Former Heads of State Speak on Leadership

Former heads of state from five countries shared personal anecdotes and perspectives on how to become a leader with a packed audience at the ARCO Forum last night.

Panelists included Esko Aho, prime minister of Finland from 1991 to 1995; Oscar Arias Sanchez, president of Costa Rica from 1986 to 1990; Malcolm Fraser, prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983; Jamil Mahuad, president of Ecuador from 1998 to 2000; and Abdel Salam Majali, prime minister of Jordan from 1993 to 1995 and again from 1997 to 1998.

Joseph S. Nye, dean of the Kennedy School, moderated the discussion, questioning the panelists on topics ranging from personal background to models of leadership.

Panelists stressed that a good politician is not always the best leader.

"The essence of leadership is to do what your convictions tell you to do, not to please the public or win polls," Sanchez said. "A leader is one who has the ability to make tough decisions, not necessarily those that will please the people."

"That is the essential difference between a leader and a politician," he added.

Fraser stressed the need not to bow to public pressure and to stick to one's ideals once in power.

"To be successful you have to have some kind of conviction of where you want to go, some kind of understanding of what your people will accept," he said.

Fraser, who is well known in the international community for his efforts to end apartheid in the early 1980s, told audience members that his greatest inspiration in life was Nelson Mandela, who he first met on a trip to South Africa in 1985.

The panelists warned future leaders against ignoring the advice of others, and relying too heavily on their own judgment.

"The main mistake of leaders is to overestimate their skills," Aho said.

Mahuad agreed, saying, "Ominpotence is the biggest mistake a leader could make."

One member of the audience felt the informal nature of the panel allowed the audience to see the human side of the leaders.

"The best lesson I took was from the human side of leadership they showed," said Mohit Daswani, a student at Harvard Business School. "They showed me you have to rely on your own values and beliefs to be a leader."