Leadership – Key Lessons from Ukraine

Leadership and public speaking tip: Know your audience and don’t underestimate the power of ‘words!’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky effectively tailored his speeches for three key audiences this week.

->In a speech to the UK’s House of Commons, he quoted Winston Churchill and William Shakespeare in a speech to the United Kingdom’s House of Commons. He said “”We will fight to the end,” Zelensky said through an interpreter. “We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight until the end at sea, in the air. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost.”

->In a speech to US Congress, he referenced Pearl Harbor and 9/11 as He Pleads for More from Washington: “Remember Pearl Harbor, the terrible morning of December 7, 1941, when your sky was black from the planes attacking you. Just remember it. Remember September 11th, a terrible day in 2001, when evil tried to turn your cities—independent territories—into battlefields.” He added, of Ukraine, “Our country experiences the same every day, right now, at this moment—every night for three weeks now.”

->In a speech to the Germany parliament, Zelensky referenced the Berlin Wall to describe how Russia is trying to divide Europe. He took a page from Reagan’s speech playbook and asked the German chancellor — “Dear Mr. Scholz, tear down this wall.”

For each of the above, Zelensky shows the power of words, stories, and video — creating a unique video that echoed the above and showed what the Russians are doing in Ukraine.

And finally… since I am a community guy — it’s impressive to see he is creating a community around his cause.