Special Project. Gerard Seijts
When we talk about leadership, let’s set aside heroism and pretended expertise. That approach doesn’t work. When we talk about leadership, let’s think of it as hospitality. A leader doesn’t need to be right at the beginning of a conversation, but they need to be right by the end of it. Leadership is about inviting the brightest to your table and finding solutions together.
Gerard Seijts co-developed the 11 Virtues of the Leader’s Character model in 2008. This was a response to the financial crisis, which at the time seemed like a total collapse. Since then, however, the world has faced and continues to overcome numerous other crises. Leaders are evaluated by society and must constantly choose effective approaches and management styles grounded in values.
Should the list of 11 virtues change in 2024? Is there a priority order among them? And why has leadership itself been brought into crisis through all these challenges?
Gerard Seijts answered these questions in an interview with Andrew Rozhdestvensky as part of the Dialogues with Leaders project.
💬 “I have worked with a wide range of people in different organizations: public, private, nonprofit… around the world. I have been in Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, Ukraine, the USA, and Canada. Even within individual sectors and organizations, people differ greatly in their management styles and approaches.
As a leader, you must be able to leverage diverse styles, strengths that people bring to leadership, and a variety of expertise. Diversity in perspectives, experiences, and sectors is valuable.
If you, as a leader, can use this diversity and build an incredible team with a shared direction and shared values—you will create an amazing environment around you.
Diversity should be embraced. There is nothing interesting when everyone thinks the same.”
