Tory Baucum On President Zelensky’s Leadership

Report 4 to Abbot James

Today Michal Luczewski and I rode a bus to now Sacz. The site of a conference on leadership sponsored by Poland: Great Project, a Polish NGO. Michal is one of the architects of the conference and has invited me to speak on leadership.

Of course, I can’t do any better than to point to Ukrainian President Zelensky, who is putting on a leadership clinic for the whole world just now. Here are some of my initial thoughts.

On President Zelensky’s leadership

As I prepare for my talk. Like my sermons, I’m aiming for a prepared improvisation.

Chosen solidarity

Russian Jew by birth but a free Ukrainian by choice. His adopted country has become his native country, such is he and his fellow Ukrainians solidarity. Chosen Solidarity – and the twinned destiny it creates – may be the most foundational lesson of leadership for all the others are built upon it.

Cultural visionary

Vision is more than ideas and culture is more than inherited folk ways. Paired, vision and culture is a preferred future based on a shared horizon of inheritance – a community of the beloved with eschatological chutzpah.

Clarity in Conviction

Leadership mustn’t drop the mic! It exercises influence best through clear, consistent and compelling communication: “I’m here”, “I need ammunition not a ride”, and most memorably “Russian war ship go f**k yourself.”

Domestic Shalom

Mrs Zelensky told the world that she was staying with her husband and she had no time to fear because her children were watching. They obviously weren’t leaving either. President Zelensky’s chutzpah is home grown.

Maximize Miscalculation

Leaders don’t bend over to bullies. And Mr Putin certainly bullied the wrong Jew. There’s a long history of this kind of miscalculation. So Leaders always maximize the miscalculations of their adversaries, for the sake of their vision and people.

War is always a miscalculation. And I’m still thinking about President Zelensky’s leadership clinic. 

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