At Salzburg Global Seminar, more than 40,000 Fellows from more than 170 countries have come together through our work, with many rising to senior leadership positions. Faces of Leadership is an online series that captures the motivation and inspiration behind our Fellows' work and efforts to shape a better world.
Below are a number of Fellows who have taken part in this feature while attending a Transforming Education Co-Action Summit at Salzburg Global Seminar. If you have attended an education program at Salzburg Global and would like to submit a Faces of Leadership, please fill in our form.
What does being a "current or future leader" mean to you?
“It’s super important to talk about uncomfortable things. It makes us empathize in a way that enables us to connect realities and diverse positions on social issues that we can try to solve. We need to understand that we should promote values from everywhere and every space. I am sure that young people can change the world. They are changing communities, their schools, their friends, and they can change the world.”
What does being a "current or future leader" mean to you?
“Being a leader to me means seeing the people around you in a way that attempts to understand where they come from and what they aim for. What their strengths are and where they are in their personal life right now. Being a leader also means knowing when to step aside and let someone better equipped do the task. Leadership does not only mean working at the front but also collaborating and supporting the growth of others.”
“I think it is important for us to start acting as leaders. I deeply believe that we all have a leader within us and there is no one who can't be a leader. To be a leader you need the courage to start your personal journey. You need love for the world and compassion to genuinely care for change. Finally, you need an open mind to see what is around you.”
How do you, as a current or future leader, help to shape a better world?
"I have gone on quite a journey to even consider myself a leader. It took someone here [at Salzburg Global] last year to point that out and say, ‘I think you're a leader’ for me to perceive myself in that way. And I still find it uncomfortable. I think I'm shaping a better world by trying to live this conviction that I have, that a system transformation is the manifestation of personal transformations."
What does being a "current or future leader" mean to you?
“Being a leader means being impactful, humble, and vulnerable. It is key for the leader to be understanding and relatable to the cause they are leading; they do not necessarily need to have an official title of the leader - rather, their impact and influence can define their leadership position.”
“I believe that exercising empathy and building trust amongst the team or within the network you are working in is a great method to develop and effectively work together. I plan on advocating and highlighting through interaction and case studies that people’s educational experiences around the world are more similar than different.”
What is the biggest challenge you’ve overcome in your professional life?
“There was a time in my first year as CEO, [when] we were nearly going to shut down the organization... We had a size that was no longer sustainable and those were some weeks that were really hard because we had to let go [of] around 25 people from our team and go into survival mode and rebuild the organization. This happened in my first six months as a CEO. This work of people [and] the impact on 10,000 kids [was] about to end...I was able to be vulnerable with my team. I admitted that I felt lost. I admitted that I didn't know how to do the job. [I was] crying with my team and [learned] the power of vulnerability. [I learned] to not think that I, as a CEO, should have all the answers, that I'm not a hero, and that there is true power and trust and community."
What does being a "current or future leader" mean to you?
“I think leadership is a powerful combination of service, humility, courage, integrity, vision, and more. The best leaders I've worked with dedicate themselves to helping others become leaders as well. It's also really important to recognize that leadership is occurring in unofficial capacities all the time."
“It was fascinating to learn from and with a variety of organizations globally that are being led by young people and/or that are structuring their work to elevate young people as problem solvers and solution makers. The conversations [at Salzburg Global] were interesting in that they moved from a high level of ‘how do we define youth leadership and intergenerational collaboration’ to sharing very granular examples of how youth are working with policymakers, educators, and community members to change their education experience.”
What does being a "current or future leader" mean to you?
“For me, to be a leader is to work for what you are passionate about, to solve community problems, and to improve those difficulties to create spaces where we can live well. To be a leader is to create spaces where we can all build together."
“I am working to create sustainable agriculture in my community, producing organic food and reducing the use of agrochemicals, as well as collecting more than 40 varieties of native potatoes important for the food security of my community."
