Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to supporters after the second spherical of presidential elections in Kyiv, Ukraine, in April 2019. (AP Photograph/Vadim Ghirda)
To achieve widespread enchantment amongst voters, political elites routinely solid themselves within the position of a servant chief — that’s, somebody who units apart self-interest in favour of serving others. For the servant chief, the workplace they occupy is just not meant to seize and preserve energy, however relatively to advance the pursuits of the constituents they serve.
There’s no higher instance of this in the mean time than Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
His dedication to Ukraine and Ukrainians is at odds with many latest examples from throughout the ideological spectrum of political elites claiming to operate as servant leaders whereas exhibiting wholly contradictory behaviours.
Take California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s determination to attend a bunch dinner on the tony French Laundry restaurant within the Napa Valley in the course of the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was advising his state’s residents to remain dwelling as a public well being precaution. Or British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s attendance at a celebration when the nation was beneath a stay-at-home order.
These examples counsel that though they might declare in any other case, political leaders take into account themselves to be a part of a definite, elite class for whom the principles that govern bizarre residents don’t apply. Certainly, their behaviour is based on the underlying perception that constituents should do as leaders say and never as they do.
Braveness of his convictions
Not so for Zelensky, who’s captured the admiration of the worldwide group largely by aligning his rhetoric together with his actions in the course of the Russian invasion of his nation.
Evaluating Zelensky’s phrases together with his conduct in recent times reveals how he’s the quintessential servant chief even beneath essentially the most precarious of circumstances.
In Might 2019, in his inaugural tackle after being elected president, Zelensky alluded to the significance of political office-holders performing as servant leaders. Beneath his management, he hoped to ascertain Ukraine as a rustic the place, in his phrases:
“All people is equal earlier than the regulation and the place the principles of the sport are trustworthy and clear [and] are the identical for everybody. And for this to occur, individuals who need to serve the nation have to take workplace.”
Whereas political leaders usually make such lofty claims, not often are they practised by way of their actions.
When Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, his intention was clear: to overthrow Zelensky’s democratically elected authorities and set up a puppet regime in favour of the Kremlin. With this goal in thoughts, the Russian navy set its sight on Kyiv, and Zelensky instantly grew to become “Goal No. 1.”
In a present of ethical fortitude and unwavering braveness, Zelensky refused to flee Kyiv. Because the violence crept nearer to the capital within the days that adopted, and with Zelensky’s life beneath risk, U.S. President Joe Biden supplied to evacuate him from Ukraine. Rejecting the provide, the Ukrainian president responded together with his now well-known line: “I would like ammunition, not a experience.”
Volodymyr Zelensky addresses European parliament in Brussels on March 1, 2022, from Kyiv, the place he has remained all through Russia’s invasion.
(AP Photograph/Virginia Mayo)
Putting himself in danger
Zelensky’s determination to stay in Kyiv is each distinctive and profound. There are few latest examples of political elites prepared to place themselves in danger personally for the collective good — Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela and Mom Teresa are some servant leaders of the previous. His determination exemplifies the spirit of servant management.
Zelensky has requested Ukrainian women and men to confront the invaders and to defend their nation. In a last-ditch try to dissuade Putin on the eve of the invasion, he stated: “If you assault us, you will notice our faces, not our backs.”
According to servant leaders who relegate their very own self-interest with a purpose to defend the pursuits of the individuals they serve, Zelensky stayed put to be a part of the nation’s resistance. He requested nothing of residents that he wasn’t decided to do himself.
To make certain, many bizarre Ukrainians have heeded the decision to defend their nation in opposition to the invasion from the navy superpower. Their particular person and collective heroism shouldn’t be negated.
However for the citizenry’s resolve to withstand and persevere in opposition to the Russian occupation, it’s vital to have a political chief who’s standing alongside the individuals, serving them in main by instance. Through the nation’s darkest hours, Zelensky has proven himself a person for the individuals, of the individuals — not simply in rhetoric, however extra importantly, in motion.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues. Whereas the Ukrainian president’s destiny stays unsure, one final result is evident: Zelensky’s embodiment as a servant chief throughout this time of disaster means he’ll both dwell on as a hero or die a martyr. He has proven the world what it means to be a frontrunner whose foremost dedication is to the residents he serves.
Ajnesh Prasad receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Analysis Council and the Canada Analysis Chairs program..
