The World vs. Liliputin – Never Has It Been More Necessary to Recognize the True Leader

In April of last year, just 10 months ago, I wrote an article about whether leaders live the values they proclaim. In the article, I wrote among other things: 'Leaders should act as if we will live 100 years in peace, while preparing as if war will start tomorrow.' I never dreamed that we would now be living that scenario. That 'tomorrow' would indeed come, that tomorrow is actually today/yesterday and that we will not live 100 years in peace.

We went to sleep in Europe without war. We woke up in a completely different environment, war was already raging in Europe, not so far from us. In just 24 hours, a lot has changed.

I could describe it in words: What a difference a day (a leader) makes! 24 little hours!

Watching all this, my heart breaks. But I also see it through some other glasses: I am closely observing leaders. I wrote this reflection exclusively from that perspective: the leadership perspective, and my comments are not of a geopolitical nature. I also note that by the word 'leader' I encompass both female and male leadership equally.

I am looking at concrete examples hour by hour. Let's take Germany as an example. Why did Germany, among the last countries, accept the expulsion of Russia from the swift transactional system? What has changed compared to the time when Germany was an unwavering leader in the refugee crisis, and then in the pandemic? Have the numbers, the size of significance, the influence of Germany changed? No. Only one factor has changed. The leader. Leadership in such times requires courage, determination, steadfastness, and quick decision-making. Under Angela Merkel's leadership, Germany was first and paved the way for others, mainly by making very difficult decisions. Often attacked for the same, but steadfastly defending its positions. Internally and externally. With this example of swift, Germany has fallen to the back of the line. Their leader does not inspire confidence or inspire. Germany has become a follower from a leader.

The most important ingredient of any successfully managed organization of any kind is the leader. Leadership is very personal. Organizations of all types have their rules. And they do not change drastically overnight. But they can vary greatly under the influence of one person. For example, the USA under Biden is very different from the USA under Trump. And we are talking about the same country. That number 1 is the one who brings his personality into the management of the system, company, state. The way he presents himself and gains the trust of his teams. In my career and life, I have met thousands of managers. Leaders, those for whom I would go to war (both literally and figuratively) I can hardly count on one hand.

Leadership and its rules are more or less the same, whether we are talking about business, sports, political, or military leadership. The art of warfare has often been analyzed in the context of business leadership. What are the principles that connect business, political, and military leadership? In fact, there are great basic similarities: they all have a goal, define a strategy to achieve that goal, form teams that they train and prepare for 'battle', dedicate resources, plan logistics. They all share the desire to win. An important difference is that in war there are no second or third places. There is only one winner. In war, unlike other segments, losses are the heaviest. They are not counted by the number of votes cast, points on the leaderboard, or profits made. They are counted in human lives. Destroyed childhoods.

Leadership by definition should be based on personal values that are fully aligned with the values of the company, political party, or military. That leadership should be authentic, justified, and ethical. It should provide purpose, direction, and motivation. A true leader of values lives 'non-stop'. He/she is a true role model and example for their followers. For someone to be a leader, they must have followers. A successful and effective leader will create just such followers. The environment they create must be encouraging so that their followers can fully contribute to the success of the entire team. With an efficient, intelligent, agile, and ethical approach. A follower must support the leader and do everything in their power to ensure the team goal succeeds, while adhering to organizational values and standards. But leaders are also followers. The most successful will be those who seamlessly, depending on the moment, change roles. When they can listen to their team and accept their suggestions.

The fundamental values of leaders and organizations are never so vulnerable, fragile, and crucial for success as in a crisis. 'Heroes are known in adversity'.

A leader makes tough decisions and takes full responsibility for them, while without hesitation attributing successes to the team. A leader needs to define the purpose, the reason why we do this? For the group, as well as for the individual. That purpose must be infused with emotion. (For example, our purpose is to defend the country. Because it is our homeland). Ethically grounded purposes that set goals for the common good, greater than just us, unite teams, make them stronger. They are a strong motivator. Leaders need to be inspiring and excellent communicators: transparent and consistent. Communication is key and must occur continuously at all levels. Internally and externally, top down, horizontally and vertically. In times of crisis, when chaos and uncertainty prevail, communication from leaders plays a truly crucial role. It must calm people, restore their trust, and give hope. Always speak the truth. Communicate in a way that everyone understands. But communication is always two-way. It implies that the leader must have the ability to actively listen and sense how the organization and individuals are breathing. What is the feedback.

Crisis times have additional rules. It is often more important to make a decision quickly than based on 100 percent information, so in a crisis it is better to have too much communication than silence. Because nothing echoes as loudly as silence.

One of the fundamental tasks of a leader is to empower their teams, give them the opportunity when possible to participate in decision-making and contribute in their own way. Precisely so that they feel an important part of something greater than themselves, and not just an executor. Planning is certainly a very important step, but today's world requires a great deal of flexibility and quick adaptation. Everything is happening quickly. For example, only those who quickly adapted to the new conditions of the pandemic survived. They turned negative into positive. Defeat into victory. And in war, it is similar: it is impossible to predict every situation.

One of the greatest responsibilities of a leader is decision-making. Decision-making is essentially looking at the bigger picture, understanding what needs to be done, assessing the options available to us, and making and communicating the decision of which solution is chosen. The worst thing is not to make a decision. Very often timing plays a crucial role. In times of crisis, decisions need to be made quickly, and possibly corrected on the go. This is often less damage than not making a decision.

Sometimes the challenge in making decisions, under time pressure, will be a quick fix. Easy solutions. One must know how to resist this because easy solutions are often not the right ones. All the time, the leader must not lose sight of 'Doing the right thing'. Those values that are the foundation of everything. Living values means making daily decisions between right and wrong, good and evil. There must be no cracks here. We cannot be right one day and turn a blind eye the next day. This implies that those who deviate from this in the organization in any way must be decisively sanctioned, regardless of the hierarchy and importance of that person to the organization. Show by example what is acceptable and what is not.

Leaders ultimately must live with their decisions, which have consequences. In war, of course, the heaviest: the possible loss of human lives. But if decisions are made based on values, with the feeling that the right thing is being done while analyzing all available information at that moment, then the leader is on the right path to not make a mistake in the decision and to be able to live with that decision later.

There is no universal formula for success. A leader does not have to know everything. Nor is there a leader who has never made a mistake. One should not be afraid of wrong decisions. They should only be acknowledged and accepted as a platform for learning, both for the leader and for the organization and individuals. A leader must be inspiring, empathetic, show humanity, vulnerability. In our culture, vulnerability is often seen as a weakness, especially in male leaders. Contrary to popular belief, showing vulnerability is strength, not weakness. But this vulnerability must be supported by confidence that we will learn something from that situation and come out as a better person, a better leader. In crises, your teams will seek constant reassurance, in moments of doubt they will look to the leader. It will be important for them to know and feel that he/she knows what they are doing, that they hold all the strings in their hands, that they are positive and optimistic, but not arrogant. The worst way to lead is through creating fear and insecurity, from a position of power. A leader, to bring out the best in people, must be an inspiration. From theories on leadership, but also from vast personal experiences, I can admit that the only thing that can still motivate me personally is an inspiring leader. If that does not exist, regardless of whether it is about work or volunteering, my heart is not in the right place and it is hard to get me moving. And conversely, when I have an inspiring leader, there is nothing I cannot achieve.

The values we represent must be clearly communicated, but even more demonstrated in practice. We cannot ask others for something we do not respect ourselves. What we are not willing to do ourselves. Personally, I was recently part of a story where the leader of the organization made a significant mistake. The way he corrected it, with his public acknowledgment of the mistake, sincere and complete acceptance of responsibility, learning for himself and the entire organization, which I studied in detail, placed him among the 5 leaders for whom I could 'die'. That is the kind of leader we want to lead us in difficult times.

In times of crisis, one of the challenges is an excessive focus on the present, so-called tunnel vision. Therefore, leaders need to take time to step back, view the situation from a bird's eye perspective, to keep 'an eye on the ball' for the future. A helicopter view. Otherwise, the organization risks becoming a reactive organization that will put out fires, rather than anticipate events, have backup plans, and be an agile, flexible organization. We witness various sudden challenges every day for all of us, let alone for leaders whose responsibility in situations like a pandemic or war includes responsibility for the lives of their employees and their families, the property of companies, and business.

In times of crisis, leaders are exposed to enormous stress, and fantastic mental and physical strength and endurance are required. All eyes are on the leader, so he/she must be an example. There is no better, more correct way of leadership than leading by example. If we take the example of the war in Ukraine, do you think that the residents of Ukraine will remember President Zelensky for the speeches he gave in a suit, as President? Or will the image that always pops up at the mention of his name be one in a bulletproof vest, with a weapon on the front line? Which of the two are they more ready to follow?

In his inaugural speech in 2019, Zelensky said: 'I do not want my pictures on the walls of your offices. The president is not an idol, not an icon to whom you bow. Instead of me, hang pictures of your children, and look at that picture every time before you make an important decision.' The words of a true leader. Who did not just say that, but unfortunately now has the opportunity to prove it.

What is important not to forget: being a leader is not a story about the leader. It is a role in which you serve others. If you serve your people and community well, they will repay you many times over. Togetherness will help you overcome all crises and come out stronger than ever. But crises require leadership, at all levels, all the time. So, take your role and be a true leader, and empower others to be leaders.

We are all both leaders and followers. On a smaller or larger scale. In our families, our children, in our workplaces, sports teams, the public. We must play both roles, depending on the circumstances. But the main and fundamental motivation of our decisions must be to leave the world better than it was. To leave a mark in the lives of those we meet, in a positive way.

World leaders did not prevent the start of the war. Therefore, they must fight, together with all of us, by all means, to end it as soon as possible.

Roosevelt once stated: 'More than the end of the war, I want the end of the beginnings of all wars.'

Russia is a large country, the largest country in the world by territory. A country of impressive history, culture. The homeland of Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Yesenin, Chekhov, Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, Kandinsky, and many others who have marked my, and I believe many of your lives. Russia is a country where many good people live, known and unknown. A country where we achieved the greatest Croatian sports success in history and became the vice-champion of the world in football.

But in Russia, there is also a small, artificially created state. Liliputin. A small state of small people. Those who are gathered around a 'leader' who has no true values that make a great leader. He rules by force and fear, for his own interests, and the interests of a handful of subjects. History will not remember him for anything positive. In Liliputin, just like in a fairy tale, live small people, by all human and leadership parameters.

The true leaders of this world must not allow themselves to be defeated by a man unworthy of having the title of leader associated with his name, thus tarnishing the dignity and role of true leaders, and reducing their power to empty words.

To impotence.