Anne Marie-Slaughter, an American international lawyer, foreign policy analyst, political scientist and public commentator, started by saying she was pleased to be on The Platform again. She delved straight to her discussion on; Individual, Innovational and Global leadership for the next 60 years and began sharing her slides.
Speaking on what leaders should do, she stated that leaders ought to make decisions but should seek opinions from people though he may not always agree with them. Also, they have to devise and implement strategies, compromise and listen to proposals and petitions from others. Leaders also have to adjudicate conflict and assemble resources as well as deploy incentives. Leaders have to give voice to the vision and not just have it on paper. They should be able to communicate it to those they are leading. They should seek counsel though it may seem difficult to do so. They also have to issue statements and take a stand on matters at all times.
Speaking on positions of power, a leader should see where he leads as a ladder and lead from the top so he is not stuck in the middle between people or at the bottom where everyone is above him. A leader should also see power as a web where he must be at the centre because a lot of people are connected to him. He wields power from the centre while reaching out to others. A leader can use different styles of leading such as telling or asking. This means he is in control and he can hold them accountable. He asks them of their opinions of issues or tell them what needs to be done. He may need to command though this is not always favourable. A leader should ask those he is leading the right kind of questions and listen to their answers then reach a consensus. He may not always agree with their opinions but it’s always important to note them. A leader can connect people for growth.
Further on, Anne distinguished between old and new power. Old power is held by a few and is rigid while new power flows. A new power is open and everyone can access it. She likened the world to a chessboard where all play a game of strategy and also to a web which is a world of infinite connections and network.
As a leader, clarify the goals of everyone in your network then curate your network. She also pointed out the importance of connecting them in a very active way. The leader has to cultivate the power and ability of those he is leading. Inspire and motivate them to do more and go on to catalyze actions, Annie added.
She ended by urging everyone to think of leadership beyond the styles of leadership but also in terms of identity. Some say women lead differently because they are calmer and warmer as a result of their personality. She added that she believes that leadership style may vary according to culture and location as well as what one has been accustomed to overtime. The leadership in Nigeria stems from how the power was acquired, what the leader has been used to overtime and the network connected to the leader.