Empathetic and Strong: Rethinking Good Leadership in an Era of Flux

WITH PROF. NATHALIE TOCCI, MARIETJE SCHAAKE, NANA KALANDARISHVILI AND JULIA BERGHOFER

What do we want from good, responsible leadership in the post-pandemic setting?

Throughout the pandemic, we often heard that countries led by women were handling COVID-19 most effectively. This stands in stark contrast to the number of states where women hold the highest position of executive power, which has never been higher than 10% compared to male counterparts. We know that positive leadership is not tied to any particular gender, age, ethnic or religious background but that effective leadership is most often associated with diversity. Despite broad public discussion and support for the value of young people, women, and representatives of minority groups in power in all societal fields, be it politics, business, or academia, reality still falls short. There remains inequity in the distribution of positions of power.

Together with three outstanding women leaders from diverse professional and national backgrounds, we discuss good leadership and share our understanding and experiences of it. What kind of leadership do our panellists embrace in their fields? Is there really such a thing as a “male leadership style”, and must women change …