On the afternoon of August 3, Dr. Changchui He, Former Deputy Director-General of FAO, delivered a speech on strategic leadership and global governance.

He started with the introduction to the concept and issues of global governance in the international community. Then,Dr. He explained the qualities that strategic leaders need for engagement in global governance from two aspects: mindset and skills.

With the rapid development of society, we need to change our mindset. The more uncertain the environment, the greater the opportunity. Dr. He emphasized that the young generation should pay attention to changes and needs in the future. The talents who are capable of meeting future challenges and needs are those who look at the big picture, adapt to digital age, good at telling Chinese stories and sharing Chinese wisdom.

As for skills, Dr. He shared the concepts of “Four Powers”, “Eight Qualities”, and“Six Skills” to empower leaders to think strategically and navigate the unknown. What is crucial for young people to become strategic leaders is to cultivate their self-guided learning ability in order to master all these skills in a rapidly changing society. “Four Powers” refer to Leadership,Execution, Creativity, and Impact. With the four powers, strategic leaders can think globally and act locally. “Eight Qualities” are basic qualities for strategic leaders, including Patriotism, Devotion, Versatility, Communication,Inclusiveness, Team spirit, Pragmatism, and Language ability. These eight qualities enable the young generation to become strategic leaders with global competence. Dr. He ended up with “Six Skills” which are essential for strategic leadership:

(1) Anticipate. Strategic leaders are constantly vigilant, honing their ability to anticipate by scanning the environment for signals of change. They usually use scenario planning to imagine various futures and prepare for the unexpected.

(2) Challenge. Strategic leaders are patient, courageous, and open-minded so that they challenge their own and others' assumptions and encourage divergent opinions. Strategic leaders question the status quo, focus on the root causes of a problem rather than the symptoms, and welcome open dialogue and conflict.

(3) Interpret. Strategic leaders synthesize all the input they have. They recognize patterns, push through ambiguity, and seek new insights. They analyze cases flexibly and are very open-mined to see the big picture.

(4) Decide. Strategic leaders do not make premature decisions. They follow a disciplined process that balances rigor with speed, considers the trade-offs involved, and takes both short-and long-term goals into account.

(5) Align. Strategic leaders know that success depends on proactive communication, trust building, and frequent engagement. They are adept at finding common ground and mutual benefits to facilitate greater collaboration.

(6) Learn. Strategic leaders are the focal point for organizational learning. They promote a culture of inquiry,and they search for the lessons in both successful and unsuccessful outcomes which are viewed as learning opportunities.

Dr. He stressed that becoming a strategic leader for engagement in global governance, we should develop all the qualities and skills as he shared with participants. He also quoted Henry Kissinger’s wisdom to demonstrate how important to be a strategic leader: “When judging each generation, we must see whether they could solve the most ambitious and important issues of human society, and politicians must respond with unpredictable results by making the proper decision.”

At the end of the course, Dr. Liangrong Zu summarized with the framework drawing from Dr. He’s lecture. The core theme of Dr. He’s lecture focuses on two important concepts: “Strategies”- value,vision, brief and principle, and “Tactics”- skills including the of the “Four Powers”, “Eight Qualities”, and “Six Skills”. Dr. Zu encouraged all of the participants to study more and apply all the qualities and skills in academic and career development in the future. The participants are aware that from Dr. He’s lecture, only by starting with a genuine heart to make good for the nation and the world, can more young people further develop strategic leadership skills and be engaged in the international community.

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