LEADERSHIP IN… SERIES
The American Polish Forum has instituted a periodic lecture series called the “Leadership in…” Series. The objectives of the series are to more intimately develop relationships with current leaders who are influential in American-Polish relations, learn about their leadership in practice, and ultimately build strong leaders within the APF network.
Leadership In speakers discuss how they have developed into leaders in their respective areas, what challenges they have overcome, and what personal strengths have defined them and helped them to get to where they are today.
The Leadership In series is usually open to a smaller group of APF individuals, to maintain the intimate nature of the discussion and to allow our participants to get to know the speaker well. If you are interested in taking part in the Leadership In series, please ensure that you have signed up for APF updates.
Leadership in International Law and Public Service with:
Law Firm Partner and Foreign Policy Expert, Mark Brzezinski
The American Polish Forum invites you to a breakfast with foreign policy expert and law firm partner Mark Brzezinski, as part of its periodic “Leadership In…” series.
Date: Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Time: 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.
Location: McGuireWoods LLP, 1050 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, D.C.
RSVP: info@americanpolishforum.org
Mr. Brzezinski manages the international law practice in the Washington office of McGuireWoods, LLP. His practice focuses on international transactions, regulatory and legal compliance and government disclosures pertaining to sanctions, Export Administration Regulations and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and the development of corporate internal compliance programs.
Mr. Brzezinski is a former director of Southeast European affairs at the National Security Council at the White House. Prior to that appointment, he served as a director for Russian/Eurasian affairs on the National Security Council, where he was White House coordinator for U.S. democracy and rule of law assistance programs in the region. Before joining the White House staff, he was a corporate and securities associate at Hogan & Hartson LLP in Washington, D.C. In the spring of 2005, he served as an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School for International Affairs.
Past Speakers
Leadership in Foreign Service with:
Former United States Permanent Representative to NATO, Kurt Volker
The American Polish Forum recently hosted a “Leadership In…” Series breakfast with Ambassador Kurt Volker. During the ninety minute discussion in an intimate setting at the German Marshall Fund, Ambassador Volker reflected on his time as the United States Permanent Representative to NATO, his experience in serving various diplomatic posts during his Foreign Service career, and on his current transition into academia. Now as a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, head of the Center for Transatlantic Relations, and no longer “on public record,” he was happy to share his career impressions, reflect on his leadership role, and offer some professional advice to audience members.
The key points Ambassador Volker brought up in the context of leadership include:
- · Leadership, according to Ambassador Volker, must be foremost rooted in values. Leaders must know their mission, but must always stay centered in the values that they represent, whether they be institutional or their own individual values
- · Leaders must always respect their adversaries and respect that everyone comes to the table with a different set of values. While differences inevitably lead to disagreements, strong leaders always demonstrate respect for their adversary: “you get no mileage out of not treating people well”
- · Leadership is about “coming up with the right idea, selling it, and seeing it grow.” Ambassador Volker gave several examples from his career of how coming up with a policy or a good idea was not enough. For example, the case for letting new post-communist Central European states into NATO was just an idea in the early 1990s, but one that faced staunch opposition from many sides. To instigate change, leaders are able to “challenge intellectual competency with intellectual creativity” (which is often very difficult), sell the necessity for change, and then ensure that proper implementation and growth takes place
- · Ambassador Volker believes that many leaders are gifted with leadership traits at birth, but must combine these traits with learned experience, hard work, and effective communication
Leadership in Public Policy Reforms with:
Director of the Human Development Department at the World Bank, Michał Rutkowski
Currently a Director in the Human Development Department and South Asia Region of the World Bank, Mr. Rutkowski has long been in leadership positions related to public policy. Before his work at the Bank, Mr. Rutkowski also led the design of the Polish pension system in the late 1990s. In our discussion, Mr. Rutkowski primarily shared his passion about leadership in public policy, noting how it is harder to measure in public policy than in the private sector.
The key points brought up in the ninety minute discussion include:
- · Leadership in Public Policy is about creating value within the institution one represents, navigating expectations of internal and external stakeholders, and about delivering what is politically feasible
- · Leadership, according to Mr. Rutkowski, is almost always associated with change
- · Leaders within organizations are ‘agents of change,’ and can be found at any level of an organization, not just at the top
- · When delivering political feasibility, Mr. Rutkowski suggests that one must not focus on those who strongly agree or disagree with your cause, but rather focus all of your efforts on those who are in between
- · There is no recipe for being a leader (i.e. leaders are not just “born”), but it is critical for determined individuals to always be self-reflective, aware of their environment, and to consistently know their strengths and how to compensate for their weaknesses
Leadership in Academia with:
SAIS Professor of International Relations, Jakub Grygiel
Our “Leadership In…” discussion with Professor Jakub Grygiel in March of 2009 was entitled “Leadership in Academia”. Professor Grygiel is a Professor of International Relations at the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and has written several books, most recently “Great Powers and Geopolitical Change” which was published in 2006. Our discussion with Professor Grygiel centered around what leadership means in Academia, both in how universities achieve reputations for excellence, and in how universities enable the cultivation of leaders (both teachers and students). He addressed internal challenges in Academia, notably the premise that certain academic fields tend to be “conformist” to established ideas.
The discussion also dove into current external challenges to Academia as an educator from other “institutions of ideas” such as think tanks, foundations, and universities within large global multinational corporations. Professor Grygiel also intimately discussed with the audience his own experiences pursuing a Ph.D. in Political Science, and how he now prepares lectures and teaches Masters and Ph.D. students in Washington.
