Servant of the People: President Volodymyr Zelensky
Photo Credit: Office of The President of Ukraine
“People don't really believe in words. Or rather, people believe in words only for a stretch of time. Then they start to look for action." – Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine
Welcome to the April edition of First Friday Inspiration.
This month, we're highlighting someone we feel is a true hero and leader of the people: Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine. We feel that his steadfast integrity and his stewardship of our humanity are both a beacon and a call to all of us to how we can show up in these darker times and challenging situations.
During the current catastrophic Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has received international praise for his leadership in navigating the war, leaving a powerful and significant impression on politicians, citizens, and leaders of all stripes across the globe.
Unique to most other politicians, President Volodymyr Zelensky has a diverse professional background. With academic experience in law, he ultimately pursued acting and film production, founding his own production company called Studio Kvartel-95, collaborating with Serhiy Shefir and Boris Shefir.
At the height of his comedic career, President Zelensky played the role of a middle-class high school history teacher who is shockingly voted the President of Ukraine in a popular TV show called "Servant of the People." This story mirrored his political rise when he ran for the actual presidency in 2019. He won by a landslide as a political outsider, advocating for economic reform and anti-corruption.
"The president can't change the country on his own. But what can he do?
He can give an example."
– Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine
The tragic invasion of Ukraine by Russia has not deterred President Zelensky from protecting his country and modeling a powerful sense of courage and a deep love and care for both his people and the land they share. When offered safe evacuation by the U.S., Zelensky declined, saying, "The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride."
Rather than display panic, President Zelensky has leveraged his excellent communication skills to sustain morale amongst Ukrainians and through his capacity to inspire, garner support for his cause from the global community.
Whether you're the head of a country or a company, there is something to learn from President Zelensky's incredible heroism and ability to lead in the face of unfathomable challenges and daily trauma. His authenticity, honesty, and commitment to lead from his humanity in order to protect and serve his country are powerful living embodiments of what it means to share leadership, power, responsibility, and meaning and to cultivate the attitudes and practices we teach in our leadership development training.
During this time of incredible hardship, we offer both President Zelensky and the people of Ukraine our deepest sympathy, compassion, and allyship. We pray for their strength and safety, and most of all, we pray that we each come to the embodied understanding and ownership of how essential our humanity is as the foundation for peace.
What are you learning from President Volodymyr Zelensky's leadership? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.