The Zelensky Lesson

This week we were going to dissect the topic of “engagement” versus “employee satisfaction” or “experience” and ultimately against the topic of emotional engagement which should be its true meaning but we have to pause that and talk about something else entirely: fear, courage and true leadership.

I found writing this near impossible. I made the mistake of looking at the news before finishing it and it became almost impossible to focus on anything other than the extreme suffering happening a few thousands of kilometres away. Today’s press is brimming with images of bloodied children and heartbroken parents. Fearing for your child’s life - is there anything worse? And today we all have reasons to feel that way. It almost defies belief that any of us find the energy and the bravery to go through life at all when our children’s safety is under threat.

Some of the developer teams we work with in PeopleNotTech are right there, in the Ukraine, in the belly of the beast, caught in this absurd and vile moment in history. They are frightened, they are in shock and incredulous that they have been left alone to fight this and some are even working online with colleagues elsewhere trying to maintain composure on dailies or commit code. And their teammates in their safe homes feel it too. The shock, the fear, the extreme guilt to be this ok when they are not. At least for now. And collectively we do the best we can to not break down, what good would that do? They have no other option but to be strong.

What they do have, what they can be extremely thankful for and what we all need to stop and take in, is our generation's best example of true leadership.

The power of inspiration and momentum that witnessing such determination, vision and sheer courage bring, can not be underestimated - it is what makes their entire country so incredibly able to single-handedly stave off the deluded and psychopathic ambitions of a madman for all the rest of us, not the Ukraine only.