Dialogue of leaders: personal dimension in strengthening the stability of society

People change — spiritually, emotionally — according to the challenges they face. 

The full-scale war became the catalyst of these processes and forced to reconsider external and internal conflicts, concepts of good and evil, life and death. It is necessary to overcome anxiety, despair, disaffection; to try to reformat yourself productively, to adapt in order to maintain internal stability. The importance of discussing eternal values with people who are responsible for their collectives and communities has become even more acute. 

Over the past year, the Aspen Institute Kyiv held three leadership seminars: two sets on Responsible Leadership, and Values and Society. The audience of the seminar is leaders in the field of business, politics, public sector, social activities, science, art, media, etc.

Alina Shklyaruk, the Seminar Program Director, believes that a platform for discussing fundamental questions and finding answers to them is critically necessary for leaders. 

— We can judge the rightness of our beliefs only by receiving a reaction from the outside, by calibrating our own judgements compared to other people. When a person is alone, it is very difficult for him/her to find a solid foundation for further development, to take root of new meanings. He/she must see the results of his/her actions, check his/her inner workings in dialogue with other people. Therefore, we create platforms-laboratories where one can see the diversity of opinions, ideas and contents. 

Aspen Institute Kyiv seminars: impact of the full-scale war

The first Responsible Leadership Seminar took place exactly one year after the full-scale invasion. Although the Aspen Institute Kyiv continued its activities in 2022, organising online and live other events.

According to Alina Shklyaruk, the atmosphere of sincerity and openness, when people try to figure out what is the most important to them, sets them up for a transition to a new level of cognition, empathy, understanding and testing of valuable and emotional things. And this is helped by the works of classical and modern thinkers, which are a meaningful basis for seminar participants. 

— That is, either a person strengthens his/her position during this testing, or hears points of view from another perspective, which allows to reach a new, deeper level of perception of history and the present. And new ideas are born every time. They are often very different, but congruent in terms of synergy and trust. People find arguments for support and inspire each other for life itself. 

Eternal themes relevant at all times, such as property, the human nature and person’s relationship with the state, issues of justice, law… The laboratory of judgements, thoughts and ideas works on the edge of existential challenges.

Modernity and history of ideas: seminar topics always correspond to the spirit of the times, but also touch on eternal questions

Themes of war, social contract, gender equality, artificial intelligence — society is changing, and therefore the texts of the seminars are updated to meet the spirit of the times. The group discusses the most important questions that exist at this point in space and time under the moderators’ direction. Moderators suggest questions that people may not have had time to think about. This raises the discussion to a higher level, deepens it. According to Alina Shklyaruk, an important factor for productive intellectual work is the minimisation of personal references during dialogues; instead, participants discuss the content of ideas and thoughts, addressing the whole group at the same time. This format is time-tested: leadership seminars have been held in the world for over 70 years, and in Ukraine — since 2008. 

— We live in such times, when those people survive who accept the unchanging rules of the game, conditions, but change their attitude towards them, learn to exist in a difficult environment. Leaders who continue their work, activities, take responsibility, are active, in particular, socially, need strength and moral support: in finding optimal ways and solutions, and in quick adaptation to difficult conditions. But the main thing is that it is important to keep the spiritual and ethical core, in which communities significantly help. Because all people are social; we cannot be alone.