Yesterday at the United Nations, the International Youth Leaders Conference Assembly held a global summit, where economic scholars, corporate leaders, and many other high-ranking individuals advised young international delegates and leaders centering on the theme of “Moral and Innovative Leadership: Vision, Service, Entrepreneurship.”
Each speaker shared encouraging words and inspiring advice. A collection of their thoughts is below:
Brian Gerrard Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BAE, focused on humility’s role in leadership, saying his failures shaped him, and “as soon as he relinquished his ego at all costs” that’s when he saw the most growth and results.
He Frederick Musiiwa Makamure, Shava President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, said that 40 percent of the labor market is unemployed, and the best way to prepare people to enter the labor market is through education and innovation.
James P. Flynn, International President of the Global Peace Foundation, said the most critical problem facing the world today is ethical. Younger generations lack ethical maturity because they loose sight in the ways humanity is similar, forgetting how to be united. Flynn finished by saying, “We find moral motivation in our common humanity.”
Oulanyah Jacob L’okori Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda, gave us invaluable insight about responsibility, “to take responsibility is to get a good education and build good character. And taking responsibility leads to great legacy.”
Diane Melley Vice President of IBM, shared her views on successful corporate leadership. Melley said, “IBM has survived for so long because we have the ability to embrace change, accept wisdom, and we know that the value of partnerships can not be overstated.”
Heather Hartnett Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Human Ventures, spoke about the integrity of leaders, stating that “true leaders have innate spontaneous right action.”
The IYLA Global Summit aims to empower young leaders to create a better and more hopeful tomorrow. Attending the summit reminded us that leadership is not developed overnight but requires character qualities built through participation, failures, and service. And most importantly, leadership is supposed to be transferrable; we have to be able to pass it on from generation to generation–it is the key to our survival.
