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Five leadership priorities for 2017

In the picture: Thais hold candle lights as they pray to celebrate the new year at Sanam Luang park in Bangkok, Thailand January 1, 2017. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom. As the past year has demonstrated, leaders must be responsive to the demands of the people who have entrusted them to lead, while also providing a vision and a way forward, so that people can imagine a better future. True leadership in a complex, uncertain, and anxious world requires leaders to navigate with both a radar system and a compass. They must be receptive to signals that are constantly arriving from an ever-changing landscape, and they should be willing to make necessary adjustments; but they must never deviate from their true north, which is to say, a strong vision based on authentic values. That is why the World Economic Forum has made Responsive and Responsible Leadership the theme for our annual January meeting in Davos. As leaders in government, business, and civil society chart a course for the next year, five key challenges will warrant their attention. Firstly, they will have to come to grips with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is redefining entire industries, and creating new ones from scratch, owing to groundbreaking advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, self-driving vehicles, 3D-printing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and quantum computing. These technologies have only begun to show their full potential; in 2017, we will increasingly see what used to be science fiction become reality. But, while the Fourth Industrial Revolution could help us solve some of our most pressing problems, it is also dividing societies into those who embrace change and those who do not. And that threatens our wellbeing in ways that will have to be identified and addressed. Secondly, leaders will have to build a dynamic, inclusive multi-stakeholder global-governance system. […]

Another American dream

Doc, in Back to the Future, laughed when he heard that Ronald Reagan (‘an actor’) was President of the United States. How would he react now if he heard that Donald Trump (a game show host), had indeed reached that pinnacle? Donald Trump winning the presidency is a very big and disturbing subject indeed, as it would have been had Hillary Clinton won. There are so many issues involved which talk about the unhappiness of the American people and their hand in life that I am sure the world will still be trying to figure out what is really going on even when he is out of office. Trump appealed to: the unemployed, those who had lost their jobs to government policies and to globalisation; he resonated with those opposed to Hilary’s east coast supporters, the people who live in the heartland; he appealed to blue collar workers; to all the people who didn’t care for the Obama/ Democratic style of presidency and the result of eight years of frustration, including with Obamacare. And it doesn’t end there because the issues he will deal with will be felt around the world for a long, long time. Immigration, bringing manufacturing back home from China and if he is sincere, making the lot of the average American family better. He has to deal with leaders of nations in a nice way. he will be part of making decisions concerning American security, business and attend G12 and such like conferences. He has a Republican Senate and House and will answer to them on major policy. Politically he will tow the line, which is what presidents do. So much of the presidential campaign over the past 18 months was, of course, driven by the media (after all, who else is going to tell you […]

How the media portrayed the Taliban’s attack on Malala

After the Taliban attempted to assassinate Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani newspapers used common language to describe the attack, which suggests the media has influence in changing social perceptions of the group, according to research published in the Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (JSSH). Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest person to receive a Nobel Prize. She started writing a blog for BBC Urdu in 2009 and subsequently reported for other media about her life in the Swat valley under the Taliban, which banned girls from attending local schools. On 9 October 2012, she was attacked on a school bus by the extremist group, but survived. The incident received national and international media coverage despite Talibani threats. In a JSSH study, Noor Hayat and Juliana Abdul Wahab of Universiti Sains Malaysia analysed four leading Pakistani English language newspapers to determine how Malala Yousafzai and theTaliban were portrayed after the attack. In their analysis, the researchers used the “media framing theory”, which in this study refers to the act of selecting certain aspects of a perceived reality and making them easier to communicate to highlight an issue, definition and/or solution of a topic. The researchers chose 29 editorials containing the word “Malala” that were published in the online editions of The News, Dawn, Daily Times and The Nation, between 10 October and 10 November 2012. These papers are considered more credible and influential to policy makers than those reporting in local languages. The team found that the editorials generally portrayed Malala positively: 58% referred to her as an “innocent girl” who stood up for girls’ education, 25.3% called her “courageous” and 17.4% used the term “activist”; in particular, The Nation and Daily Times praised Malala’s bravery more than the other two papers. By comparison, the […]

Brexit – A very bad flu that UK caught

Richard Branson said this morning that the Brexit vote has reduced the value of Virgin by thirty percent. There are lots of Richard Branson’s in Britain at the moment and it will take them years to recover – if at all. The ‘deflockers’ of Brexit said get out because Globalisation created the haves and the have-nots to a greater extent than any time in history. Although if you go back a couple of hundred years there were always the haves and have nots. The UK got out of Brexit because of the slack entry requirements for refugees into the United Kingdom. There are a thousand other reasons why the UK left and only a few less than that as to why staying was an option. Fifty-two percent of the British population caught the Brexit flu and pretty soon there won’t be enough Panadol to go around. A company losing money in such a dramatic and monumental move is hardly surprising. However, that surprise is a real shock when you look at the rapidly reducing pool of money available from the banks and the future of business in the UK. Australia is going to look so attractive, especially with their way of dealing with refugees and their determination for national security. There is of course the state of the middle east and how it got to be the way it is. Bush and Blair and Howard invading caused a hell of a mess, the pain is now throbbing through every vein of every refugee. And every resident of Europe. The inaction to wipe out the Isis crisis is unforgiveable. Because if forces had been instructed to ‘clean them out’ we wouldn’t have Europe in such turmoil. The refugees would be at home in their own country. Compounding factors – globalisation and […]

Harvard University president, Drew Gilpin Faust

‘It’s a man’s world, sweetie’ – how 3 female leaders dealt with sexism

Harvard president Drew Faust: “My mother thought the best outcome would be if I found a suitable husband.” Between them, they run one of the world’s most prestigious universities, one of its biggest companies and one of its most powerful institutions. It’s hard to imagine anyone telling Christine Lagarde, the head of the IMF, Drew Faust, the president of Harvard, or Indra Nooyi, CEO of Pepsi, that they couldn’t succeed because of their gender – but that’s precisely what happened. In different situations, these three women were effectively told the same thing: that girls and women shouldn’t aspire to the same goals as boys and men. It’s a message that’s stubbornly pervasive in every society in the world, reinforcing a global gender gap. Unsurprisingly, Lagarde, Faust and Nooyi refused to listen to it. Here’s how they reacted when faced with overt sexism and dubious advice. Christine Lagarde, head of the IMF, walked out of a job interview Long before she was appointed managing director of the International Monetary Fund in 2011, Lagarde started her career as a lawyer. CNN reported her telling the following story: “It was when I applied to the biggest law firm in Paris and I was told that I would be a great recruit and that I would be given good work to do – but that I should never expect to make partnership because I was a woman. “I thought to myself: ‘You don’t deserve me, I’m going.’ And I had that sense of extraordinary freedom, walking down the staircase and thinking to myself: ‘What would I do in this firm? Why would I work with that kind of attitude?” Rather than just “making partnership”, Lagarde went on to became the first female chair of the international law firm Baker & McKenzie, the first female […]

The Donald’s biggest fan

You have to hand it to Fox, they sure know how to represent the Republicans in this election. They always find negative comment against the Democrats and pitch their flag behind the GOP. None more so than Sean Hannity who is the leader of The Donald’s fan club and an ideal candidate to be Secretary for Communications if Trump wins. He doesn’t let facts get in the way of a good story. Hannity positively gushes when talking to Trump and gives Trump the questions that he likes to answer. He also has a knack of not upsetting Republican viewers by endlessly finding ways that appeal to their viewpoint. Like, Obama’s done a bad job as president or Republicans at Trump rallies don’t cause disruption. It amazes me how Fox continues to get away with this highly emotive right wing propaganda but that is what Fox is all about and with such a large Republican-viewer following Fox is on a winner – lecturing the bamboozled, bothered and bewildered. And white, christian and narrow-minded. Hannity is appealing to a particular mind-set of viewers. Those who believe America is going downhill and that Trump is the only one who can fix it. Well think again America…and then think again. If you can’t make a clear decision on the best candidate for President, don’t rely on Sean to do your thinking for you. Sean has enough issues of his own to work through. Like how is my hair looking and will The Donald like my tie?

New study highlights how perfectionist drive is leading to burnout

A new study from York St John University and the University of Bath has revealed the extent to which perfectionist tendencies in employees are driving many to burnout and points to ways in which habits might be changed. In the report, published today (Friday 31 July) in the journal Personality & Social Psychology Review, researchers looked at the impact perfectionism is having on extreme stress and burnout. Psychologists have long been fascinated by the effects of perfectionism – a personality trait encompassing excessively high personal standards coupled with harsh self-criticism – however this is the first study to aggregate its full effects. Through a detailed review of research, the researchers found that perfectionism is closely associated with burnout – a syndrome associated with chronic stress that manifests as extreme fatigue, perceived reduced accomplishment and eventual detachment. And whilst their findings are relevant across education and in sports, the researchers found this relationship is particularly strong in employment settings – something they suggest is increasingly driven by a prevailing performance-outcomes focus in the modern workplace. In such an environment, where poor performance carries significant costs, perfectionist tendencies are often exacerbated, which not only leads to increased stress for individuals but in fact poorer performance and a lack of innovation for organisations. Dr Andrew Hill, Associate Professor and Head of Taught Postgraduate Programmes at York St John University, who was lead-author of the review and whose work focusses on the effects of perfectionism in achievement contexts said: “Too often people confuse perfectionism with more desirable features such as being conscientious. Rather than being more productive, perfectionists are likely to find the workplace quite difficult and stressful. “Our research suggests that if perfectionists are unable to cope with demands and uncertainty in the workplace, they will experience a range of emotional difficulties.” Dr […]

Bush and Blair should ‘Answer for their actions’

Archbishop Desmond Tutu has called for Tony Blair and George Bush to be hauled before an international criminal court and delivered a damning critique of the physical and moral devastation caused by the Iraq war. Tutu, the retired Anglican Church’s archbishop of South Africa, wrote in an op-ed piece for The Observer newspaper that the ex-leaders of Britain and the United States should be made to “answer for their actions.”The Iraq war “has destabilised and polarised the world to a greater extent than any other conflict in history,” wrote Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel prize in 1984. “Those responsible for this suffering and loss of life should be treading the same path as some of their African and Asian peers who have been made to answer for their actions in the Hague,” he added. The Hague, Netherlands, based court is the world’s first permanent war crimes tribunal and has been in operation for 10 years. So far it has launched prosecutions only in Africa, including in Sudan, Congo, Libya and Ivory Coast. TutuÊhas long been a staunch critic of the Iraq war, while others opposed to the conflict including playwright Harold Pinter have previously called for Bush and Blair to face prosecution at the Hague. “The then-leaders of the U.S. and U.K. fabricated the grounds to behave like playground bullies and drive us further apart. They have driven us to the edge of a precipice where we now stand with the spectre of Syria and Iran before us,” said Tutu, who last week withdrew from a conference in South Africa due to Blair’s presence at the event. While the International Criminal Court can handle cases of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, it does not currently have the jurisdiction to prosecute crimes of aggression. Any potential prosecution over the […]

How Oliver Stone is tackling the Edward Snowden story

Edward Snowden (left) with Glenn Greenwald in Citizenfour. Depending on your point of view, Edward Snowden is either a dangerous traitor or a laudable hero. It’s that split that makes the 31-year-old former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor a compelling – and increasingly popular – cinematic figure. That popularity is demonstrated by the critical reception accorded documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras’ Citizenfour, and the anticipation surrounding Snowden, the new Oliver Stone drama that has begun production in Europe with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the title role and Zachary Quinto as muckraking journalist Glenn Greenwald. How Snowden’s decision to leak scores of documents about American surveillance should be interpreted is a key moral mystery of the national security debate and hardly a clear matter even for some of those telling his story. “I’m endlessly fascinated by Snowden’s decision, his process, his motivation,” says Quinto. “The vast majority of accounts had it one way or another – he’s either one more traitor or a righteous whistleblower. And the question is, ‘Which one is it?’ Or maybe it’s something more complicated than that.” Contemporary news figures in the Snowden vein can make for weak cinematic sauce (the 2013 Julian Assange movie The Fifth Estate is a case in point). But Snowden is proving resistant to the rule. Citizenfour, in which Poitras offers an intimate look at Snowden and Greenwald in the Hong Kong hotel room where the documents were leaked, won this year’s Oscar for best documentary. Sony, meanwhile, has bought the rights to Greenwald’s book No Place to Hide in the hope of making its own movie, and has set James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli for the project, though whether it still moves forward in the wake of Stone’s take is an open question. Stone’s Snowden – which is backed by a […]

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