has proven a master of this moment in ways that we rarely see.” –Michael Useem
There is a legacy in the making.
Useem is not the only one who thinks Zelenskyy's leadership style is positive. Many historians, journalists, and political experts are describing how the president is rising to meet this moment in history.
Zelenskyy's leadership in this situation has been inspiring. Profiles in courage are discussed in the U.S. This is what it looks like, according to Emily Harding, a deputy director and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Zelenskyy's leadership will be part of his legacy, according to Useem.
President Zelenskyy is inspiring leaders at the moment, and he is going to inspire people for generations to come.
Zelenskyy is described as a person for the ages by Useem, but he adds that the ultimate measure of effective management is action. Zelenskyy wants foreign leaders to help his country fight off Russian aggression. The professor believes he will.
He is going to move the world and his words are powerful.
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