When 200 leaders from the world’s financial, diplomatic, government, and corporate sectors convened at Meridian’s Global Leadership Summit on Friday, October 18, 2013, there was one consistent theme–that the world is changing its mind.
In response to this global shift, Meridian International Center collaborates with Gallup and the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center to host the annual Meridian Global Leadership Summit. At this high-level forum, key, cross-sector voices discuss the new dynamics of leadership and shifting perceptions of power around the globe.
At the 2013 Global Leadership Summit, leaders from Microsoft, the U.S. Department of State, Barclays, CEB, civil society, and the ARTOC Group for Investment and Development joined the Ambassadors of Singapore, Mexico, and Botswana to the United States to discuss "Reimagining Power: The Demands for Global Leadership Today and Accelerating Cooperation Through Culture, Commerce, and Education".
These dynamic discussions on changes in power and leadership were contextualized by the findings of Gallup’s Global States of Mind: New Metrics for World Leaders, a report which was released at the Summit by Chairman and CEO of Gallup, Jim Clifton. The central findings on what citizens from over 160 countries think of their leadership are consistent with the insights and experience of the panelists—electorates, stakeholders, target audiences, and citizens are more informed, discerning, and connected than ever before. They want leaders—not only politicians, but civil society and business leaders as well—who are committed to involving the communities they serve in the decision-making process, and who understand that their needs are changing as the world changes.
The evidence of this “global change of mind” is everywhere. It is in the personal decisions made—from the way people dress, what they eat, their financial decisions, where they make their home, the careers they pursue, and when they choose to get married and start a family. But the arena where change is most evident is in what people are thinking about power and leadership. Through globalizing technology, citizens in both developing and developed nations around the world have almost instantaneous access to information on a 24/7 basis.
The result? People now know more and so they want more. That “more” not only translates to money, cars, or other lifestyle choices, but to having an empowered voice. According to one of our Summit Speakers, Dr. Shaygan Kheradpir, Chief Operations & Technology Officer of Barclays, “There is democratization around the world, because of technology. Now, people can participate in and contribute to decision-making. People are now more confident about their future because democracy is proliferating—and it’s all because of increased access to technology.”
So what does this mean for governments, as well as private and public sector leaders around the world? It means that globally, we need to be prepared for some labor pains and a period of volatility, as citizens strive to participate in the leadership process and determine who gets power and how they get it. It also means that leaders must subscribe to a new agenda—one that is inclusive, engaging, and collaborative. While we may not be able to predict who will come out ahead in this period of transition, we do know that the age old top-down approach to leadership does not work in a globalized and interconnected world, where we are increasingly seeing the rise of the “bottom up” approach. Leaders who are committed to earning, and keeping, power must be pioneering and innovative in the ways they engage their constituents, and they need to consistently monitor the state of mind of the people they serve.
This kind of leadership does not come about by accident or by osmosis. It requires a specific kind of learning experience in order to develop the unique skill-set to lead people in a globalized environment. At Meridian’s Global Leadership Institute (GLI), our executive education arm, leaders from the private, public, and diplomatic sectors develop the unique competencies to navigate the complex challenges of an increasingly interconnected world. GLI’s programs culminate at the Global Leadership Summit, where participants learn to lead through collaboration and engagement, so that those they serve feel they are a part of the process to determine their future prosperity and well-being.
We are witness to a monumental shift in which the world is changing its mind and headed in an entirely new direction–democracy is proliferating, leadership is increasingly participatory, and power is distributed in the least expected places. Buckle up...change is coming.
Ambassador Stuart Holliday is President and CEO of Meridian International Center. Previously, Ambassador Holliday served as United States Ambassador for Special Political Affairs at the United Nations from 2003 to 2005.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's November/December 2013 print edition.
Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian.
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Buckle Up—The World is Changing Its Mind!
December 9, 2013
When 200 leaders from the world’s financial, diplomatic, government, and corporate sectors convened at Meridian’s Global Leadership Summit on Friday, October 18, 2013, there was one consistent theme–that the world is changing its mind.
In response to this global shift, Meridian International Center collaborates with Gallup and the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center to host the annual Meridian Global Leadership Summit. At this high-level forum, key, cross-sector voices discuss the new dynamics of leadership and shifting perceptions of power around the globe.
At the 2013 Global Leadership Summit, leaders from Microsoft, the U.S. Department of State, Barclays, CEB, civil society, and the ARTOC Group for Investment and Development joined the Ambassadors of Singapore, Mexico, and Botswana to the United States to discuss "Reimagining Power: The Demands for Global Leadership Today and Accelerating Cooperation Through Culture, Commerce, and Education".
These dynamic discussions on changes in power and leadership were contextualized by the findings of Gallup’s Global States of Mind: New Metrics for World Leaders, a report which was released at the Summit by Chairman and CEO of Gallup, Jim Clifton. The central findings on what citizens from over 160 countries think of their leadership are consistent with the insights and experience of the panelists—electorates, stakeholders, target audiences, and citizens are more informed, discerning, and connected than ever before. They want leaders—not only politicians, but civil society and business leaders as well—who are committed to involving the communities they serve in the decision-making process, and who understand that their needs are changing as the world changes.
The evidence of this “global change of mind” is everywhere. It is in the personal decisions made—from the way people dress, what they eat, their financial decisions, where they make their home, the careers they pursue, and when they choose to get married and start a family. But the arena where change is most evident is in what people are thinking about power and leadership. Through globalizing technology, citizens in both developing and developed nations around the world have almost instantaneous access to information on a 24/7 basis.
The result? People now know more and so they want more. That “more” not only translates to money, cars, or other lifestyle choices, but to having an empowered voice. According to one of our Summit Speakers, Dr. Shaygan Kheradpir, Chief Operations & Technology Officer of Barclays, “There is democratization around the world, because of technology. Now, people can participate in and contribute to decision-making. People are now more confident about their future because democracy is proliferating—and it’s all because of increased access to technology.”
So what does this mean for governments, as well as private and public sector leaders around the world? It means that globally, we need to be prepared for some labor pains and a period of volatility, as citizens strive to participate in the leadership process and determine who gets power and how they get it. It also means that leaders must subscribe to a new agenda—one that is inclusive, engaging, and collaborative. While we may not be able to predict who will come out ahead in this period of transition, we do know that the age old top-down approach to leadership does not work in a globalized and interconnected world, where we are increasingly seeing the rise of the “bottom up” approach. Leaders who are committed to earning, and keeping, power must be pioneering and innovative in the ways they engage their constituents, and they need to consistently monitor the state of mind of the people they serve.
This kind of leadership does not come about by accident or by osmosis. It requires a specific kind of learning experience in order to develop the unique skill-set to lead people in a globalized environment. At Meridian’s Global Leadership Institute (GLI), our executive education arm, leaders from the private, public, and diplomatic sectors develop the unique competencies to navigate the complex challenges of an increasingly interconnected world. GLI’s programs culminate at the Global Leadership Summit, where participants learn to lead through collaboration and engagement, so that those they serve feel they are a part of the process to determine their future prosperity and well-being.
We are witness to a monumental shift in which the world is changing its mind and headed in an entirely new direction–democracy is proliferating, leadership is increasingly participatory, and power is distributed in the least expected places. Buckle up...change is coming.
Ambassador Stuart Holliday is President and CEO of Meridian International Center. Previously, Ambassador Holliday served as United States Ambassador for Special Political Affairs at the United Nations from 2003 to 2005.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's November/December 2013 print edition.
Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian.
