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Navigating today’s crises – what makes a great leader?

• ODI

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This episode examines the challenges leaders at the forefront of tackling today’s multiple crises are facing, and the leadership skills and approaches desperately needed to navigate these uncertain times.

We are teaming up with Tandem for this episode – ODI's Global Executive Leadership Programme. Tandem is building a community of humanitarian and development leaders around the world, equipping them with the skills and connections to address today’s most pressing global challenges and build a brighter future for all.

Fresh from graduating from the Tandem programme, two inspirational leaders join our host Sara Pantuliano to reflect on the unique challenges facing humanitarian leaders today – at a time when political instability, conflicts, geopolitical tensions and climate crisis are all creating increasingly complex operating environments.

We hear about what their experiences with Tandem over the past nine months have taught them, and how these are reshaping their own approach to leading in crisis settings.

Guests

  • Sara Pantuliano (host), Chief Executive, ODI
  • Sasha Kapadia, Director of Global Advisory, ODI
  • Gaurav Ray, Head of the Bangladesh Office, German Red Cross
  • Lisa Jean, Iraq Country Director, Mines Advisory Group 

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0:00:10 - Sara Pantuliano

Welcome to Think Change. I'm Sara Pantuliano. In our last episode, we put a spotlight on the tragic events in Gaza and the lesser reported crisis in Sudan and South Sudan, particularly because we've seen shocking attacks recently against aid workers. But today we will again be examining the challenges facing humanitarian workers at a time when international humanitarian law is getting repeatedly thrown out of the window. But our focus for the next half an hour will be specifically on leaders and leadership. What kind of challenges do leaders at the forefront of tackling today's multiple crisis face, and what leadership skills and leadership approaches are needed to navigate them? But this is a question we asked in Davos earlier this year, during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. We had leaders from different sectors stress the importance of being empathetic, of staying focused on a finite number of priorities, of having and sharing a clear vision, of creating partnerships and, above all, to communicate, communicate, communicate. You can find the link in the show notes to watch the full discussions. But today, to explore these issues in more detail, I'm delighted that we are teaming up with Tandem. 

Tandem is ODI's global executive leadership program. It is aimed at building a community of leaders around the world, starting with those at the forefront of humanitarian and development work and it's really trying to equip them with all the right skills and the right approaches. So a big welcome to the show to Sasha Kapadia. Sasha is our Director of Global Advisory and also oversees Tandem. Sasha is joined by two inspirational leaders who have just completed the Tandem program Gaurav Ray, Head of the Bangladesh Office of the German Red Cross, and Lisa Jean, the Iraq Country Director for Minds Advisory Group. A big welcome to you all. Sasha, you've been working with an impressive group of leaders for the past year through the Tandem program. What have you learned about what really makes a good leader today?  

0:02:19 - Sasha Kapadia

I would say what makes a good leader today and I've seen this across the Tandem cohort is a willingness to learn, a willingness to reflect. It's the ability to understand that where you are isn't where you want to be, and you need that push. You need that little bit of extra training. You need a spark, maybe, to be the leader that you wish to be. And all the tandem leaders came to tandem because they reached that inflection point and they wanted the boost to become the leaders they wish to be. Our leaders in tandem, but across the broader humanitarian and development sector, they are devoted to their causes. They are devoted to the populations that they wish, their conditions that they wish to improve. But a good leader is also willing to put the work in to improve themselves, to step back and maybe discover some things about themselves that they didn't really know or didn't really like, and make the effort to make a change.  

0:03:41 - Sara Pantuliano 

Thanks, Sasha. Gaurav, Sasha mentioned humanitarian leaders. Humanitarians are used to working in very chaotic and changeable environments, and I say that from experience. You're based in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a country that is facing political turmoil and, of course, is severely impacted by the climate crisis. From your experience, what particular challenges are humanitarian leaders having to grapple with in the context of this polycrisis?  

0:04:11 - Gaurav Ray

Thank you. Let me start by saying that Bangladesh has gone through a very difficult time just recently, but, having said that, we all know Bangladesh in South Asia is a very resilient country and, despite the civil unrest and ongoing climatic impacts you know, it has stood firm. The current flooding in the southeastern part of the country as we speak today is an example of an intersecting crisis where, you know, there's this civil unrest, there is poverty, there is other dynamics that are working, and it becomes really challenging in these circumstances. Just coming back to a little bit of a global nature of things that global leaders, humanitarian leaders, are facing today as challenges, I would like to point out a few, and I'm sure there are so many of them, but I would like to highlight a few of them which I constantly have to grapple with, the first being, you know, we, as humanitarian leaders, we have to constantly deal with chaos and uncertainty. The kind of erratic behaviour the hazards are having because of climate change is putting us really on steroids. I mean, this is something that the UN Secretary General also mentioned that the whole hazards have become like they're on steroids, and hence we have to react much better and much quicker. That's one challenge.  

Also, I think the countries that I've worked in, I've found that more and more contexts there is absolute disregard for the rule of law and human rights.  

I think that's a challenge that we, as leaders, have to face most of the time when we are negotiating this space. The other one, particularly for us, as currently I work with the Red Cross, is to manage the neutral, independent humanitarian action in countries where there's a huge polarized and political environment which refuses to see how we are serving the populations that need some sort of support. The other challenge that we see very often is the disconnection between the policy and reform frameworks. I think this contributes to a perpetual cycle of humanitarian assistance and response, and this is a problem that I see that we are constantly doing response instead of doing much better development. Also, I think I would like to say that the inability of a lot of the governments and organisations that work in this space is the inability sometimes to move from an egocentric environment to more of an ecosystem, learning environment, which Sasha just mentioned, that as good leaders, we should be able to learn and be open to learning.  

I think this is sometimes a challenge and, lastly, I think and we are seeing this it's become a trend. You say it in Africa, say it in Asia, you know there has been an undermining of the power of young people, including their voices, technology and access to population, these are some of the challenges that we are seeing and the way things are going, the complexity of disasters, civil unrest, etc. I think these are some of the key challenges that one has to grapple in the current context that we work in. 

0:07:50 - Sara Pantuliano

And that is from what you're saying. The context in which humanitarian leaders work continues to become more and more complex in terms of the challenges that you're all facing. I mean, I have led humanitarian responses myself when I was much younger and it's always been difficult and it's always been a level of complexity at different levels. But, as you say, this is really gone on steroids. So, given the context, what do you think are the most important skills and attributes the leaders need to navigate these challenges? That clearly requires responses that go way beyond a specific sector.  

0:08:32 - Gaurav Ray

Yeah, I mean our responses and thought processes have to revolve particularly around five major areas that I think are very important when dealing with poly crisis or intersecting crisis. First, I think we have to accept that traditional ways of doing business in terms of preparing and dealing with things may have worked in the past and may not be enough, and a systems thinking competency need to be built, which means having a mindset change to become a systems thinker and staying ahead of the hazard curve. That's one, one very important skill and competency I believe is required. Second, I think becoming more and more used to uncertainty management and use of technology and techniques and tools which have improvisation built into them. So a combination of an uncertainty navigator and a future enforciter is what I see as skills that needs to be built in today's and future's leaders. 

Third, I think we need to realize that a collective and collaborative effort is the way to go ahead. I mean, if we need to really succeed, we have to work together, so one has to have skills of partnership, brokering and convening abilities. Fourth I think is very basic yet some of us sometimes forget in the rush of things is humanitarian diplomacy, is the respect for diversity and inclusion and, last but not least, which I think is needed in very heavy doses, is soft skills. You know, these skills are so important, like the skills of listening, communicating, being humble, being empathetic but yet being agile, maintaining focus, being responsive, and also, I think one of our responsibilities is to build the next generation of leaders. So, again, backing this up into the principle of subsidiarity, which I really believe in, in terms of solving your problems at the root cause of the problems, I think these are some of the skills that I think leaders of the future and leaders of today need to look at.  

0:10:44 - Sara Pantuliano

Thank you, Gaurav. Lisa, you've worked in some really difficult settings in Sudan, Lebanon, in Syria. You're now in Iraq. What particular skills do you think leaders in crisis settings the kind of you know really almost like extreme risk settings where you have worked need today to have a real impact? 

0:11:07 - Lisa Jean

So the most important word in this question is actually the word impact, because, after all, being a leader in the humanitarian and development sector is all about the impact you will have on the population and the community you are serving, as well as your team and the people around you. So, as a leader, I think it's really important to establish a clear purpose and common objective that everyone can get on board with. You need to set the tone and articulate a compelling collective vision and ask yourself and others around you why we are here together. Refocusing on the purpose is always important and also reminding that collectively we are capable of achieving a significant amount of great outcomes, and this is what Gaurav was just saying before that we are definitely stronger together, and I think, if we have this compelling collective vision, it really helps the team to stay focused and motivated, even when we are facing challenges and there are many challenges in this context all the time, as you mentioned. But it's also what makes the work interesting and to do it effectively, I believe you also need to immerse yourself in the country, understand the local context, the traditions, the challenges, and this is the best way to ensure your leadership approach is culturally sensitive. This is also something extremely important in those contexts, and it's not just about understanding national cultures or national contexts, it's also about grasping the regional context.

In Sudan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, we can see that those countries share significant similarities in terms of underlying factors contributing to their humanitarian crisis and, as a leader, you have to identify those factors and the impact this context could have on the implementation of your activities, your staff, the participant of your project, the implementation of your project. Because, unfortunately, these four countries are always caught in the crossfire of regional geopolitical tensions, facing political instability, mass displacement, refugee crises and natural disasters, and we can also see already now the effects of climate change, and this is combined with always an open or underlying conflict that we have in these countries. So it is a challenging yet fascinating environment in which you need to anticipate trends, you need to navigate complexity, analyse tricky situations, formulate plans, scenarios, and it's an environment where strategic thinking and foresight are essential. That would be maybe the second skill, maybe the last one, given the complexity of this context is definitely being agile and solution focused, because being a leader in some of these countries and in the humanitarian sector in general, you need great skills in terms of adaptability, flexibility, to adjust to the plan, adjust your strategies, because it's evolving all the time. 

You need to embrace the change and it's extremely important also to timely making decisions, because everything is moving really quickly. So when we are speaking about adaptability, it's not only at the individual level, it's also at the organisational level. You also have to think of, like, how your organisation can be agile, how we can build agile thinking and ways of working. That's extremely important as well, and I'm not sure it's a skill, but maybe something that I want to flag here, like it helped me and it helped my team a lot in difficult situations. Keep your sense of humour, because this is a total game changer in challenging contexts.

0:14:55 - Sasha Kapadia

If Lisa wasn't going to say it, I was going to say it because for better I would say, I've gotten to know our tandem leaders over the past nine months and, as I said earlier, they are absolutely devoted to their context. They're absolutely devoted to ensuring that their organisations, whether whichever crisis they're overseeing, and meeting the moment and putting the needs of their communities first. But taking a moment to pause and understand when it's too much, even if it's just a half an hour break for some mindfulness, to get some levity, to have a laugh with a friend or catch up with a family member, it's so very vital in order to keep your cool, keep your focus and ensure that you can continue. Because we know that the rates of burnout in this sector are so high and it's because people are so tense and on all the time, and so for a leader to be able to manage in a crisis setting is to know themselves and know what they can bear and know when it's time to take that moment to pause.  

0:16:09 - Sara Pantuliano

And that's so important because, in a way, the sector traditionally, particularly the humanitarian sector, is a space where leaders have almost had to demonstrate that nothing can face them, that they have to be almost like akin to heroes, that they need to be able to overcome whatever stress and where actually feeling the tension and the stress is a sign of weakness. And if anything, you know, what we've tried to do with Tandem is show the importance of self-nurturing, of, you know, self-reflection, of really looking after yourself as a leader, because, particularly in this context, you need to pace yourself, you need to make sure that you maintain your energy. And, in fact, this is what I wanted to ask you, Lisa and Gaurav how has your leadership approach changed since coming on the tandem journey?  

0:17:09 - Lisa Jean

It's changed, because we like this training really fosters the self-reflection and encourage the reflection about the sectors as well.

So it was a lot about what can we do better, what can we do differently. And it's good timing, actually, because to ask ourselves this question, because the sector is undergoing really rapid transformation and we are currently in the period of transformation and on transition marked by a really significant shift, growing complexities and certainties. So we are witnessing, like, a lot of changes at the time. There is no boundaries between war time and peace time, everything is becoming less distinct and there is a persistent state of conflict everywhere in the world. So we need to change our approach and change our way of working. So I think it really gave us the tools and the motivation to put these big words into action at our individual level, because we are also speaking about decolonisation of AIDS, localisation, the need of shift away from top-down approach, funding and management. So it was really interesting to also see like what kind of form of power we had and what can we do to make the change and to shape the future we want to see in this sector.

0:18:27 - Sara Pantuliano

Gaurav, have you transformed your approach, your leadership approach, at any personal level in the course of these 12 months? 

0:18:36 - Gaurav Ray

Yes, I have and I'm so happy that I took this journey. And, yeah, Tandem really has built my confidence that change is possible in the sector, however broken it might be, and I've written about it in other areas that you know. Tandem allowed us to have this space, the 30 odd other leaders and the coaches and resources that we had access to. I think, for me, some of the interesting aspects of this tandem journey has been to understand how T-shaped leadership works, or how managing uncertainty is important.

Strategic patience, I think, taking a pause, which Sasha was mentioning, you know heart, intelligence I think I had these things, but I didn't know that I was practicing. So it really gave me an opportunity to practice, to talk about them and to really learn how much more we can actually go deeper into all these things. I think Tandem has really helped me in terms of navigating and reflecting a bit more on being a better person, a compassionate person, where I think I've started realising how much more I value partnerships and I feel that today I'm a better person and a better leader. It's provided me the opportunity, as both Sasha and Lisa mentioned, for introspection, self-reflection, and I think really, I mean I started believing that, you know, there's an old adage where there's a will, there's a way, and if you really, is a genuine, you're an authentic leader and you portray that, I think we can make a big difference. 

0:20:31 - Sara Pantuliano

What would be your one piece of advice to become a better leader, Lisa?  

0:20:36 - Lisa Jean

So, as I said, the sector is changing and you have the chance to be part of it. So what does it mean to lead our sector in this new era? So one answer is communication. For instance, it's very easy to communicate with a large number of people nowadays. So connect with your team, share information proactively, be deliberate and intentional about it. Be transparent about your decision and the reason behind them.

While you communicate, set principles and values and stick to them. Be the role model of them. Show everyone that your values are driving the organisation. It's not one person, it's the values. And do what you say you will do. Walk the talk and hold yourself accountable. Be humble I think Gaurav said it before. Own your own mistake by promoting lesson learned and learning in general for yourself and for your team, and don't forget that your people are at the heart of everything you do. So make sure you practice active listening, give clear feedback, receive feedback and share your knowledge, and give your people the power to make decisions and to make sure you leave them with the right tools and the right motivation so that they can succeed. And don't forget why you are here obviously to have a real impact.

0:21:58 - Sara Pantuliano

Gaurav, you have been nodding a lot, anything to add?  

0:22:02 - Gaurav Ray

For me, it's never stop learning. Have an open mind and don't be afraid of making mistakes. We are not there alone. So that's my motto, never stop learning.

0:22:15 - Sara Pantuliano

Thanks, Gaurav. Well, in the spirit of never stop learning, we asked a number of other brilliant leaders who have just graduated from Tandem to share with us their leadership tips. So here's a roundup of the advice they shared at the closing retreat in Bangkok. 

0:22:31 - Eunice Wotene

My name is Eunice Wotene and I am the executive director for Oxfam in the Pacific, based in Suva, Fiji. My advice to leaders today is to have a growth mindset to lead, and I think the world that we are operating in, the context, is changing every day, and so having a growth mindset will help you also be relevant to the context that you're working from and be open to change, and it helps in emerging situation as well. So, growth mindset, I think, is the way forward. 

 

0:23:14 - Garth Smith 

I’m Garth, I'm a currently independent humanitarian consultant focused on interagency coordination and emergency response. My advice for becoming a better leader, and something I've reflected on in my own journey, is to embrace your own strengths but to be agile and adaptive in the ways that you approach leadership. Again, we work in settings, often in the humanitarian world, that are chaotic and change with limited notice, and it's easy to say that we have to be adaptive, but I think recognising where your own strengths are and playing to those in your leadership approach is absolutely critical. 

0:23:53 - Foday Bassie Swaray

Foday Bassie Swaray, Executive Director of ActionAid in Sierra Leone. The advice I will give is around us leaders, we must learn to work with people. We have to be a bit more compassionate, to know what is happening with our team. We should not be judgmental, just taking quiet decision based on our perceptions. We should learn to listen more to our colleagues, more to people, see how we could support them, because they all contribute to the success of the organisation. And finally, it's around we have to have the courage to take decisions, and timely decisions that will definitely impact the organisation. 

0:24:33 - Emma Donlan 

My name is Emma Donlan and I'm the Country Cirector of Plan International in Bolivia. My advice for other leaders would be not to put so much pressure on yourself. often we feel that we need to know all the answers but actually to look around and see who can help us, ask for help, learn from their experiences and also their mistakes. So that would be my advice to really create a community around you to support you. 

0:25:01 - Sara Pantuliano

Well, that was just a few leaders from the Tandem program, sharing their reflections on how to become a better leader today and creating a community to support you, in the words of Emma at the end there, is really what Tandem is striving to do. So, Sasha, do you have any parting words for us? 

0:25:18 - Sasha Kapadia

Everybody who's listening to Think Change has now gotten a sense of just how impressive and incredible our tandem leaders are, and I think their six-month journey shows us what's possible if you commit to that learning journey that Gaurav was speaking about. I think we're talking about the humanitarian sector here, but what they're saying can apply to any sector. Right, we are all dealing with a world that is on fire.

The issues are complex, they're unceasing, and it's really hard to continue to feel motivated to go on, right and to be that role model, as Lisa was saying. And so you know, if one has the time, one can always make the time to commit to one's own leadership journey, to take stock of what's important, to work on what perhaps needs to be fixed, and to go out and be the change that you wish to see.

0:26:28 - Sara Pantuliano

Thank you so much, Lisa, Gaurav and Sasha, for all your brilliant insights into how to become a better leader in a global era of multiple crises. But there is plenty more that we can learn from Tandem that we haven't had a chance to cover today. To find out more and stay up to date, do visit the Tandem Leadership LinkedIn page, also linked in the show notes. Here you will find more leadership tips. You will get insights and reflections from our next group of leaders as they begin their Tandem learning journey later this month. We will also be launching a new version of the Tandem website this month tandemleadership.org so do keep an eye on that. If you've enjoyed this episode, please do subscribe to Think Change and leave us a review. Thanks for tuning in and following the show. We'll be back with you in a fortnight, thank you. 

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