Story and Its Significance to Leadership
To analyze leadership qualities, issues and challenges, I chose the news from the Washington Post and BBC News sources regarding the speech of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the US Congress. Mr. Zelensky arrived in the United States to meet with President Joe Biden on 21 December 2022 during the hostilities in Ukraine (Abutaleb et al., 2022). His visit was not announced in advance and was the first time that Zelensky had left his country since the beginning of the war (Abutaleb et al., 2022). In addition to meeting President Biden, he addressed the United States Congress, which is the culmination of his leadership. During the war in the country, the President of Ukraine became not only a leader who demonstrates resilience and leads the people but one of the central political figures of the democratic world (Abutaleb et al., 2022). Of particular interest are his rhetoric, speech, and the emotional message that the President of Ukraine uses when addressing Congress to demonstrate and defend the values of his country. Therefore, thanks to the abovementioned qualities of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, his leadership, particularly during the speech to the US Congress, need to be considered in more detail.
Key Challenges that The Leader Faced
First, it is important to stress that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, is at constant risk in the conditions of war. Therefore, his heroism is worth noting as one of his leadership qualities. The decision to visit the United States and address Congress was problematic during the conflict. In addition to the abovementioned challenges, Zelensky, as the leader of his country, risked his life because of the flight on the plane. Certain types of enemy weaponry could have contributed to the crash. Nevertheless, despite psychological and emotional pressure, President Zelensky made a successful visit to the United States and reminded the world of the war in Ukraine.
Leadership Qualities
Volodymyr Zelensky, during his speech in the US Congress, demonstrated the leadership qualities inherent to the president of the country. First, his speech was based on the protection of Ukraine’s interests and the request for support. This factor reflects Zelensky’s rhetoric as a translation of the values of the Ukrainian people, the sovereignty of the country, and a call to their protection. Consequently, one of the qualities displayed by the Ukrainian president in the United States Congress is his ability to speak and reach people’s hearts. Second, a competent leader in his actions should enlist the support of other participants in the process and show people the quality coalition of which he is a part. Ukraine’s presidential meetings with American politicians such as President Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Nancy Pelosi reflect Zelensky’s support at the highest level. This approach emphasizes Zelensky’s leadership quality in communicating with other leaders to achieve joint results.
Leadership Qualities that were Lacking
Assessing the image of the President of Ukraine during his visit to the USA in December 2022, it is essential to pay attention to his appearance. He was wearing a T-shirt and military-grade pants. It should be assumed that the appearance of the president in such clothes both in the White House and in the Capitol may be perceived as a drawback. Therefore, in this context, Volodymyr Zelensky lacked such leadership qualities as representativity. On the other hand, as was stressed earlier in this paper, Zelensky is the president of a country at war, and such clothes only remind the world of this fact.
Intended Outcomes
The rhetoric of the President of Ukraine during his speech in the US Congress was militant, explicit, and emotional. Zelensky’s approach was to impress Americans and other people from Western countries. Appealing to the feelings of ordinary people had to draw a parallel between the lives of Ukrainians and other peoples. In addition, the militant rhetoric of the Ukrainian president and his speech in raised tones should have emphasized his confidence, as the leader of his country, in further plans and victory in the war. In addition, as intended outcomes of Zelensky’s approach, one should highlight the Americans’ belief that the financial and military assistance they provide to Ukraine is essential for success on the battlefield.
Comparison with Churchill
As additional information to better understand Zelensky’s leadership, one should pay attention to an article by BBC News that points out how eight decades after Churchill’s address to Congress, Zelensky makes a war-time plea to the US. In it, the author, Kayla Epstein, compares the performances of the two leaders, Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Great Britain, and Volodymyr Zelensky, in terms of their rhetoric and significance of each historical moment separately (Epstein, 2022). According to Epstein (2022), “Eight decades later, Mr. Zelensky’s visit to Washington generated a flurry of coverage and anticipation.” (p. 3). It is noteworthy that each of the two leaders spoke in the US Congress during wars in their countries. Probably, being aware of the importance of the historical moment, in his speech, the president of Ukraine made, though not direct, but a reference to Churchill and World War II (Epstein, 2022). This factor underlines Zelensky’s awareness of his role as a leader in promoting the interests of Ukraine, as well as in calling for the unification of the democratic world in the struggle against totalitarianism.
References
Abutaleb, Y., Pager, T., & Sotomayor, M. (2022). In Washington, Zelensky seeks to rally support for grueling war with Russia. The Washington Post. Web.
Epstein, K. (2022). Zelensky’s address to US Congress comes 81 years after Churchill did the same. BBC News. Web.